(1979)
Director: Abel Ferrara
Writer: Nicholas St. John
The Driller Killer is a very strange film. I had heard a lot about it, both good and bad, so I expected that I would either love it or hate it. Instead, I find myself somewhere in-between. There's no doubt that it's a fairly skillfully made film, and I think that's why I expected just a little more from it. The Driller Killer lays down the foundation for a fascinating exploration of the protagonist's descent into madness, but then, doesn't really do much with it.
The basic plot concerns Reno, a struggling New York artist (played by Abel Ferrara himself), who lives in a rundown apartment with his girlfriend and her lesbian lover. While struggling to complete what he believes to be his greatest work yet, he is tormented by the loud punk band next door, money troubles, and issues about his father who may or may not be one of the countless derelicts who call New York home, whom Reno despises. All of these factor into Reno becoming slowly unhinged and taking out his frustrations with a power drill on the streets of the city.
Although the film contains a few graphic gore scenes, I have the feeling this movie ended up on the Nasties list simply because of the title and the full-page ads featuring the above poster. The movie is more than just gory murders however, quite a few scenes have a bizarre, almost dream-like quality to them and the movie as a whole has a very art-house feel to it. It also showcases the overwhelming grittiness of 70's New York, which I always enjoy seeing in movies. All in all, The Driller Killer is not one of my favorite movies, but it definitely wasn't bad and I have a feeling that I will probably revisit it again.
Enjoyability: 7 out of 12 beers
Quality: 7 out of 10 skulls
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