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An artist slowly goes insane while struggling to pay his bills, work on his paintings, and care for his two female roommates, which leads him taking to the streets of New York after dark and randomly killing derelicts with a power drill. (NR, 101 min.)
9:00 PM
MONDO MOXIE is a monthly showcase of fringe, underrated, and weirdo cinema.
Showing an even seedier side of 1970s New York than TAXI DRIVER, Abel Ferrara’s landmark art-horror debut provides a look back to when Manhattan was an unforgiving labyrinth, a city of sleaze-inciting panic. Starving artist Reno (played by director Ferrara) lives in a squalid tenement and is plagued with nightmarish visions. Tenuously clinging to sanity, Reno loses it when a punk band moves in next door and he takes to the streets to vent his rage . . . with a power drill. DRILLER KILLER strikes an impressive balance between punk atmosphere and horror shocks. And as a bonus, the movie features some of the most repulsive on-screen pizza eating that you'll ever see. [AGFA]
Starring: Abel Ferrara, Carolyn Marz, Baybi Day, Harry Schultz, Alan Wynroth
Director: Abel Ferrara
Genre: Horror, Thriller
"Dystopic Punk-era Manhattan by Abel Ferrara."
— Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
"A coruscating tale of a mind liberated by psychosis."
— Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
"This 1979 budgeter takes up from the 70s grindhouse and precedes the flourishing horror-comedies of the 80s."
— Matthew Sorrento, Film Threat
"From its opening admonition that 'this film should be played loud,' it's a heady, kinetic experience that seldom allows breathing space."
— Michael W. Phillips Jr., Cine-File
"Has some surprisingly strong performances, coupled with a vibe and attitude that's a great look into the gritty punk atmosphere of New York City at that time period."
— Andrew Pollard, Starburst
"While there is blood and gore, The Driller Killer doesn't stay in it. This isn't a splatter film, but something more akin to Maniac or Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, where it's the characters' descent that matters most and not the kill count."
— Shawn Van Horn, Collider
"[The Driller Killer is] an early work that displays, in rudimentary form, all the groundbreaking innovation of [Ferrara's] mature works... Ferrara himself has spoken of the film not as an exploitative horror flick but as a comedy, and there is certainly a playful attitude towards horror movie cliches."
— Rowan Righelato, The Guardian
