A warning to the unaware: the "toolbox murders" of the title don't take up very much of the screen time. They're merely a prelude to some sordid, twisted melodrama that some viewers merely find boring. But if you don't mind this shift in focus, you should find sticking with this movie to be worth it. Certainly the acting is bravura stuff; some of the performers take a great delight in their roles.A maniacal handyman uses the implements to be found in his trusty toolbox to slaughter the female tenants in an apartment complex. The incredibly stupid detective on the case doesn't once think of an obvious course of action. (So the movie may lose some viewers on that basis as well.) And before long young Laurie Ballard (cute and perky former child actress Pamelyn Ferdin ("The Beguiled") is abducted by the killer and held captive.Cameron Mitchell, seemingly an actor who could never turn down a paycheck, is the star of this junky but oh so amusing nonsense. Co-starring as his nephew is Wesley Eure of 'Land of the Lost' fame; Aneta Corsaut ('The Andy Griffith Show') and Nicolas Beauvy ("The Cowboys") play Laurie's mom and brother. And cast as the detective is Tim Donnelly (brother to director Dennis Donnelly), who appeared on the TV series 'Emergency!' and went on to be the star of "The Clonus Horror". You really have to hand it to Mitchell: he does NOT phone it in here. Marianne Walter, better known as veteran porn actress and makeup artist Kelly Nichols, has a memorable bit as a victim who pleasures herself in the bathtub (to the strains of a touching country ditty dubbed "Pretty Lady") before the Toolbox Murderer comes calling.Basing itself on some supposedly "true story" (as text at the end indicates), this is undeniably entertaining stuff for those with a taste for the sick and seamy, and it just grows more and more grim as it goes along, accompanied by an incredibly haunting score by George Deaton. Legendary cameraman and d.p. Gary Graver handles the cinematography.Even if it's not for everybody, one can't deny that this movie does have its moments.Followed by a 2004 remake directed by none other than Tobe Hooper.Seven out of 10.

I watched the horror film, The Toolbox Murders the other night and i found it to be not to bad a film. It is about a man lunatic runs around an apartment complex, While he is there, the lunatic tries to kill all the tenants with the contents of a toolbox that he has with him. all of the people that he seems to pick on are women which he violently attacks. This film looked like it was done on a small budget, It was originally one of the 'Video Nasties' that was banned in 1982. I found this to be quite a good horror film by the end. I thought the film was quite disturbing at times, all thought it looks very dated by today's horror films 4/10

Take a 70s primetime television director with aspirations to milk off the successes of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre with a gorier sleazier misogynistic exploitation piece of his own. Add b-movie legend Cameron Mitchell and Welsey Eure (Will Marshall of Saturday morning's Land of The Lost fame) and Pamelyn Ferdin with very realistically disturbing on screen murders involving hand- and powertools, a sexy steaming hot bathtub scene involving female masturbation (featuring future porn queen Kelly Nichols in her debut role under the name Marianne Walter) that leads into one of the most pleasing murder set pieces ever, and for icing one whacky twist that introduces another yet whackier twist. Yeah, it doesn't feature wall to wall gore and the 7 minute body count like later films such as Maniac and Friday The 13th and the ensuing arrival of the notorious slasher in the early 1980s and the toolbox murderer takes no more female victims after the first half hour but this vintage exploitation sleaze left a wonderful taste to my palate. I loved it. SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER! Before the final credits when Pamelyn Ferdin is walking like a zombie in a blood drenched dress armed with the scissors in the early dawn across the strip mall parking lot I couldn't resist a sigh and a smile.SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!

This movie get a 10 out of 10 heaving vomits for the amount of gore content. The faint of heart better be ready for this low budget slash, stab and bludgeoning fest. The Friday the 13th and other slasher movies cannot touch the level of absolute violent methods used to kill people. Only the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre tops this one in the degree of blood and terror. Even though the acting, cinematography and screen play obviously sucked, there's NOTHING like a good gore filled movie from the 1970's. Cameron Mitchell does a very good job conveying an image of absolute lunacy and insanity. Pure madness drips from he very pores of this man in every moment he appears on the screen. An extremely GORE filled movie.