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Movies / On DVD / The Driller Killer
The Driller Killer

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The Driller Killer (1979)

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75 %
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Reviews Counted: 8

Fresh: 6

Rotten:2

Average Rating: 6/10

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: Director Abel Ferrara's (BAD LIEUTENANT) first major feature has an infamous reputation but is actually more of an art film than a straightforward bloodletter. Tortured and penniless artist Reno... Director Abel Ferrara's (BAD LIEUTENANT) first major feature has an infamous reputation but is actually more of an art film than a straightforward bloodletter. Tortured and penniless artist Reno (Ferrara) and his girlfriends Carol (Carolyn Marz) and Pamela (Baybi Day) hang out at their New York loft, enduring such problems as the phone bill, the rent, and a rock band that's always practicing downstairs. When it all becomes too much, Reno grabs his drill and runs through the city on all-night rampages. Eventually, Carol moves out, Reno's paintings don't sell, and things just get worse from there. Shot on gritty 16mm, THE DRILLER KILLER has a distinctly 1970s New York underground feel--a low-rent artistic quality that makes it seem like a cross between TAXI DRIVER and ANDY WARHOL'S TRASH (with drilling). Low-budget and somewhat amateurish, this film nevertheless benefits from some moody lighting and Ferrara's brave insight into the psyche. Reno's mental disintegration manages to be chillingly believable and a potent statement on the place of the artist in modern society. A surprise hit on the drive-in circuit, this was rereleased in 1981 to capitalize on the teenage slasher movie boom (and the success of Ferrara's second film, MS. 45). [More]

Starring: Abel Ferrara, Carolyn Marz, Baybi Day

Starring: Abel Ferrara, Carolyn Marz, Baybi Day

Director: Abel Ferrara

Director: Abel Ferrara

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Release:

Apr 15, 2003

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Reviews for The Driller Killer

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1 - 12 (sorted by date)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This 1979 budgeter takes up from the 70s grindhouse and precedes the flourishing horror-comedies of the 80s.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
03/11/09
Matthew Sorrento
Film Threat

Worthwhile for admirers of Ferrara's overall portfolio; probably too slow and odd for those hoping for shallow splatter.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
04/09/07
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Only sporadically exhibits the skill and wit of [Ferrara's] scintillatingly skuzzy subsequent efforts.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
04/02/06
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Dystopic Punk-era Manhattan by Abel Ferrara - Very cool!

comment Comment
11/07/05
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Okay slasher flick.

comment Comment
08/24/05
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

No review available.

comment Comment
06/26/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

There's a grim, grimy and rather unsettling vibe to the thing; this is not the sort of horror movie where you "root" for the oft-maligned misfit.

Full Review Source: Monsters At Play | comment Comment
07/29/04
Scott Weinberg
Monsters At Play

I suspect that a viewer might also begin wielding a power drill if he or she had to sit through it too many times.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment 2 Comments
06/24/04
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
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Latest News for The Driller Killer

October 03, 2008: Further Reading: Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker in Abel Ferrara's Mary
As the NFT in London prepares a Juliette Binoche season, Kim looks at Abel Ferrara's Mary which also stars Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker. More...

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