Tobe Hooper's Toolbox Murders

[triefy]

Excellent film. Sucks that it wasn't finished properly due to budget but it does tie up very nicely.

It was kind of hard to find but I did get a copy of it off the internet so now I will do my job and spread the word about this gem.

[Thrillogy]

is it a good flick ?

[ten31]

I've heard good things about the movie. Can't wait to see it.

[Beau]

I thought Tool Box murders was okay.
But then again, most stuff of Tobe Hoopers i like.

[Hall9ween]

Originally posted by Beau
But then again, most stuff of Tobe Hoopers i like.

Even that film called, Crocodile with the shite CGI croc and the crap actors? ;)

[Maxvayne]

I heard ok things about this, IDK, but Brew dose sound good.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0367566/

[triefy]

I really liked this film. One of my tops for straight horror films for awhile. I will probably watch it again soon, even though I just spent a buttload of money at Best Buy today. Damn 2 for $20 special.

[Ravenheart]

I really want to see this one.There's no way it can be worse then the original movie.

[Ravenheart]

I got to see this and thought it was great.I loved the whole building setting and how creepy it was.The killings were great too if a sequel to it is made,I'll definately be seeing it.Plus its always great to see Angela Bettis :D

[Chomp_on_this]

Oh man I wanna see this flick bad. After seeing the original shit Toolbox Murders, the first thing that popped into my head was "they need to remake this crapfest". And for to be done by Tobe is just the iceing on the cake.

As for Brew....that sounds like one of the best zombie ideas ever, but I heard that Tobe got canned as director? Or am I just imagining things again?

[Maxvayne]

Originally posted by Chomp_on_this
Oh man I wanna see this flick bad. After seeing the original shit Toolbox Murders, the first thing that popped into my head was "they need to remake this crapfest". And for to be done by Tobe is just the iceing on the cake.

As for Brew....that sounds like one of the best zombie ideas ever, but I heard that Tobe got canned as director? Or am I just imagining things again?

I hope your just imagining it, it sounds really cool.

[Chomp_on_this]

Originally posted by Maxvayne
I hope your just imagining it, it sounds really cool.

Oh but I am not...

http://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/movies/brew.php

:(

[Blackesteyes]

I really wanted to see TBM but the shitey fuckin UGC only showed it for about 3 days so now i gotta wait for the dvd.

[Maxvayne]

Originally posted by Chomp_on_this
Oh but I am not...

http://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/movies/brew.php

:(


This is sad, but it's not that bad, we still need to see how it turns out regardless if Tobe doesn't direct. We have a start of an interesting promise, but I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.


It also looks like Hooper jumped from one Zombie movie to another. http://imdb.com/title/tt0415167/

Mortuary sounds good.

[Chomp_on_this]

Sounds good to me...

I just wish they could have replaced Nick Carter rather than Tobe...heh.

It seems Tobe really wants to get his hands on a zombie film. First he was speculated to do the ROTLD sequals, then Brew, now Mortuary. I can't wait to see his take on the living dead.

[Maxvayne]

Originally posted by Chomp_on_this
Sounds good to me...

I just wish they could have replaced Nick Carter rather than Tobe...heh.

It seems Tobe really wants to get his hands on a zombie film. First he was speculated to do the ROTLD sequals, then Brew, now Mortuary. I can't wait to see his take on the living dead.


I find it sad that Tobe tried, but could never do a Return of The Living Dead film. He was set to do the first, that fell through, Set to do 4 and 5, then god knows what happend with that. From what people have said, 4 and 5 are the worst. After from seeing the posters of them, I couldn't doubt it.

[zombie commando]

My thoughts along with some minor spoilers.

The film's main location, the hotel, seemed to represent where Hollywood trends go to die. The finiky audience may love something one day, then loathe it the next. The hotel is built on these fallen trends; these washed up stars of Hollywood's yesteryear.

