Toolbox Murders (2003)

Director:

Tobe Hooper

Writers:

Jace Anderson (written by)
Adam Gierasch (written by)

Release Date:

9 September 2004 (Israel)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Another legacy begins.

Plot:

A historic Hollywood hotel houses a supernatural evil. It's been subdued for decades - but when renovations start, a series of murders take place. It's up to our heroine to solve the mystery.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Neighbor | Blueprint | Apartment Building | Nail Gun

Cast

Angela Bettis	...	Nell Barrows
Brent Roam	...	Steven Barrows
Marco Rodríguez	...	Luis Saucedo (as Marco Rodriguez)
Rance Howard	...	Chas Rooker
Juliet Landau	...	Julia Cunningham
Adam Gierasch	...	Ned Lundy
Greg Travis	...	Byron McLieb
Christopher Doyle	...	Coffin Baby (as Chris Doyle)
Adam Weisman	...	Austin Sterling
Christina Venuti	...	Jennifer
Sara Downing	...	Saffron Kirby
Jamison Reeves	...	Hudson
Stephanie Silverman	...	Dora Sterling
Alan Polonsky	...	Philip Sterling (as Allan Polonsky)
Charlie Paulson	...	Hans

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, language, some sexuality and brief drug use.

Runtime:

95 min | Germany:91 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | UK:15 (original rating) | Ireland:18 | UK:18 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 | Philippines:R-13 | Spain:13 | USA:R | Sweden:15 | Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Alpine Pictures

Trivia:

Lucky McKee was originally set to play the part of the killer, but dropped out to work on his own horror film The Woods (2006).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Nell is writing the note to Julia the sound of the pencil on the paper mismatches the action.

Quotes:

Byron McLieb: [over the intercom in Nell and Stevens Apartment, said in a British Accent] Luis, the Vice Chancellor will be here at 3 for finger sandwiches.
Luis Saucedo: Alright Byron.

Movie Connections:

References The Toolbox Murders (1978)

Soundtrack:

California (Back To Hell)

Tobe Hooper's return to greatness...

The original "Toolbox Murders" was a pretty shameful combination of "Halloween" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," lacking the atmosphere, suspense, and gritty charm of those films. At the time of its release (1978), the concept of gory death by hardware (regardless of how peripheral it was to the 'plot') allowed for at least one lasting shock (a nail-gun murder preceded by a very memorable bathtub scene), but otherwise, the film is dated and dull by modern standards.

As is clear from the first frame onward, Tobe Hooper's stylish update of "Toolbox" is determined to take the material in a supernatural direction, and for the most part, is successful. Whereas many horror films of late have been drowned in unconvincing CGI gore and calculated orchestral booms designed to elicit cheap scares from the audience, Hooper's film retains the subtle implication of TCM (the villain remains masked/obscured throughout the film) crossed with a jigsaw-puzzle plot that becomes more engrossing as the movie progresses. As far as ambition is concerned, it definitely surpasses the original film's shopworn, "Psycho"-familiar story, and Hooper's assured direction helps greatly.

Angela Bettis leads a cast of lesser-knowns who give fine performances (the more grating, clichéd characters are dispatched promptly) and make the premise believable. Similarly, the photography creates fine atmosphere when needed, with the picture often looking like a cross between the colorful sets of "May" combined with the slight grittiness of Zack Snyder's "Dawn of the Dead" remake.

"Toolbox Murders" is a quirky, suspenseful, and sufficiently gory horror film. In the third act, Hooper re-affirms the genius of his seminal masterpiece by building the tension to an almost unbearable degree, whilst capping the film with a deliciously ambiguous ending.

Definitely recommended.