The Driller Killer, 1979.
Directed by Abel Ferrara.
Starring Abel Ferrara, Carolyn Marz, Baybi Day, Harry Schultz, Alan Wynroth.
SYNOPSIS:
A struggling artist goes insane and takes to the streets of New York armed with a drill and the desire to kill.
One of the more notorious movies to have ruffled the feathers of Mary Whitehouse and her cronies during the video nasties era of the early 1980s, Abel Ferrara’s The Driller Killer makes it to UK Blu-ray thanks to Arrow Video in a rather splendid looking dual-format Steelbook that features the classic poster art that gives away one of the key scenes in the film (which was one of the reasons it upset so many authority figures back in the day) and is also very misleading when it comes to the tone and overall content of the movie.
As far as a plot goes the broad idea is of a struggling New York artist named Reno Miller (played by Abel Ferrara under the pseudonym Jimmy Laine) who lives in a grotty apartment block also inhabited by a constantly rehearsing new wave/punk band in a nearby apartment. With his creativity being stifled by the never-ending noise, having no money to pay the rent and a snotty gallery owner demanding Reno hurry up with his latest works, Reno’s mind begins to unravel and he takes to murder with the use of his power drill.
And had this movie been made by, say, Tobe Hooper or Wes Craven then the end result would have been the straight-up ultra-violent slasher movie that the title and poster suggests. However, Abel Ferrara’s material and his depiction of it goes a little deeper than slasher movie aesthetics, making a Reno a complex character seemingly unable to deal with everyday life. On top of his money troubles, Reno also lives with his married girlfriend Carol (Carolyn Marz) and her lesbian lover Pamela (Baybi Day), which gives him more reason to go off the deep end as they are infuriatingly awful people, and Ferrara does seem to encapsulate the arty flakiness that Reno represents, although his acting skills are far from what could be called good. It works for the character to a point but combine his awkward detachment from reality with the gritty early 1980s New York setting, the clumsy editing, terrible acting from the supporting cast and the overall feeling that the film is going nowhere even after Reno has committed his first murder, and The Driller Killer comes out as a melting pot of arthouse and grindhouse that never really gels properly.
If the moral majority of the 1980s had gotten these movies banned on the strength of them being not particularly good then The Driller Killer would certainly be a prime candidate for being consigned to the list because finding anything to defend quality-wise here is a thankless task. It would be unfair to dismiss it as total rubbish as there is the germ of something interesting in amongst all the oppressive settings and bad acting but Abel Ferrara, at this stage of his career, was not the filmmaker to bring it out and make the movie, at best, watchable. The first bit of excitement is when Reno has a nightmare about an eyeless Carol and that doesn’t hit until 40 minute into the movie, and after that there’s another hour to sit through with only two or three short scenes featuring the sort of action that the UK authorities thought littered the film, including the infamous drill-to-the-head shot that adorns the cover art that is probably the most graphic kill here. It’s all acted out in typical grindhouse fashion with the obviously fake blood pouring from the small circular wound in the man’s head as the actor sits still and screams (although the hack-job editing sees the victim sitting in different positions from different angles), and then it is over with. Then you’ll get another 10 minutes of bad punk rock playing as Reno tries to make sense of his life shortly before hitting the streets again to kill another wino in an equally clumsy and underwhelming way. It feels like it is trying to say something but what that is never really made clear, even by the end of the film.
Presented in a 4K restoration from the original camera negatives, the disc boasts the theatrical cut and a never-seen-before pre-release version that is about five minutes longer. There aren’t too many glaring differences aside from some longer takes during certain scenes but it is always nice to have the full version whenever possible. The picture quality itself is still pretty grotty, although considering the source material then this is probably as clean as it is ever likely to look and there are a few details that you may have missed if you’ve seen any previous VHS or DVD releases before, but don’t go expecting much from the restoration as this is no special effects extravaganza. There is a title card that says to turn the volume up loud at the beginning of the film and that is where the biggest improvement is as the sounds of amateur punk rock and power tools being plunged into people does sound a whole lot better when played through a speaker system, and extras include a brand new commentary by Abel Ferrara, an interview with the director, a visual essay of Ferrara’s career and his 2010 documentary Mulberry Street, which details the filmmaker’s use of the New York location throughout his career (and is actually more entertaining than the main feature).
Thanks to Mary Whitehouse and the Tory government of the time The Driller Killer has thrived on an undeserved reputation for over 35 years, and had it been released without the lurid posters and sensationalist marketing then there’s a good chance that it would have faded into obscurity or just been a footnote in Abel Ferrara’s career and it certainly would not have been banned. There is something satisfying knowing that this film once upset the moral guardians of the nation and now we are getting spankingly shiny deluxe special editions to adorn our shelves with but The Evil Dead, I Spit On Your Grave, Zombie Flesh Eaters and Cannibal Holocaust are far more worthy of their place amongst the so-called depraved video nasties than this movie. Overall, a great edition for collectors but, sadly, not a film to watch if you want to be entertained.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Chris Ward
