The Toolbox Murders



In a nondescript apartment complex in Los Angeles, a vicious killer has just broken into the homes of two different women and brutally killed three people with various instruments he’s pulled from his toolbox. The police are baffled by the case and the motives behind it. But they’re even more puzzled a couple days later when the killer strikes again at another complex right next to the first one. This time he’s only killed a woman. But in an odd coincidence another young lady has also mysteriously gone missing that same night. The police aren’t sure if the two cases are connected in any way. But the brother of the missing woman is convinced that they are, and he’s going to do everything he can to find her, even if the police don’t seem interested in giving him a hand.



The Toolbox Murders is an American slasher from 1978 directed by Dennis Donnelly. After seeing the success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the producer of the film, Tony Didio, wanted to make his own grimy, low-budget movie. And much like Texas Chainsaw Massacre they even used a similar ‘hook’ for the film, claiming that it was ‘based on a true story.’ But though at least one journalist reported that it was loosely based on a series of killings that happened up in Minnesota, no one has ever been able to verify that particular claim (as opposed to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which was indeed very loosely based on the exploits of serial killer Ed Gein). But whatever the hell it was based on, the movie still at least managed to garner a small bit of fame, as its content managed to snag it a spot on the UK’s famed “video nasties” list. It didn’t do much to help the film’s popularity though as the film is still pretty poorly reviewed, despite having a rather large cult following. So large, in fact, that the film was given a remake in 2004 that was directed by… Tobe Hooper! Making The Toolbox Murders perhaps the only film I can think of that was specifically made to emulate another film, and then was subsequently remade and directed by the same guy whose film the emulators were originally trying to emulate. Wild.


There’s so much 70’s in this one shot that it’s almost scary.

Anyway, The Toolbox Murders is a movie in two parts. The first half hour is the horror part of the film, and contains all of the ‘Toolbox Killer’s’ grisly murders. This is the part of the movie that will undoubtedly be the most familiar and sought after for slasher fans. Because this is the part where you get to watch the ski-mask wearing assailant stalk four women, and then slowly kill them with a variety of various implements, including a screwdriver, a hammer, a drill, and a nail gun. Compared to more modern films the deaths actually aren’t that gory, as the film tends to cut away just in time during ‘the act’ to prevent you from seeing the really brutal parts, like the back of the hammer going into one of the victim’s skulls. But it’s still perfectly clear what’s going on, if the resulting blood splatter is any indication. So really, much like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the brutality is more implied than overtly shown, letting the viewer’s own imagination take over, allowing their own minds to make the scenes seem worse than they actually are.



But if more modern slasher fans are put off by the lack of violence then they can at least look forward to all the shameless nudity peppered through this part of the film. That sacred part of the slasher genre is perfectly intact and blatantly on display for the world to see.



Meanwhile the second part of the film, which takes up the next hour and is actually the bulk of the film, pretty much gives up on being a slasher altogether and veers more into psychological thriller territory. This is the part where you find out what happened to the kidnapped victim, how the kidnapping and killing are affecting her family and the police, and watch the brother try to solve his sister’s disappearance. This is the part of the film where you kinda have to have a bit of patience. Because while it’s fairly well done and does contain some truly disturbing moments, it does also tend to be a bit slow in spots, with certain scenes long overstaying their welcome. The one where you find out what happened to Laurie, the kidnap victim, for instance, goes on for a solid 11 minutes. That’s…like… a good, what? 12% of the film, right there? It just feels like way too much. Half of that would have been more than sufficient to get the point across, but… What are you gonna do, eh?


That’s right, just smile through the pain. You can take it.

For those optimists among you saying, “wait for another death”, whelp, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that, yes, there are three more deaths in the film beyond the four poor ladies that all get killed in the first half hour. The bad news though, is that the remaining deaths all happen at the end of the movie, are even less gory than the ones that happen at the beginning, and you don’t even get to see one of them. So, as I said, if you come into this as a slasher fan you gotta have some patience with this one, and even then I imagine that some people are still gonna walk away disappointed due to the abruptness of some of the deaths.



Also, to my great surprise… Is it me, or is there a lot of weird nonsense going on in this film? Now, I know that some of the stuff I found strange is at least partly due to the time period the movie was released in. Like how for instance no one locks their doors in this film. The killer just keeps walking into these people’s homes without a care in the world. And I know that was back in the time when ‘people didn’t have to lock their doors’ and all. But after a while it started to feel weird. Especially after it kept happening after the first set of murders. You would think after several people just died that people would be at least a little more paranoid about their safety. But I guess not. Even stranger still, is that the killer actually had a plausible ability to get into the apartments anyway, even if they had been locked. Yet the film never uses that excuse, as the movie never indicates that he had any trouble accessing their rooms by simply waltzing right in.


I mean, there’s a chain RIGHT THERE!

But there are other things too that had nothing to do with the time period. Like, things that made me roll my eyes and ponder what the hell people were thinking. For example, the woman the killer attacks rarely ever scream. The movie tries to write this off by saying that the apartments are very soundproof (In the 70s? Doubtful.). But the real issue is that the ladies just weren’t making that much noise to begin with. I mean, I don’t know about you, but if someone was chasing me around with a nail gun I’d be screaming my bloody head off. But sure I guess, blame it on soundproofing. Whatever.



Another issue though, is that everyone seems to turn really dumb once confronted by the killer. One just stares at him blankly before he punches her in the face. Another does manage to get away, but then seems to immediately forget how doors work. Then when he throws her to the ground she just lays there weeping while he slowly stalks towards her. Doesn’t even try to get up or kick him in the nuts again. And a third also manages to get away by running to her room, but then also seems to forget how doors work and doesn’t do a damn thing to try to barricade herself in (she leaves it wide open, doesn’t even try to close it) or even try to arm herself. It’s like they all put forth a token amount of effort before deciding ‘eh, well, I had a good life’ and then obediently sit there, waiting for the killer to polish them off. I know that’s become a trope and all, but it’s a trope that’s so prevalent here that it’s almost maddening to watch.



But then again some of these ladies seem to have had some very questionable common sense well before the killer ever showed up. One is seen getting into the bathtub with full jewelry and makeup –


Look movie makers, unless they have kids, no woman is ever that happy to take an uninterrupted bath.

– and one of them is seen getting into the shower – fully clothed! –  all because they saw a shadow behind the curtain that ended up being some garments (I don’t know what they are) that they hung up in the shower before work or something, forgot about it, and then stepped inside the shower stall to turn the water off. So… Okay… Two things with that: 1) if the shower curtain was clear, how did you not notice the clothes hanging up BEFORE you turned the water on? (gods are these people oblivious or what?), and 2)…why TF didn’t you just turn the water off?! Reach your hand in, turn the knob, DONE! Why did turning the water off involve fully stepping into the running shower? Who does that? Who?! WHO I SAY?!?!


Brain damage. It must be brain damage.

So yeah, incredibly questionable character behavior aside, The Toolbox Murders is pretty alright. The first third is a very solid slasher, that’s very dark and creepy and often quite brutal, even without the blatant visuals. I can see why the film has a cult following. The second part, however, is where the film falters. Not because it’s bad, per say. But more because you’re going to have to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate it, especially if you’re going into the film expecting a lot of *stabby stabby stabby*. Personally I liked it, and thought the change helped the film stand out from the masses. But I also think the pacing of it is kinda wonky, so… Your mileage may vary. If you like slashers though, this one is still definitely worth at least one watch for the first half hour alone.

The Toolbox Murders is available on a variety of streaming services.

The Toolbox Murders is also available on DVD and Bluray.

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