The Driller Killer poster & wallpaper

Abel Ferrara, Alan Wynroth, Baybi Day

A bloodthirsty maniac attacks his shrieking victims with an assortment of power tools-all he needs is an extension cord.

Flixster Users

35% liked it

4,326 ratings

Critics

75% liked it

8 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Abel Ferrara

Release Date: January 1, 1979

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DVD Release Date: December 21, 1999

Stats: 289 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (289)

  • bradwest
    November 8, 2008
    bradwest
    Demented sickness from Ferrara. That's a good thing though.
  • 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.
  • 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 more)ip.
    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.
  • DrLappos
    December 27, 2007
    DrLappos
    Nuff said
  • pmosh9
    October 28, 2009
    pmosh9
    un poco lenta preo es de las mejores peliculas de terror que he visto






    exelente
  • brightand
    October 26, 2009
    brightand
    This movie gets alot of hype that it doesn't deserve. First off, the title is very decieving, making one think that they are going into a gore fest, which this movie is far from. Secondly, even though it started off the 'Video Nasties", the movie contains nothing that should get ...( read more)it banned. All the hype lay in the title and the poster art. Although just because it is missing some gore, it is still a great movie and social commentary on poverty and the longing for success.

    The movie follows Reno Miller, played brilliantly by director, Abel Ferrara, who is a struggling painter. Miller lives with his girlfriend and one of her friends in a loft. They are very poor and Reno hopes his masterpiece that he is working on will give him the big break they need. However, when a punk band moves in next door and constantly jams all hours of the day, Reno can't get any work done. Reno begins to quickly lose his mind. he makes his way to the hardware store and buys a drill . . .

    What makes the movie is Ferrara's performance as Reno, the poverty stricken artist looking for fame. His performance is brilliant and is amazingly realistic. The rest of the cast do great jobs as well but Ferrara functions on his own and it seems that he is somewhat improvising his lines. This makes for a very dramatic performance and the supporting cast play very well off of it.

    The gore that the audience does witness is very brief and minimal. Many scenes depict Reno pushing the drill into someone in a shadow. One scene shows a drunk standing at a bus stop, we soon see Reno behind him plunging the drill in and out of the man's back. Very little blood is shown in the movie and that makes it that mch better.

    The movie's second main character is the setting itself. New York makes the perfect setting for this movie because it shows the poverty very well. The Driller Killer is one of those movies that you can just feel the sleaze from. Its filmed much like a documentary and the film quality looks very old and scratched. That makes it an even mre enjoyable film.

    Overall, The Driller Killer is somewhat slow and doesn't have a great payoff at the end and it's also for people with certain taste. If you're a fan of things like Friday the 13th, Evil Dead, or An American Werewolf in London, then stay far away from this one. This is for fans of Maniac, The Last House on the Left, and Frightmare then definately check this one out. Its got a great view of poverty and rejection and has a great message at the end of it all.

    7.5/10
  • dukeakasmudge
    October 15, 2009
    dukeakasmudge
    Bought this movie from the dollar store & ended up throwing it away
  • Phonex
    September 21, 2009
    Phonex
    People love killing.
  • ahhh1989
    September 20, 2009
    ahhh1989
    I love Abel Ferrara and I love weird films, but for some reason I didn't really like this film. I don't know, something about it just rubbed me the wrong way.

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Critic Reviews

April 2, 2006
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

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

View more The Driller Killer reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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The Driller Killer Trivia

  • ***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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