Terror Tuesday: The Toolbox Murders

When independent film studios saw how much money could be made off one simple chainsaw massacre, they began a mad scramble for the next winning combination of hardware and carnage. Over the next several years, gore warriors would take in such late-night penetration fantasies as DRILLER KILLER, NAILGUN MASSACRE, SLEDGE HAMMER and even WOODCHIPPER MASSACRE. But none of them come close to the sincerity, vigor and high-impact lowbrow artistry of THE TOOLBOX MURDERS. This mighty example of scum-level filmmaking was released at sleaze cinema’s apex, when both the exterior and interiors of the human body were most vigorously displayed on screen. Hard luck drive-in legend Cameron Mitchell (RAW FORCE) stars as a rampaging, kill-crazy landlord whose greatest pleasure in life is ending everyone else’s. Equipped with one of those boxes with tools in it -- what are those things called again? -- he travels from room to room in a savage, conscience-free rage-trance, treating his renters the way the Kool-Aid man treats a brick wall. (Zack)