Intruder (1989)

Director:

Scott Spiegel

Writers:

Lawrence Bender (story)
Scott Spiegel (screenplay)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A new dimension in terror.

Plot:

The ex-boyfriend of a check-out girl at a supermarket returns at closing time to make trouble. They...

Plot Keywords:

Supermarket | Employee | Stabbing | Pay Phone | Hook

Cast

Elizabeth Cox	...	Jennifer Ross
Renée Estevez	...	Linda
Dan Hicks	...	Bill Roberts
David Byrnes	...	Craig Peterson
Sam Raimi	...	Randy
Eugene Robert Glazer	...	Danny (as Eugene R. Glazer)
Billy Marti	...	Dave
Burr Steers	...	Bub
Craig Stark	...	Tim
Ted Raimi	...	Produce Joe
Alvy Moore	...	Officer Dalton
Tom Lester	...	Officer Mathews
Emil Sitka	...	Mr. Abernathy
Bruce Campbell	...	Officer Howard
Lawrence Bender	...	Officer Adams

Also Known As:

Night Crew (USA) (working title)
Night Crew: The Final Checkout (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

83 min | 88 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

West Germany:18 (heavily cut) | New Zealand:R16 (2009) | Australia:R | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bell, California, USA

Company:

Beyond Infinity

Trivia:

The film was partially based around Scott Spiegel's experiences working at the real Walnut Lake Market in Michigan. It was also something of a remake of an earlier Super-8 short film by Spiegel. The short was a slasher story called 'Night Crew' and featured a more Halloween (1978) inspired killer.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Jennifer gets off the phone with Craig and leaves the office, the camera crew and dolly are reflected in the glass.

Quotes:

Bill Roberts: I'm just crazy about this store.

Movie Connections:

References Brideless Groom (1947)

A terrifically fun highlight of 80's slashers!

Surprisingly good stalk 'n' slash movie from Scott Speigel (long time associate of director Sam Raimi) was probably the last true slasher flick of the '80's.

Grocery store workers are set to do the night shift when an uninvited guest drops in and the employees begin to be butchered.

An effective dark sense of humor, stylish camera work, and eye-popping gore FX (from the makeup masters at KNB FX no less!) uplifts this movie above the normal slasher fair. Granted, the story of Intruder isn't exactly brilliant, but it serves well as a frame work for some highly energized thrills and blood-letting. Also worth mentioning is the atmospheric sense of dread that runs through out the movie.

The cast isn't half bad, some even make for some quirky characters. Genre fans will notice plenty of familiar faces in the cast. Director Sam Raimi appears as the butcher, younger brother Ted Raimi as a produce worker, Renee Estevez as a cashier, Dan Hicks as the store manager, and even B movie hero Bruce Campbell cameos as a cop.

All around Intruder makes for great fun for the slasher fans, exactly how this gem managed to escape me for so long I don't know! Not for the faint of heart.

*** 1/2 out of ****