The Toolbox Murders 4K 1978 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

A sleepwalker roams an apartment building and kills its tenants using work tools...

Review 4K Movie

It was the feature-length debut of Dennis Donnelly, who produced only television series until 1978. In the late 70s, when interest in horror films rose in the United States, making films of this genre was very promising, so Donnelly leaned into horror.

In fact, there is almost nothing scary in The Nightmare of House in the Hills. At least the viewers of the third millennium will hardly flinch from the attack of the killer, who is already visible in the frame a second before his dark deed, or from the splashes of blood, which is unnaturally abundant from any, even the most insignificant wound. The killer maniac in the film wears an ordinary mask, which does not honor the scriptwriters' imagination, but his unremarkable appearance is compensated by a variety of methods of murder. Victims die either from nails or from a drill, which hints at the desire of viewers of those times to see something more than an attack with a knife or a chainsaw. And this is twenty-six years before the release of Saw.

However, apart from the murders and a few erotic scenes, Hill House Nightmare has a lot of boring dialogue. Murders alternate with the usual investigation. In addition, it is worth recognizing that the film has big problems with the music. The first five minutes are completely given to viewing with great difficulty - everything is too dull and tasteless. In the second half of the film, we are revealed the secret of the identity of the killer, who lectures for a long time about the malice that the vast world is saturated with, the kidnapped girl. At the time of 1978, such a philosophy could inspire fear in the audience, but these days it is already a cliché.

Of the actors, I would like to recognize Pamelin Ferdin and Cameron Mitchell hitting the target. Wesley Yuar and Nicholas Buvey played mediocre. One portrays a traitor whose intentions can be guessed from the very beginning, the other is a naive hero who wants to reveal the truth, but to no avail.

Dennis Donnelly hasn't made any more feature films since Hill House Nightmare. Nevertheless, this film will be appreciated by all fans of horror films shot in the seventies. Those who are accustomed to the image, accompanied by heavy music, and realistic blood, it is better to think carefully before viewing.