Review Detail

steFAN creates an interesting mix of the 1977 and 2004 Toolbox Murders.
The ‘77 is sleazier, boasts name actors, and nudity. The ‘04, helmed by Tobe Hooper, was a stumbling attempt.
While neither are top notch Slasher, both have their moments, which steFAN zoomed in on.
He keeps the best parts of the ‘77 (the killings and the cheesecake) purges the rest.
Purges dialogue from the ‘04 and pushes the pace.

Video - 720 X 480p MPEG. Overall, this is pretty sharp. The older film has noticeable grain, but it was not damaged or marred.

Audio - 5.1 448 kbps AC-3. Are you kidding me? 5.1 for a cheesy Slasher flick? Darned generous. No subs. Dialogue is clear, save for mushmouth Ned.

Narrative - The trick, and this was very clever, was to front-load the earlier film as a flashback. Killings, body disappearances, inactivity. Building restoration, however, reawakens the monster. The story then focuses on the later era and scattered clues. The symbols and signs make neat trail markers. The plot is coherent, though one does wonder what the killer was doing for twenty odd years.

Enjoyment - OK. As mentioned, neither is must-see. steFAN does a great job giving us the best of the first film, and he hurries the remake along so it never lags. Genre fans, yes, head on down.

steFAN reworked several other Horror titles, worth investigating.