Toolbox Murders (2003)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Tobe Hooper

Writers:

Jace Anderson (written by)
Adam Gierasch (written by)

Release Date:

9 September 2004 (Israel)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Another legacy begins.

Plot:

A historic Hollywood hotel houses a supernatural evil. It's been subdued for decades - but when renovations start, a series of murders take place. It's up to our heroine to solve the mystery.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Neighbor | Blueprint | Apartment Building | Nail Gun

Cast

Angela Bettis	...	Nell Barrows
Brent Roam	...	Steven Barrows
Marco Rodríguez	...	Luis Saucedo (as Marco Rodriguez)
Rance Howard	...	Chas Rooker
Juliet Landau	...	Julia Cunningham
Adam Gierasch	...	Ned Lundy
Greg Travis	...	Byron McLieb
Christopher Doyle	...	Coffin Baby (as Chris Doyle)
Adam Weisman	...	Austin Sterling
Christina Venuti	...	Jennifer
Sara Downing	...	Saffron Kirby
Jamison Reeves	...	Hudson
Stephanie Silverman	...	Dora Sterling
Alan Polonsky	...	Philip Sterling (as Allan Polonsky)
Charlie Paulson	...	Hans

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, language, some sexuality and brief drug use.

Runtime:

95 min | Germany:91 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:18 (DVD rating) | Ireland:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 | Philippines:R-13 | Spain:13 | USA:R | Sweden:15 | Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Alpine Pictures

Trivia:

Lucky McKee was originally set to play the part of the killer, but dropped out to work on his own horror film The Woods (2006).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ned is in front of the elevator it opens and Julia comes out. A front shot of Ned shows him with his hair all over his face. Then another shot shows his hair to the sides and then it changes back to cover his face.

Quotes:

Nell Barrows: Were you aiming for Dante's Third or Fourth Circle of Hell?
Steven Barrows: It was just bad timing.
Nell Barrows: Honey, "bad timing" is arriving late for dinner. This is fire-bombing the restaurant.

Movie Connections:

References The Toolbox Murders (1978)

Soundtrack:

California (Back To Hell)

Gore feast, but worth the film its printed on!

Ok previous reviews on here have been weak to my eye, so i have decided to weigh in on a more detailed review.

The film has its positives and negatives, but still manages to uphold its grue and power.It has a supernatural side to the story which i thought was never fully explained therefore i think not needed. The gore level is VERY high and dont expect it to have its full running time when it comes out in theatres!, coz i'm sure the editing floor will have some work to do on it first! but if you can definitly watch it before it gets cut because you will have a taste of extra cool SFX, such as a circular saw meeting the face and a nifty bolt cutter scene to the spine! not to mention the countless scenes with a drill! anyway the performances are great and powerful, from angela bettis to the killer being naturally scary and truly facially F**ked up! story line drags a little some what during the middle but Tobe instantly flicks the light switch back on delivering what seems one of the scariest and most overlooked horrors of 2003.