Feaure Length Review: 'The Toolbox Murders' (1977)

Ah, the infamous video nasties! In the early 1980s, censorship-happy England formulated a list of films originally distributed on video cassette that were deemed too violent by various religious organizations, the press and family value commentators and activists. This denouncement then lead to the ‘Video Recordings Act’ of 1984 which imposed a stricter code of censorship – sometimes outright banning – of films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Driller Killer, Cannibal Holocaust and many other genre classics that have since been re-released to the public after the policy’s relaxation in 2000. Riding on the bloody heals of the mid-70s exploitation wave, The Toolbox Murders was marketed as the perfect splatter sickie, combining a misogynistic killer and an arsenal of weapons sure to disfigure the human body in the most gruesome of ways. But is director Dennis Donnelly’s film simply a case of throwaway sleaze? As the old saying goes, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’.



THE LOWDOWN: Armed with a metal toolbox and a wooly ski mask, a mysterious killer roams the neighborhood of a cheap apartment building complex. He slaughters his victims without pity or remorse, utilizing everything from hammerheads to power drills in a frenzy of blood and violence. Local police are baffled by the carnage and struggle to find any leads ahead of solving the seemingly endless chain of murders, other than all the victims are beautiful young women leading sexually active lives. The killer decides to kidnap a young innocent girl named Laurie (Pamelyn Ferdin) and keep her hostage at his home. The killer is soon revealed to be a middle-aged man named Vance Kingsley (Cameron Mitchell) – owner of the apartment complex - who is using Laurie as a replacement for his deceased daughter in order to mask his pain and mourning.

Meanwhile, Laurie's brother, Joey (Nicolas Beauvy) and his friend, Kent (Wesley Eure), decide to take it upon themselves to find the killer and foil his plans for Laurie. However, when Joey discovers a terrible link between his friend and the killer in question, he realizes his own life may also be in danger and his sister may already be far beyond help.



THE TERROR TALE & ITS TIMING: While in its first 20-30 minutes the film may simply appear to be pure exploitation with some narly deaths and pointless T&A, The Toolbox Murders’ latter portions quickly assure its audience that there is far more to the mayhem than meets the eye. Unlike many films of its ilk during the same decade, Donnelly’s film paints the portrait of a killer driven by genuine motive and emotional turmoil, immediately setting him apart from most other masked celluloid maniacs whose madness generally stems purely from one prior event of tragedy which fuels their aggression in the present day. Kingsley is a human being like anyone else; a father who loves his daughter –perhaps even more than himself – so much so that even in death he cannot free his mind of her memory. Her death marks not only the loss his daughter but also the loss of his sanity, thus making him resort to punishing all those who commit “unnatural acts” unlike his morally sound offspring. When Laurie is captured by Kingsley and used as a means by which to vent is concealed emotions, the results are quite heartbreaking to watch and one can begin to understand his sadness and frustration…regardless of his appalling crimes.



One film that immediately springs to mind when watching Toolbox is William Lustig’s notorious 1980 shocker Maniac and its similar approach to the in-depth portrayal of its killer Frank Zito (an unforgettable performance by Joe Spinell). Like Donnelly, Lustig pays particular attention to the psychology and inner-workings of his film’s killer, refusing to resort to the movie convention of a faceless representation of evil. Rather than the brutality and body count being the star of the movie, Toolbox is all about the motive of its killer and the resulting madness that envelopes the lives of his “family” rather than his victims. Regardless of its grisly nature it’s a shame the movie was marketed the way it was, as any intelligent person who actually watched the movie during its original theatrical release in 1977 would have noticed it wasn’t all skin and sleaze - there was also considerable thought and attention paid to its story and leading characters.



DOOMED CHARACTERS: The scene in the film that best illustrates the plight of Vance Kingsley and his feelings/intentions toward Laurie is the first time we see him comfort her as a prisoner in his home. This pivotal scene with a running time of over 10 minutes is unlike any other in the rest of the film and is truly a tour-de-force of performance by both Mitchell and Ferdin. The tragedy of Kingsley’s separation from his daughter and his need to fill his life again with someone he cares for is played with surprising subtlety and gut-wrenching honesty by Mitchell while Ferdin looks legitimately terrified to be in his presence. And although it may seem a little unlikely that a killer would reveal his entire motivations toward his prey, it is such a captivating sequence of raw emotion and twisted sentiment that any preconceived notions the viewer may have regarding the film’s subject matter are quickly called into question. The only main quibble with the film’s supporting players is the utterly redundant sub-plot of police investigation which, once introduced in the first half of the film, is never followed up with.



THE LOOK OF FEAR: Low-budget horror films don’t generally spend a great deal of time investing in high production values and even though Toolbox has its share of cheap locales and tacky set pieces, director of photography Gary Graver employs some solid camerawork and striking visual cues throughout the mayhem that help elevate the film’s shoestring roots. Some of the more simple but effective techniques (like the subliminal cuts between Kingsley’s victims with flashbacks of his daughter) not only look cool but also serve the story. The pre-silicone era FX are executed quite nicely and each death is suitably nasty in design, particularly the film’s money scene in which ex-adult film star Kelly Nichols is plugged with a nail gun after a lengthy masturbation session in a bathtub. Yep, they just don’t make em’ like they used to.



THE SOUND OF FRIGHT: Aside from its suitably oppressive and moody score by George Deaton, Donnelly makes the genius decision to incorporate Toolbox with a number of stock country love songs into the kill sequences, resulting in a terrifically diabolical contrast of romance and murder. The best example is again during the killing of Nichols in her apartment when a song entitled ‘Pretty Lady’ plays in the background. Misogynistic? Perhaps. But damn is it effective.



FINAL THOUGHTS: The Toolbox Murders is an intriguing little cult oddity amongst genre fans, having developed quite a loyal following since its infamy as a sin of cinema. It manages to merge both gore and intelligence into a uniquely literate context that seals its fate as a lasting exploitation curiosity. Were it not for the like-minded films that came before it, Toolbox could very well not have happened at all. Thankfully, films like this are proof to horror snobs that our beloved genre isn’t just about spilling the screen with bodily fluids but also the why behind their spillage.

Dir: Dennis Donnelly
Writer: Neva Friedenn & Robert Easter
Cast: Cameron Mitchell, Pamelyn Ferdin, Wesley Eure, Tim Donnelly
Country: USA
Run Time: 93min
Rated: R 18+