| The Deadly Intruder (1984) Dir: John McCauley Cast: Molly Cheek, Chris Holder, Tony Crupi, Danny Bonaduci, Laura Melton, Stuart Whitman Rated R, Approx: 84 minutes Thorn Emi/HBO Video |
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| Matt's Rating: *** (out of 5) |
| Reviewed by Matt Serafini 06/07/02 |
| Ignore the back of this film's video box that claims it to be steeped in the "Hitchcock tradition". Rest assured, there's nothing very 'Hitchcockian' about this generic slasher flick direct from the decade that made them the best: the 1980s. It's not quite classy, original or even particularly well done for that matter but The Deadly Intruder may still be worth a look for your hardcore fans of the 80's slasher. It certainly takes the right frame of mind to enjoy a film like this but those already accustomed to similar films from this era (i.e. The Initiation) should know what to expect, and if a movie slightly dumber than the usual dumb is right up your alley then there's plenty to enjoy here. The film opens with a psycho killer escaping from a mental institution and taking refuge in a nearby small town where he begins stalking and murdering the innocent residents almost immediately. When Jessie (Molly Cheek) throws a dinner party for a group of her closest friends, the violent psycho also shows up offing guests at every turn as he sets his sights on the pretty young woman. What begins as an all too typical Halloween rip off (complete with perhaps the most implausible escape scene I can think of) winds up taking an unexpected twist at the halfway point. After a very enjoyable first half loaded with some gratuitous nudity (a surprisingly explicit full frontal bath scene from Cheek, the main actress), absurd red herrings and some truly amusing psycho fodder (check out that telephone line repairman), the movie suddenly breaks from its slasher formula and turns into a Desperate Hours-style thriller when a homeless vagrant (the film's writer Tony Crupi looking a little like Sylvester Stallone in First Blood) invades Jessie's house resorting to violence when the woman refuses to be restrained. It's a strange turn for the film and it doesn't quite work as well as intended. Despite a somewhat tense chase scene between the two, the whole second half appears to function solely as a buildup to a kind of 'zinger' ending. Two of the main characters play out as considerably large red herrings in the proceedings but spotting the killer here shouldn't be tough by any stretch, viewers should have it figured out thirty minutes in. This one really wants to be Halloween in the worst way (its even got a similar synthesized musical score composed and performed by the director), but it just never works. Director John McCauley tries to infuse the film with several suspenseful set pieces and scares but much of it falls flat. At least he keeps things moving at a brisk pace even though the murders are a bit clumsy and ineffective. The majority of it comes off hokey (although the scene in which a woman wearing a bathrobe is strangled to death while her breasts slip out of the robe would've made me freak out in sixth grade!) not to mention several unintentional laughs really rob the film of potential tension. Two scenes of such laughs stick out in the most, one where the murderer reveals himself to his friends and the other when the stranded motorist stumbles onto the kidnapped woman and attempts heroics. The police in this picture are among the laziest and most inept you'll ever see. They don't even really investigate anything instead they stumble onto an important clue only when it is convenient enough to advance the plot and wrap up the film. One of the guys even has a farting dog, a gag that made me laugh a lot harder than it probably should've! To be fair though, with all of the violence and nudity to please slasher fans, this movie certainly does some things right. Violence and nudity aside, there's charming comic relief in the guise of none other than Partridge Family member Danny Bonaduci. The lack of hijinks may disappoint some fans (slashers with hijinks make the best slashers!), for these characters aren't the teenage crowds that typically befall the blade but people in their late twenties and early thirties. Oddly enough however their situations feel no different than those of the nubile high school students of any other film. Quite the pleasant little gem no matter how uneven, The Deadly Intruder is far from great, even by slasher standards but just about the perfect movie to enjoy on a real rainy and lazy day. You've got to know what you're getting into before you watch, those not accustomed to the early 80s slasher may be abhorred to read such a positive write up here but I'd really be lying if I said I didn't enjoy myself immensely while watching. Check it out and remember, as the tagline screamed, "Someone out there is watching you...Don't unlock your door!" Unfortunately, they don't make them like this anymore. |