Perhaps Tobe Hooper was making a comment on his own failures in Hollywood over the better part of the last decade. He can't seem to tap the pulse of what is cool, hip, and in style. So he gives us a horror movie that is a total fallback to the simple 80s style slasher that was so popular back in the day, but has seemingly fallen on hard times. Tobe is used to the audience that showers praise on his work when there are a couple of knee jerking moments with a bit of the gushy red stuff. This new crowd demands more, and Hooper can't keep up with it. His ideas, his genre, has seemingly died and entombed itself in nostalga, much like the hotel's tendents. The only people that can save the tendents of the hotel are people from the outside world; people that don't have anything invested in the constantly altering world and trends of Hollywood.

The first 3 quarters of the film chugs along at a snail's pace, probably spending too much time trying to get the audience to care about these one dimensional tendents that will end up being meat for the grinder anyways, then BAM we are hit with the payoff. If the rest of the movie had as much energy and momentum as the last half hour this film would of been a sure fire hit. We are treated with a simplistic Halloween-esque ending, and quite honestly I don't think I would want it any other way.

I'm looking forward to the sequel. I wanted to know more about the man born from death, and the mystic symbols that frightened him so much. I want to see more cool death scenes with power tools and lyme. Hopefully the sequel picks right up where the first left off, and carries that energy and visceral thrill throughout the rest of the film.

All in all this film comes off as an average slasher movie, which I have no problem with.

2.5 out of 5 skulls

[Laow-Z]

I haven't seen this yet but i am planning to, sounds pretty good. Here's other peoples thoughts on this also.....
http://www.ohmb.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1642

[atomic dog]

i merged them.

[ten31]

Toolbox was a huge dissapointment for me. I had heard good things about it but when I watched the dvd it wasn't really that good. The movie is really too slow paced. The acting all around is horrible even from Angela Bettis(sp?) Some of the kills were cool while some of the others were down right hillarious.

[Michaeleon]

I got to see both the original and remake in one night so I could compare the two quite easily. Of course, the remake, Hooper's, is far superior to the original.
Hooper's version actually had likable characters, an interesting story that slowly unfolded with surprising results and excellent camerawork. I never knew there were budget problems during the end. I found the conclusion to be satisfying- even if it did build on that supernatural aspect.
Now the original suffered from a lack of appealing characters, a story that initially revolved around an unseen murderer (which wasn’t bad, but when the story shifted to Laurie there was no momentum, no development) and an off the wall conclusion that amounts to very little at all.

[Turd Ferguson]

I like the new one a hell of a lot better...I especially love his actual face...damn it looks cool.

[Chomp_on_this]

I finally buckled and bought Tobe's film the other day. I still feel guilty that I payed for a $20 DVD that is lacking in any extrodinary extras, AND its a remake of a film that I thought was an aboslute bore.

Now all I have to do is watch it...heh. Maybe I'll even give the original another watch...meh.

[Michaeleon]

Originally posted by Chomp_on_this
Maybe I'll even give the original another watch...meh.
You daredevil you. Once in this lifetime was enough for me. Oh man, maybe one more time for the bathtub scene. :p

I think you'll like Tobe's spin on things.

[HannibalBEATNGU]

I thought it was decent, good for a straight to video.
It was nice to see Drusilla and Baby in the same movie.:)

[Chomp_on_this]

Can someone please explain to me the definition of what a remake is? I haven't the slightest clue. I watched the original just to get prepared to see similarities in the remake...boy was that a mistake.

How the hell Tobe's version is considered a "remake" is beyond me. The updated version has about 2 things in common with the original...the same name, and some of the same murder weapons were used...other than that everything was different. The plot, the characters, the origin of the killer, EVERYTHING.

I am not saying it was bad, I enjoyed it way more than the original, but I went into it thinking it was going to be somewhat connected to the original...boy that was not the case.

I loved the new storyline, and although the killer had very little depth, I still felt more terrified of him than the one portrayed in the original. And the gore involved with the kills was just insane. I wish they would have left some of those deleted scenes in the film, because those suckers were graphic.

The only qualm I had with the remake was the various murder weapons used. In the original, the toolbox is linked to the killer, like an appendage. It is taken everywhere with him. We only see glimpses of it in the remake. We do see the killer using tools, but probably not the kind of tools you'll find in a toolbox as pictured on the cover of the DVD. He uses a table saw, some other saw attached to a table, the nail gun (You gotta have the nail gun!), a big ass cutting tool that he snaps a guy's back with. I just think more uniformed tools should have been used..like wrenches, screwdrivers. I do have to admit though, they made for some excellent kills.

