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Jimmy Laine, Carolyn Marz, Baybi Day, Bob de Frank, Harry Schultz ... see more see more... , Peter Yellen , Abel Ferrara , Alan Wynroth , James O'Hara , Maria Helhoski , Richard Howorth

Iconoclastic filmmaker Abel Ferrara made his directorial debut with this gory but fascinating horror tale about a troubled artist (played by Jimmy Laine, aka Abel Ferrara). Haunted by bizarre hallucin... read more read more...ations and the fear he'll end up a wino like his father, the artist eventually snaps and begins taking out his frustrations on a growing number of homeless people, attacking them with a power drill. In time, his violent obsessions get worse and he begins attacking people closer to him, including an art dealer and a woman he's been dating. Ferarra also wrote several of the songs performed by a punk rock band in the film; he gained greater notoriety with his next film, the cult item Ms. 45. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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34% liked it

4,947 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

10 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Abel Ferrara

Release Date: January 1, 1979

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DVD Release Date: December 21, 1999

Stats: 353 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (353)

  • SirPant
    November 21, 2011
    SirPant
    Whether you like Driller Killer or not, you've got to admit that it pulls no punches and it's one of the only films that can boast being a proper slasher movie. Horror fans will appreciate its purity, wannabe film makers will appreciate what Abel Ferrara achieved in his first fea... read moreture considering his small budget, lack of experience and outdated technology. A 'Video Nasty' yeah, but really not as bad as you might think, although you will know whether this is for you or not.
  • ariuza1
    January 25, 2011
    ariuza1
    Nothing short of "Arthouse" genus and the best Slasher flick ever made. I say this because it's old and low budget and its director Abel Ferrara first movie and of course also starring as the main character of Reno Miller an artist that is slowly going mad under the pressure of p... read moreaying Debts, Bills, Drinking and the girls he lives with. Personally I hated "A Nightmare on Elm Street" such a stupid movie and of course "Friday the 13th".

    This movie is just creative it's more heavily metal rather then stupid put of music with creepy settings. And the killers are always mute retards with issues and always were masks and carry knifes for the gruesome killing. Although there are killings in this movie and very violent ones it's more cut always to heavy metal stuff rather then just the drill in the head.


    Reno Miller is an artist living with two other girls and is trying to get his final painting done to impress the art community but is slowly struggling to do so because of everyday debts and is slowly losing it under pressure. People themselves start to piss him off with the band downstairs always playing away at midnight and the people subjecting to him saying everything he has done is wrong. So one day after a party and heavy drinking he picks up a drill and goes on a spree after dark killing innocent people.

    After this so called "Massacre" he feels find and the pressure is off until the art committee reject his painting.

    Personally I liked the styling of music when he chases the homeless man into the ally it plays more rock and roll type music with cut always to show the band in his building playing and the people cheering them on. And more close ups rather then pull backs and the gothic way of the film that we see.


    Abel Ferrara after this would go on to make such classics as "Bad Lieutenant" and of course one of my all time favorites "King of New York" and this movie opens and paves the way to a lot of his trademarks in his films and his performances is one of the best I have seen in these kinds of movies, Same goes with "Carolyn Marz". So of course the other performances are just great no single flaw I tent to have seen.

    The gothic and graphic style of the film associate with "special effects" in violence is indeed gruesome. This movie landed on the video nasty list because of this but was later removed but still banned because of the critical acclaim it was gathering. I don't think it was very successful with audiences back then but critics sure loved it with the 5-5 they were giving it.

    So I close and say works amazingly better then your normal Slasher flick with more of a punk or metal feel to it.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    November 23, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    I picked up this infamous video nasty at a local used DVD store. Watching the film, it reminded me of The Last House On The Left, only because the picture looked grainy and cheap. With that said, The Driller Killer is a Grind house version of popular slasher flicks of the 70's. T... read morehe story is similar to Taxi Driver, and it's about an artist going Mad killing vagrants with a power drill. The film really reminded me of The Toolbox Murders minus all the other tools. The film is sick, depraved and gory, the gore is very realistic, but the film suffers overall from a credible plot which made the other flicks in this Horror sub genre so legendary and fun. The problem with The Driller Killer is that the main antagonist played Abel Ferrara is not likeable, he's got a motive to kill, he's slowly going insane, but you never sympathize with him because, he presents himself like an asshole half the time. The acting leaves much to be desired and theres really no one here that can deliver even a decent enough performance. The Driller Killer is an average horror exploitation film with nothing really original going for it. The film tends to borrow from similar elements of better films, and the filmmaker tries to create something that doesn't quite work. The film is decent, but honestly, I don't see why the film has gotten such legendary press in the horror and exploitation world. The film has plenty of kills, but little substance or plot development, in some cases films can work well when theres those elements missing, but only only as long the filmmaker knows what he's doing. But in the case of The Driller Killer, the film looks and feels like a student film, and ends up being a semi decent film. An overrated film.
  • bbcfloridabound
    August 5, 2009
    bbcfloridabound
    First off it amazes me that this movie is even on Flixster, what amazes me more is the number of people who have reviewed it, and even more amazing is that anyone would give it over 1 star. Now comes the big surprise go to Amazon and check out the price of this movie, you will fl... read moreip.
    This is a Seventies type movie, right of 42nd street, I doubt that it would have been found anywhere else. It was banned in the UK during the Eighties time frame. There is no horror in this movie, some artist ( Abel Ferrarra who was a writer and Director later in life). is living with two girls goes crazy, living with two different women can make anyone go crazy. Also a very lousy punk rock band moves in and starts playing real bad music night and day, so the artist starts running around killing people with a drill. Again this film is very expensive on Amazon. I got my copy in Mill Creek Chilling Classics Collection, 50 movies for $19.95 at the time but you can find it much cheaper now. Even on my worst night I couldn't give this anything other then a 1/2 star.
  • 76Majikat
    October 3, 2008
    76Majikat
    I don?t give up on films very easily, but this was just one huge yawn, despite being a serial killer film and despite being a banned film, it really wasn?t an interesting watch.
  • vierasesine
    May 27, 2006
    vierasesine
    The focus was far too much on the band which made the killings seem like a small side-plot, when it was supposed to be other way round.
  • Lemure
    October 26, 2010
    Lemure
    Mmmm, I'm an aspiring film director with little money who wants to get my work noticed. Do I do the best I can with what I have and produce a decent film, or do I make something with needless gore, a lesbian shower scene and punk rock music to upset the censors and cause controve... read morersy? Decisions, decisions...
  • shitfaced8
    April 18, 2010
    shitfaced8
    This early effort from Abel Ferra fall's somewhere between Taxi Driver and Maniac. It deal's with the man on the edge theme and builds up to an ultra violent climax.

