Cult Epics has chosen a gem with this release. Abel Ferrara's The Driller Killer; in a magnificent two disk limited edition.
FILM- Reno Miller is a struggling artist; living with his girlfriend, and her friend in a small apartment. Every time he takes one step forward, he is forced to take two steps back. His art is on hold by his dealer, his roommates are constantly annoying him, and he can barely pay the bills. Worse yet, a new punk band has just moved in the upstairs apartment, and prohibit any peace and quiet. Reno begins to crack When his girlfriend leaves him, his unstable mind resorts to massacring vagrants with a dower drill; as a means to cope with his horrible life. Reno invites his art dealer over; and looses all control. Soon, begins a murderous path of self destruction.
The Driller Killer is one of the infamous Video Nasties; 74 films banned by the BBFC at the dawn of the video age. Many people believe this ban was because of the violence of the film, however, this is untrue. The real reason was the distribution company's press release showed a graphic murder; sparking fears of violent videos warping the minds of British movie goers. This false impression has led to many people believing it to be a balls out slasher, which it is not. Consequently, this has also led to people hating the film for being too "boring" of a slasher. Driller Killer is in many ways like Taxi Driver, only much grittier. It is a character study of Reno; not a hack em up. This film shows his gradual decent into insanity, and how he unleashes his rage on the homeless. Give me this thought provoking film over a generic chop'em up any day. 8/10
PICTURE/ AUDIO- As i stated earlier, Driller Killer was born on home video at the start of the cassette boom. Many people, myself included, remember renting the VHS of Driller Killer (more specifically the Magnum Big Box). Again I marvel the genius of Cult Epics. Horror VHS were the nitty gritty, and many had the damage from the original prints still left on them. While cleaned, this film still retains it's VHS quality, and there should be a huge rejoice from fans who remember renting this on VHS. I have never been so thrilled to see a cigarette burn in my life. Not only does this rekindle old memories; it also enhances the affect. This film is the essence of grimy, 70's New York life. To remove the grit from this period piece would be like playing A Clockwork Orange on a black and white TV. 10/10. The beginning slide states PLAY THIS FILM LOUD. Good advice. The sound is the same quality as the picture. Gritty, but cleaned. There are the expected, (and wanted) pops and cracks; but the audio is very good at maintaining a steady volume. It really doesn't fade in or out. The authentic 70's music is great, and hearing the 207 sounds the drill makes is very entertaining. 9/10.
EXTRAS- Once again, Cult Epics has LOADED this two disk set. For starters, this is a limited, numbered edition of 10,000; Included is fold out liner notes. The first disk features: an audio commentary by Ferrara, theatrical trailer, filmograhpy, and the faux trailer for the "Porto-Pak" (the battery belt that gives the drill power). Disk two is also packed, containing Abel Ferrara's shorts Could This be Love, The Hold Up, and Nicky's Film. It also includes the trailer to an XXX feature he his way back, entitled 9 Lives of a Wet Pussy. This is pretty much the "Meet the Feebles" of porn trailers, and while short, is highly entertaining.
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