Terry's Reviews
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The Driller Killer – Special Edition Cult Epics - 1977 Directed by Abel Ferrara |
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| I’m glad to finally see this film. THE
DRILLER KILLER is an amateurish drama dressed up like a horror film. The film is about a
struggling artist named Jimmy Laine (Abel Ferrara) who is trying to make ends meat in New
York City in the mid 70s. He has artistic talent but doesn’t seem to have any kind of
goal in sight. Laine kind of wonders around hanging out with bands, fighting with his
girlfriend, battling his neighbors and disgusted by anyone who’s given up on life. I
guess he worries that it may be him some day sleeping on the street, so he takes out his
frustration by killing homeless folks with a power drill. It is his way of trying to
prevent himself from becoming one of them. The problem with the film is that it drifts like Ferrara’s character for a good portion of the running time. Ferrara throws in soft-core sex, a rock-n-roll band performing pretty much non-stop and finally gore. It’s not really these exploitative aspects that make the film interesting. For me, I found the moral struggle more captivating and ultimately what THE DRILLER KILLER is about. What the film lacks in professionalism and vision is made up with the psychological war going on in Jimmy Laine’s head. THE DRILLER KILLER kind of comes across as a psycho documentary of sorts about people who lived this kind of life at that period of time. I don’t mean the messy gore scenes but rather the social struggle that artists, like Abel Ferrara must have went through during the 70s. I give Cult Epics high marks for putting together a more than classy presentation of THE DRILLER KILLER and all the extras included. Abel Ferrara’s audio commentary is difficult to listen to, as he kind of mumbles in a rambling way, which I’m sure, is part of the mental/physical effects of his hard lifestyle. You just know that what Ferrara puts in his films is certainly part of his real life. Three of Ferrara’s soft-core sex films are on the second disc "Could This Be Love", "The Hold Up" and "Nicky’s Film." The movie’s trailer, a "Porto-pack" commercial (for the drill used) and a trailer for Ferrara’s hardcore film "Nine Lives of a Wet Pussy" are also included. The entire package is impressive as you will learn something from watching the early films and the linear notes from Brad Stevens. This is the first time seeing a Cult Epics DVD release and there is little doubt that a great deal of care was put into this 2-Disc DVD. I would recommend this more for the overall quality of the DVDs than the film itself. |
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