I liked seeing some of the TCM references...the meat hook, the teeth. Yea Tobe, I saw them.

To say the least, you can't go anywhere but up when dealing with the original Toolbox Murders, and Tobe did just that. The story was good, the dialogue was believable(more times than none), the kills were gory, the killer was creepy, the characters had more depth, and I actually jumped at some of those horror cliche scenes...especially when the killer jumps from behind the curtain.

And finally the ending...I don't have much to say, but Halloween. That's the first thing that popped in my head when the cop comes in and shoots the killer and then Ski mask falls straight out of the window, only to vanish seconds later.

(sort of a fast review, please excuse the terrible grammar and any mispellings!)

One last thing...did anybody watch the trailer gallery? Did you see Tobe's film Crocodile? Holy shit I must have missed that one. Did you see those effects? They looked completely laughable. It looked as if if Jaws was revamped into a crocodile movie...oh wow. Poor Tobe...

[Ana-Matronic]

Well i just watched it saturday night yeah it was ok but it was classic tobe........killing people i don't care about....there wasn't much of a character creation here.

[LtRipley]

Originally posted by Michaeleon

Hooper's version actually had likable characters

How dare you call these charecters likeable? annoying girlfriend, distant boyfriend, peeping tom kid with uneasy mother, goth chick w/ abusive boyfriend, blah blah blah. These aren't charecters they are card board standees.

I had soemwhat high hopes for this. I wanted to see a striahg tup slasher but this still sucked. The kills were boring the charecters really sucked and the killer was probably one of the worst slashers ever.

[Chomp_on_this]

Originally posted by LtRipley
How dare you call these charecters likeable? annoying girlfriend, distant boyfriend, peeping tom kid with uneasy mother, goth chick w/ abusive boyfriend, blah blah blah. These aren't charecters they are card board standees.

A lot of the characters were undeveloped, but there were a few that I started to feel for. For instance Chas. For some reason, I looked to him as a father figure for Nell. Seeing him bite the bullet was sorta emotional. The bellman, Marco Rodriguez's character I felt a sort of charm for...maybe because I have seen him in past movies, I don't know, but I felt for him when he endurred his death. Nell's character I didn't appreciate until the end, but I think that was the purpose. And last but not least, Ned. Throughout the whole film he is depicted as the killer. Of course this is one of the greatest horror cliches around, but I was actually pretty shocked to see his head get sliced in half (boring kill? I think NOT!).

Originally posted by LtRipley
I had soemwhat high hopes for this. I wanted to see a striahg tup slasher but this still sucked. The kills were boring the charecters really sucked and the killer was probably one of the worst slashers ever.

It's quite obvious you've never seen the original. If you had, you'd surely appreciate the better elements Tobe created compared to the 1978 version. After seeing what a horrible film that was, there was no possible way I could look at the "remake" has being a "glass half empty". Sure it definately isn't the best slasher around, but its definately 50 steps up from the original. And that's how viewed the film as.

The fact is, Tobe isn't a "straight up slasher" kind of director. He is much more complicated than that. It's a shame, most of the ways he chooses to obscure his films, they ultimately get bad reviews for...but I don't blame them, they are not always the best choices to go with. You can look at his track record...it isn't very strong. But to say the least, I knew Tobe was going to give us something strangely different from the original...and he did. Did I know everything was going to be different?...no. But I enjoyed it for what it was.

If you didn't have the advantage of seeing the original first, I could see how one would pick apart this film...after all its a DTV right? What do ya expect? But the fact is, if you did see the original, you'd value Tobe's version a little more.

Again, I thought the killer was alright...there wasn't much character development on his part, but if you witnessed the original's killer, you'd definately see the better things in the possessed one from the remake.

And finally, I definately thought the kills were awesome. They were gory and gut wrenching...they were truely stomach turners (the chunk of hair on the hammer...I loved that! Great detail.) The killer used tools as his murder devices, hence the name "The Toolbox Murders". What were you expecting to see?

