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Toolbox Murders

Toolbox Murders (2004)

November. 12,2004
|
5.3
|
R
| Horror Mystery

Young couple Steve and Nell move into a once fashionable but now decaying apartment block in Hollywood, and soon realise that a number of young residents have met unusually violent deaths. Before long, Nell makes some disturbing discoveries about the building's manager and her fellow tenants.

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Reviews

Bergorks
2004/11/12

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

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Donald Seymour
2004/11/13

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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Juana
2004/11/14

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

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Cheryl
2004/11/15

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

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Chris Smith (RockPortReview)
2004/11/16

In 1974 Tobe Hooper directed the original horror masterpiece "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and created and instant name for himself. But over the past few decades he really hasn't done anything to write home about. Except that in 2004 he directed Angela Bettis in a remake of the 1978 film "The Toolbox Murders".This new version stars Bettis as Nell as she and her husband move into the Lusman Arms apartment complex in Los Angeles. The complex in under an extensive renovation and is a complete mess, but they have a doorman. The story feels like a lost film from Roman Polanski, drawing a lot from the themes of "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Tenant". The story also throws in a bit of old Hollywood noir, as the apartment building was the former residence of the infamous Black Dahlia victim Elizabeth Short. The building is a character in itself as a dark and foreboding presence. The movie was shot at the old Ambassador Hotel which has a pretty storied past in itself. The Lusman Arms is the place where young actors come with dreams of making it big. Although Nell is a school teacher and her husband Steve and med student.From the first scene of the movie we know that there is a ski masked maniac in the building who is killing off the resident and things seem to point towards Ned the quiet and creepy young maintenance man who kind of looks like Jack White. Like the original film he kills his victims with various tools in his toolbox, so yeah the title is pretty self explanatory.Nell immediately gets the creeps about the place, but its so affordable since they have to live in a construction zone. We get to know a lot of the residents from an old man who has lived there for 60 years, to the young couple that is always fighting, and the middle aged couple with a teenage son. After hearing a bunch of screaming from next door Nell calls the cops, but they find nothing. She is all alone with her mind allowed to wonder and with the paper thin walls she can't get a moment of silence. As the terror and suspense increases Nell starts to investigate the history of the Lusman Arms. Acting on a tip from the Old Man she find that each floor is missing a room and that something sinister lurks within the walls.This is a fun little movie that is all about Angela Bettis and her character Nell as she fights for not only her life but for her sanity. The "Toolbox Murders" DVD is available online or from Netflix and includes a couple of commentary tracks and some deleted scenes. So I guess you should put the Hot Pocket down and go watch this movie.

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Nitzan Havoc
2004/11/17

As a horror-freak spectator, I must say I did not enjoy this film as much as I'd hoped I would.Angela Bettis was the best part for me. I loved her in all her previous parts in Girl Interrupted, May and Carrie, and find her an excellent actress, way underrated. In this film, we got to see her playing a different role, rather than the disturbed neurotic she usually plays. She did so beautifully, and I hope directors learn to appreciate her as she deserves!The characters were also great. Realistic, original, varied and convincing. I found myself curious and compelled by each of their stories, and wanting to know more about them.Unfortunately - that was it. The main story wasn't all that interesting, too many questions left unasked rather than unanswered. Not enough explanations about the supernatural aspect, and not at all enough information about the killer. Speaking of the killer - he wasn't all that scary, not at all. As for surprising twists? If there were any, I missed them. The ending was unclear, and anticlimactic. For me - the second I have to use that term (anticlimactic) to describe the ending of a horror film, it means it wasn't that good.I didn't actually see the original film, and at first didn't even know this was a remake. However, I've seen my share of slasher-horror films, and this one certainly isn't one of the best. I've seen some very positive reviews for this film, and I admit to failing to understand why. A matter of taste I guess.Can't really recommend this film with a clean conscience, unless you're a fan of the original one, or of Angela Bettis.

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Anonymous Andy (Minus_The_Beer)
2004/11/18

A remake of the 1978 film of the same name, "The Toolbox Murders" is a return from director Tobe Hooper to his suspense/slasher roots. Angela Bettis ("May") stars as Nell, an out-of-work teacher who has just recently moved to a decrepit apartment building in Hollywood. During the day, her husband works, so naturally she runs into a little trouble and as neighbors start disappearing, a disturbing secret about the building comes to light. Is it infested with rats? Is the rent about to go up? Does Seinfeld's Newman store mail in its hollowed out walls? Watch, and find out.Like Hooper's infamous "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (and to a lesser extent, the under-appreciated but wholly worthwhile "The Funhouse"), "The Toolbox Murders" is a slow and steady slasher that builds to its conclusion. Thanks to some slick directing and an effectively creepy setting, the film has a dirty and grimy atmosphere seen too little in more modern slashers. Also in the film's favor is the decade's unsung Scream-queen Angela Bettis, who keeps the film grounded and is likable and credible enough that you want to follow her for an entire film. Of course, that's to say nothing of the often graphic and applause-worthy carnage at hand. Those itching for some good late '70s/early '80s brutality will walk away feeling rather satisfied.Unfortunately, the film is a bit by-the-numbers and suffers from its predictable nature. You may not see the film's twist coming right away, but you can be sure you'll figure who bites it and probably in what order. The film is filled to the brim with stock characters from the quirky neighbor to the creepy maintenance guy which tends to work against the solid performance by Bettis. Rarely does the film break away from convention, and although its throwback feel is refreshing, it gets a bit stale by the end and gives one the impression that Hooper directed the film in his sleep (and without the aid of Spielberg this time).In short, "The Toolbox Murders" is an efficient slasher romp that offers little in the way of surprises. But as a character in the film would say, that's just part of the movie's charm. The film is very much in the spirit of Hooper's earlier work and fans of the bygone golden age of slashers will get the most mileage from it than anyone else. Just go into it with limited expectations and you'll find it to be a decent way to kill 90 minutes.

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gavin6942
2004/11/19

A young woman (Angela Bettis) and her husband move into an apartment complex in Hollywood, but from day one things are not going well. People disappear, screams come from every corner and there is pounding in the night. What is the secret of the Lusman Building? This could be Tobe Hooper's return to form. Starting off strong with "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and "The Funhouse", he took a nose dive for a while. He has always had a sense of blandness mixed in with his subversive side... and this film breaks that mold. No blandness here.Adam Gierasch, the film's writer, appears as the apartment manager Byron, with great voice modification. And I think Gierasch may have been this film's savior, writing Hooper a script that is well thought out, original, esoteric, and breathes new life into the dead slasher genre.Angela Bettis is one of today's best horror actresses... is she weirdly hot or just weird? The Julia character... not sure why, but she's the sexual object for Ned, the strange handyman and murder suspect. Even Sheri Moon shows up for some reason.

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