The Toolbox Murders (1978) (4K/Blu-Ray Review)

The Toolbox Murders (1978) (4K/Blu-Ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: Dennis Donnelly
STARRING: Cameron Mitchell, Pamelyn Ferdin, Wesley Eure
RATED: UR/REGION O/1:66/2160P/NUMBER OF DISCS 2
AVAILABLE FROM Blue Underground

Sourced from an exclusive “new 4K 16-bit master struck from the uncut original negative, with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio, and will be gushing with new and archival extras.” In a quiet apartment complex in Los Angeles, a deranged handyman goes on a killing spree, savagely murdering ‘immoral’ women with the tools of his trade – claw-hammers, screwdrivers, power drills and even a deadly nail gun! But these gruesome massacres are just the beginning of this landmark epic of violence and depravity that was vilified by critics, banned by censors, and treasured by splatter fans worldwide. This is… THE TOOLBOX MURDERS!

The original Toolbox Murders is another classic film that I’m a little late to the party on. I had the original Blue Underground Blu-ray release of it, but now here we sit with the new 4K version. And as far as the movie goes, I LOVED the first twenty or so minutes. If you’ve seen this then I’m sure you know what I mean. It kicks off with our ski-mask killer and his trusty toolbox going on a killing spree, killing a few women and some of the women are even nude (Who doesn’t love that?). It’s fun, it’s kinda dirty, and it’s very blood! Which is awesome. I thought I had hit the jackpot at that point, character development be damn, this was getting good and doing so quickly! Of course, then we see the film not just tap its breaks, it slams on the breaks, stopping the film dead in its tracks. So, the issue I’ve always had with this one is it starts off better than it ends and that’s usually in reverse for most older movies. But it’s still a good movie.

The film comes to a grinding halt when it becomes time for the ol’ character development after the killer kidnaps one girls instead of just killing her. I won’t go into details on why he does this, but I will say if you couldn’t already tell, who the killer is then I’m sorry for you because it is never in question. Hell, it even says so above here and on the back of the box. The reason as for “why” is still there and it’s kinda lame. We also have to sit through a scene between the killer and the girl he kidnaps that goes on waaay way too long. And by the time the killing starts back up, it’s not near as fun or as gruesome and the best of the film has already happened. So, it’s not the most exciting film in the world after the first twenty minutes. But it’s still cool for a viewing every now and again. From the tech side of things this isn’t the strongest Blue Underground 4K release. They are usually flawless but I think the source of what we have here is the blame this time around. Things are better than you might think, but still kind of on the softer side.

Extras

• NEW 16-BIT 4K RESTORATION FROM THE UNCUT ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW DOLBY ATMOS TRACK, plus DTS-HD Master audio 5.1 and 1.0
• Audio Commentary with Producer Tony DiDio, Director of Photography Gary Graver and Star Pamelyn Ferdin
• NEW Audio Commentary #2 with Film Historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• NEW Drill Sergeant – Interview with Director Dennis Donnelly
• NEW Tools Of The Trade – Interview with Star Wesley Eure
• NEW Flesh And Blood – Interview with Actress Kelly Nichols
• NEW Slashback Memories – David Del Valle Remembers Cameron Mitchell
• NEW “They Know I Have Been Sad” – Video Essay by Film Historian Amanda Reyes and Filmmaker Chris O’Neill
• NEW Poster & Still Gallery
• I Got Nailed In THE TOOLBOX MURDERS – Interview with Actress Marianne Walter
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spot
• Radio Spots
• Subtitles: English SDH, Français, Español
• First pressing only: Limited Edition embossed slipcover
• REGION-FREE

Quality of Transfer: 79%