[zombie commando]

I can't wait to see how the sequel will pan out. Hopefully they continue the Halloween homage and let the movie begin exactly where the first ended up.

[LtRipley]

Originally posted by Chomp_on_this
It's quite obvious you've never seen the original. If you had, you'd surely appreciate the better elements Tobe created compared to the 1978 version.

All movies can be considered great when compared to a worse movie. and great movies can be considered bad when compared to a greater one. This is the dilemma of sequels and remakes.

Just because this movie is better than it's original (which it sounds as if it is less of a remake than it is a similar idea.) doesn't make it good at all.

The Ned charecter was a complete waste. We are built up to think he is the killer even though we all know he isn't. We are given NOTHING else about him. That makes his death pointless. I almost wish they had made him the killer. It would ahve frustrated me a lot less.

Angela Bettis is one of the worst 'scream queens' of all time. I can't fucking stand her. She is such a terrible actress. She sucked in May and she sucked in this. I almost stopped the movie when I saw her name, but I stuck it through anyway. She has no way to convey sympathy. You don't feel bad for her for all this happening to her.

Bah why do I care, you're right its a DTV movie. I shouldn't have expected anything from this.

[Michaeleon]

Originally posted by LtRipley
How dare you call these charecters likeable? annoying girlfriend, distant boyfriend, peeping tom kid with uneasy mother, goth chick w/ abusive boyfriend, blah blah blah. These aren't charecters they are card board standees.
Oh my. I'm sorry, your highness.

Actually, I was speaking in terms of comparison to the original- as stated in my original post. For the remake I cared enough to not want some characters murdered while during the original I was anticipating an all-around bloodbath so the end credits would appear ASAP.

And before you argue on that point again, comparing something to another of lesser quality will always make that something appear better. Yes, I understand that point that loud and clear.

[Chomp_on_this]

Originally posted by LtRipley
All movies can be considered great when compared to a worse movie. and great movies can be considered bad when compared to a greater one. This is the dilemma of sequels and remakes.

It's not like the film was marketed as being anything greater. Aside from being covered on horror websites and barely being released in any theatres... the only two basic reasons to view this film is A. It's a Tobe Hooper film. and B. It's a remake of a 70's cheesy slasher flick. I have seen no other promotional items that would help draw in an audience otherwise, unless your blind buying based on thinking the title and cover of the DVD looked interesting. Other that that, how else is one to look at the recent film The Toolbox Murders to coax them into viewing it?

Originally posted by LtRipley
Just because this movie is better than it's original (which it sounds as if it is less of a remake than it is a similar idea.) doesn't make it good at all.

But it does. I had the liberty of viewing the original first way before a remake was even thought of. So it was a definate vantage point for me by helping make the remake more enjoyable. I was able to see the good things rather than the bad. Thats why watching the original films first are essential to understanding a remake and a sequal. Although sometimes that may not be the case with sequals, but in this situation, a viewer surely would have benefitted from seeing the original first. If not, they could be sitting with a 20 dollar DVD, they despise, on their shelves...and believe me I hate that feeling.

Originally posted by LtRipley
The Ned charecter was a complete waste. We are built up to think he is the killer even though we all know he isn't. We are given NOTHING else about him. That makes his death pointless. I almost wish they had made him the killer. It would ahve frustrated me a lot less.

I knew right from the begining Ned was going to be the person suggested as the killer, but really isn't him in the end. But when the audience gets a glimpse of him in the strange part of the building sharpening his tools, I have to admit, it had me second guessing myself.

Originally posted by LtRipley
Angela Bettis is one of the worst 'scream queens' of all time. I can't fucking stand her. She is such a terrible actress. She sucked in May and she sucked in this. I almost stopped the movie when I saw her name, but I stuck it through anyway. She has no way to convey sympathy. You don't feel bad for her for all this happening to her.

I'll agree with that. I was less sympathetic to her. But would you rather have some big-breasted blonde playing the lead role? At least you can somewhat believe that a person of her stature could have a chance to make it out alive.

Originally posted by LtRipley
Bah why do I care, you're right its a DTV movie. I shouldn't have expected anything from this.

