| The Toolbox Murders | |
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Original promotional poster |
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| Directed by | Dennis Donnelly |
| Produced by | Tony DiDio |
| Written by | Robert Easter Ann N. Kindberg |
| Starring | Cameron Mitchell Pamelyn Ferdin Wesley Eure Tim Donnelly |
| Distributed by | Hokushin |
| Release date(s) | March 1978 (US) |
| Running time | 93 mins |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $185,000 (est.) |
The Toolbox Murders is a 1978 slasher film starring Cameron Mitchell, Tim Donnelly, Pamelyn Ferdin, and Wesley Eure. It is notorious for its reputation as a video nasty due to its violent murder scenes in the film's first act. The film was marketed as being based on a true story, though it has no connection to any real-life murders.
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In a small apartment complex, somebody in a ski mask has been murdering women with tools, such as a nail gun, a screwdriver, and a drill. Meanwhile, 15 year old Laurie Ballard is kidnapped. Detective Jamison (Donnelly), investigates the murders, and stumbles onto a connection between them and the kidnapping.
Reviews for the film have been mixed to negative. Toolbox Murders currently holds a 0% "rotten" rating on the movie review website rotten tomatoes with an average score of 2.2/10 based on 5 reviews. However, the film has a more mixed review of 5.0/10 on the user review website IMDb, indicating mixed reaction.
The film was released theatrically in the United States by Cal-Am Artists in March 1978.
The film was released on VHS by VCI Entertainment and, later, Video Treasures in the 1980s.
The film was one of the video nasties of the 1980s and was banned in the UK from 1982-2000 by the BBFC.
The film was released as a special edition DVD by Blue Underground in 2003.
The film was released as a special edition Blu-ray by Blue Underground in 2010.
Independent director Jim Van Bebber developed a remake with producer DiDio in the late 1990s/early 2000s. The film was eventually remade in 2004 by Tobe Hooper.