The Toolbox Murders

Development for The Toolbox Murders began in 1977 when Los Angeles producer Tony Didio wanted to make a low-budget horror film after noticing a successful second release of Tobe Hooper's landmark horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.[3] Didio had been intrigued by the film's financial success and, knowing the film's distributors, contacted them inquiring why the film was being re-released so soon. After a conversation with the film's distributors, Didio decided that he would release his own low-budget horror film. Didio screened the film with writers Ann Kindberg, Robert Easter and Neva Friedenn, giving them the mandate to create a variation of Hooper's landmark film. [4][5] According to journalist Linda Gross, the screenplay was loosely based on a string of serial killings in Minnesota committed by a man who attacked women using various tools.[6]

Wesley Eure was cast in the role of Vance's nephew, Kent, who helps clean the apartment, and who in fact turns out to be an accomplice to his uncle's killings.[7] Eure, who had previously appeared on the series Land of the Lost—which had recently been canceled at that time—agreed to take the role as he had been tired of taking "goody-goody roles. I'd been running from dinosaurs and being the perfect son for years, and now I got to be the killer!"[7]

Principal photography of The Toolbox Murders began in the summer of 1977 in Canoga Park, Los Angeles at locations on Sherman Way and Vanowen Streets.[1] The film was shot over a total of 18 days, on a budget of approximately $165,000.[1]

The Toolbox Murders was released theatrically in the United States by Cal-Am Artists,[8] The film was put out on VHS by VCI Entertainment.[9] opening regionally in El Paso, Texas on February 17, 1978.[10] By mid-1978, the film had grossed $512,000 at ninety theaters in the United States.[2] It had its Los Angeles premiere on November 1, 1978.[2]

In 1979, it was selected for screening at the 12th International Festival de Cine Fantástico y de Terror in Sitges, Spain.[2]

The film was briefly on the list of the video nasties[11] and was initially banned in the United Kingdom before being subsequently acquitted in court and removed from the Director of Public Prosecutions' (DPP) list.[12] The film was also banned in 1978 by the apartheid Publications Control Board.

Upon its release, critics complained about the film's misogynistic views towards victimization, and exploitation of women along with its graphic violence and nudity.[5] Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times lambasted the film as "degenerate, unmotivated, and pornographic trash," summarizing Donnelly's direction as "flaccid and voyeuristic."[6] Fred Beldin from The New York Times criticized the film's characters and villains as "clumsily expressed" and called the films conclusion "incredibly silly" concluding, "as a result, the only enjoyment that can be obtained from the film is ultimately derisive".[13]

Robert Firsching from Allmovie called it "misogynistic" and "nasty", when talking about the film's murder scenes Firsching stated, "None of these things would be quite as shocking if not for the cast, most of whom (save for Cameron Mitchell and Nichols) might have wondered what they were doing in junk like this".[14]

Bill Gibron, writing for DVD Verdict, said the film was "a cut above (no pun intended) your average exploitation horror film" though went on to say "if The Toolbox Murders has one major flaw, it is in the division between the gory slasher and neurotic thriller film" and "The first half is gruesome. The last half is unsettling. But they really are almost two different movies".[15] Another review by the same website was also predominantly positive, stating "Sure it's got gore and nudity galore, but I think it's survived as long as it has because it completely upsets viewer expectations in its second half. By starting out as a typical slasher and ending as a psychological thriller, Toolbox gets under the skin in a way that sticking with one genre or another would not have". The review concluded by saying "it's gory side is gory enough and its creepy side creepy enough to make it worth a watch for those interested in exploitation fare" despite the flat middle half and unrealistic, twist-filled ending.[16]

Jacob Knight of the film criticism website Birth.Movies.Death. praised the film as a "blitzkrieg of brutal, Biblical violence," adding: "Truth be told, The Toolbox Murders is a really nasty affair—utterly unpleasant up until its final moments. But Dennis Donnelly has crafted a San Fernando Valley slice of gnarly exploitation that's sure to please even the most hardcore horror hounds. While the mutilations comes fast and furious, there's not a whole lot of gore to speak of. Instead, there's a fatalistic tone that permeates every frame, reinforced by George Deaton's preposterously portentous score."[17]

The Toolbox Murders holds a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on eight reviews.[18]

The film was released on VHS by VCI/Anchor Bay on September 15, 1989.[19] An edited DVD was released in the UK in 2000 by VIPCO, in 2017 an uncut version was released in the UK by 88 Films. The film was also released as a Special Edition DVD by Blue Underground in 2003, and was re-released on Blu-ray in 2010.[20]