That's the wrong attitude to have. Of course you are going to come across not so great films when dealing with DTV, but it's important to broaden your horizons. I mean you can only take so much of Hollywood's dribble.

[zombie commando]

Originally posted by Michaeleon
Oh my. I'm sorry, your highness.

Actually, I was speaking in terms of comparison to the original- as stated in my original post. For the remake I cared enough to not want some characters murdered while during the original I was anticipating an all-around bloodbath so the end credits would appear ASAP.

And before you argue on that point again, comparing something to another of lesser quality will always make that something appear better. Yes, I understand that point that loud and clear. Yeah...compared to Braveheart the characterization in this DTV slasher flick stinks!:yar:

[the_shape3280]

I watched the original and the remake. To be honest its not really a remake, but two different movies. I prefer the Tobe Hooper version. But, nothing beats the nail gun murder in the original. Real nasty....I LUV IT

[LegendKiller]

funny how everybody is having trouble finding this movie,i saw it at walmart for 20 dollars the other day

[Man In Black]

I bought this movie last week. I had absolutely no expectations since I saw it was a low budget Tobe Hooper movie and quite frankly the more recent Tobe movies I've seen have been very hit and miss. This I thought was pretty damn good - never seen the original (although I've read it's different) but I gotta be honest and say I enjoyed the movie a lot.

[Jackolantern99]

I ordered this on OnDemand last weekend and I've gotta say, I was pretty pleased. It was a nice slasher with some cool characters and okay kills, as well as an interesting story. The setting was pretty cool (I was somewhat reminded of the Tower of Terror throughout the movie for some reason...), and I absolutely adored the idea of the hidden rooms and that narrow staricase hidden throughout the building.

And while Angela Bettis isn't the most lovable slasher heroine to date, she's a hell of a lot more believable in that role than the typical "sexy young star" would be.

[atomic dog]

i just recently got a chance to view this remake. i do own the original and i really liked it. the remake was good but caught me off guard with the supernatural stuff. the ending sort of leaves it for a sequel and you really don't get a good look at the killer. i did like the new ways of killing, like the bolt cutters. all in all, pretty good as a separate movie with little reflection on the original.

[Lonnie_Elamb]

I've come close to renting this a few times, but always rented something else instead. Since I'm seeing some decent reviews here, I'll have to rent it next time I see it at the video store.

[gorefan73]

I need to see this! sounds great:)

[neverscared]

i didn't know this one was a remake. it was ok. angela bettis just got on my nerves being so nosy and having to "investigate" all the time.

[DarknessBDJM]

It's been showing on Encore/Starz and Showtime channels at least 10 times a week. Saw it late last summer, great flick, a definite retuirn to form for Tobe. Heck, I told my mom to check it out on her In demand service and even she liked it, as it did have good character development, a good story, and a real mystery about it.

The original, never seen it, but I have heard it was sleezy and cheezy, so....

[LadyMatika]

Originally posted by DarknessBDJM
It's been showing on Encore/Starz and Showtime channels at least 10 times a week. Saw it late last summer, great flick, a definite retuirn to form for Tobe. Heck, I told my mom to check it out on her In demand service and even she liked it, as it did have good character development, a good story, and a real mystery about it.

The original, never seen it, but I have heard it was sleezy and cheezy, so....

I was just about to mention that encore channels were showing it, lol don't recomend eating while watching it,lol :eek:

[Mickey_Mania]

I saw this today. Not the whole movie, but most of the begining and most of the end. It was good from what I saw.

[Lonnie_Elamb]

I recently rented this(The remake), and it was awesome. Can't believe I didn't see it sooner.

[Miss Informed]

^ Yeah, I enjoyed the remake as well. Thought it was pretty good. My only complaint was the lead actress lack of nutrition. She desperately needed a sandwich.

[michael-myers22]

i liked it i thought the actors/actresses couldev been a little better but i liked it alot!

[The Man In Blue]

Pretty Good Movie , Better Than The Original , The Original Was Worse Than Waiting In Line At The DMV

[myersfan1348]

I couldnt find the original on Ebay, the dvd, just the remake. Is it even on dvd, the original? I have yet to see the remake, is it worth a view?