    Abel Ferra himself, play's the lead character, an artist, living in a scuzzy neighborhood in New York City. H... read moree is being pressured to finish his "masterpiece" as he is in dire financial troubles. As the bill's keep piling up and he is unable to keep up. To make matter's worse his new neighbor's play in a band and they practice all day and night, and our protagonist can not stand the music they play. He need's some piece and quite to focus on his work, but the superintendent of his building doesn't take his complaint's seriously as he is so far behind in his rent. As the pressure keep's piling up it become's clear that he is losing his mind.

    When the neighbor's invite him and his girlfriends to a show they are playing he reluctantly goes, thinking it might be good to get his mind off of his work. In fact, the opposite occurs, as he leaves early and run's through the streets, on a homocidal rampage, with a driller, killing homeless wino after homeless wino.

    After finally finishing his painting, he invites his agent to his apartment to see it. His agent is unimpressed, reject's the work and storms off. After this his girlfriend leaves him and it seem's that out protagonist has hit rock bottom. As he is already in an unstable headspace, this final blow pushes him over the edge and lead's us to the bloodbath tht is the conclusion.

    While some may find it hard to beleive that the pressure's he is dealing with, would be enough to push him over the edge to such an extreme, keep in mind that school, workplace and shopping centre random killing spree's are becoming more and more common place. More and more people are finding the pressure's of modern life to much to bear and are lashing out on those around them. This film was ahead of it's time and was a good star for what would become a promising director who never really got the credit he deserved. Check it out.
  • divinetrash
    August 13, 2009
    divinetrash
    It took me two nights to watch this movie because the first time I had been exposed to the creepiest toy commercial ever and so I was already scared shitless and the second night I was very drunk. I really did not noticed if there was a plot because both video and audio quality w... read moreas the worst kind ever, but I don't think it matters anyway. The movie is batshit insane full of macabre imagery and the MOST RANDOM EDITING EVER. All in all, it makes for a very interesting watch only to try to figure out what communal nightmare while dropping acid everyone involved was having during every single process of the making of this film.
  • DrLappos
    December 27, 2007
    DrLappos
    Nuff said

View All The Driller Killer Reviews

Critic Reviews

Tim Brayton
May 30, 2010
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

In a lot of very important ways, the film is stiff and clumsy... there is one way in which the film is kind of brilliant: its depiction of the New York punk scene. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
February 5, 2010
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

A corruscating tale of a mind liberated by psychosis Full Review

Matthew Sorrento
March 11, 2009
Matthew Sorrento, Film Threat

This 1979 budgeter takes up from the 70s grindhouse and precedes the flourishing horror-comedies of the 80s. Full Review

Rob Gonsalves
April 9, 2007
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

Worthwhile for admirers of Ferrara's overall portfolio; probably too slow and odd for those hoping for shallow splatter. Full Review

Nick Schager
April 2, 2006
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Only sporadically exhibits the skill and wit of [Ferrara's] scintillatingly skuzzy subsequent efforts. Full Review

Cole Smithey
November 7, 2005
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

Dystopic Punk-era Manhattan by Abel Ferrara - Very cool!

Alex Sandell
August 24, 2005
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

Okay slasher flick.

Scott Weinberg
July 29, 2004
Scott Weinberg, Monsters At Play

There's a grim, grimy and rather unsettling vibe to the thing; this is not the sort of horror movie where you "root" for the oft-maligned misfit. Full Review

John J. Puccio
June 24, 2004
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

I suspect that a viewer might also begin wielding a power drill if he or she had to sit through it too many times. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

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  • ***Name The Abel Ferrara Film That Was One of The Original 'Video Nasties****  Answer »
  • The knowledge of life ending when this global killer asteroid hits Earth forces Dan Truman of NASA to hatch a plan to destroy the rock before it hits. The best driller, Harry Stamper, gets a team together and must drill a hole on the rock, drop a nuke and blow it to pieces.  Answer »
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