The Mangler (1995)

Director:

Tobe Hooper

Writers:

Stephen King (short story)
Tobe Hooper (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 March 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Escape is not an option.

Plot:

A laundry folding machine is possessed by a demon from Hell.

Plot Keywords:

Supernatural | First Of Series | Gore | Based On Short Story | Brother In Law

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Robert Englund	...	William 'Bill' Gartley
Ted Levine	...	Officer John Hunton
Daniel Matmor	...	Mark Jackson
Jeremy Crutchley	...	J.J.J. Pictureman / Mortician
Vanessa Pike	...	Sherry Ouelette
Demetre Phillips	...	George Stanner
Lisa Morris	...	Lin Sue
Vera Blacker	...	Mrs. Adelle Frawley
Ashley Hayden	...	Annette Gillian
Danny Keogh	...	Herb Diment
Ted Le Plat	...	Doctor Ramos
Todd Jensen	...	Roger Martin
Sean Taylor	...	Derrick Gates
Gerrit Schoonhoven	...	Aaron Rodriguez
Nan Hamilton	...	Mrs. Ellenshaw

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA | Australia | South Africa

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M (unrated version) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Germany:18 | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Allied Film Production

Trivia:

Larry Taylor's last film.

Quotes:

[first lines]
George Stanner: What are you doing? Not up here. Get back down there. Jesus. Morons.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The House That Freddy Built (2006) (V)

What were they thinking?

I wonder what Tobe Hooper and company were thinking when they churned this one out. An antique clothes pressing machine and old fridge take on demonic traits and begin killing people. As bad as that is, I could have lived with this film for its endless gore. But for some reason Robert Englund of all people is on hand as the crippled, strangle-voiced owner of the commercial laundry in which the pressing machine holds sway. There's some jumbled plot about folks in town sacrificing their virgin daughters and one of their fingers in order to -- well, let's say it makes absolutely no sense, and Englund is so hammy and buried under so much old-man makeup, you'd swear he thought he was making a comedy. Maybe he was. That great character actor Ted ("Monk") Levine stars as the local sheriff, and he is equally bad. I should mention the special effects used to animate the machine look like they were done by a child -- in 1972. Good for the gore, and not much else.