THE DRILLER KILLER  (1979)
Director :Abel Ferrara
Writer: Nicholas St. John
CAST---
Abel Ferrara ...  Reno Miller (as Jimmy Laine)
Carolyn Marz ...  Carol
Baybi Day ...  Pamela
Harry Schultz ...  Dalton Briggs
Alan Wynroth ...  Landlord
Maria Helhoski ...  Nun
James O'Hara ...  Man in Church


Runtime: 96 min

   This one I will file under ‘Slasher’ although it isn’t a slasher and in fact it isn’t even a horror movie but
the catchy title has fooled us all and now that I’ve seen this film I have to include it. I am including it
because yes it has some kills with an electric driller and I want to believe I did not see this film in vain.
This movie could best be described as an underground dark drama about the life of poor as shit,
struggling artists. It is very artsy and shows us all the grit, scum, and roughness of a polluted New York
city neighborhood. We are up close with the homeless, drug addicts, punk rockers and even a gay art
dealer to top things off. These characters feel so real that it makes you want to step back from the
television cause you could almost smell their un-bathed stench and drown in their life of hopelessness. I
promise you that if you decide to watch this film you could actually almost feel the filth in you.

   The drama starts with a suggestion. It says that this movie should be experienced with the volume
turned way up. Innocently enough I was astonished because I have never seen such a message before
a movie so I turned the volume a little higher. Then we see the main character Reno sneaking up to an
old homeless man in a empty church. He gets next to him. The homeless bearded man touches his
hand. Reno freaks and runs out the church?! This scene is never explained later in the film.
Reno is a struggling painter. He lives in one of those warehouse apartments artists live in with two girls
he gets personal with and they with each other. Let me warm you, you see little of this except for a
minute lesbian shower scene which was just long enough for me to down a red bull so I could stay awake
for the film. These three do drugs. You don’t actually see this but their faces are so high looking and
confused and trippy especially Reno. I think this guy takes heavy drugs and has serious mental and
emotional problems. They can’t pay the rent, the fridge is empty and now a punk band moves in next
door. So Reno has no money for food, drugs or psychiatric help, and on top of that one of his women is
thinking of leaving him. Wait, it gets worse. He is trying to finish a painting (his masterpiece) to sell to the
art exhibitor  and make money but the damn Punk band plays their music night and day  and he can’t
concentrate. By the way the painting is of a buffalo or a bison with some thin blue and orange lines
across it. No wonder he’s soon to join the homeless population.

    So  finally he snaps and grabs himself  a drill and kills homeless people off the street. You may ask
yourself why homeless. Only God knows my friends. It is only at the very end that he uses his drill for
vengeance and the killings aren't so great. I was waiting to see what type of an ending this movie would
have. Let me just say that you don’t expect it, it isn't a violent one and it will make you go to sleep. It was
meant to freak us out or give us chills but all it does is give us a reason to celebrate…the movie is over.

                                                                                                   - Jorge Antonio Lopez
N / A
Driller Killer (1979)
Seen it too? Let us know what you thought.

OVERALL
BLOOD
BREASTS
BEASTS