Another movie from the Thankgiving trip. I'm thankful for archive.org! So, I wasn't taking notes, and this may be a bit on the brief side. I was planning to watch something that would help satiate my Black Friday bloodlust (seriously, I don't think I could feel any more depressed about the state of our society than the day after Thanksgiving. The combo of stressful family time and the idolization of sales just gets to me, I guess.) Driller Killer seemed like it would fit the bill. It's an odd, grindhousey film and doesn't have much by the way of a traditional narrative, but was off-kilter and creative enough to be interesting. Plus, sleazy and grimy New York City!
Driller Killer centers around a struggling artist named Reno (Abel Ferrara, who also directed) - he's the emotionally explosive type of artist, prone to yelling and berating his two female roommates (one of whom he's in a relationship with, I think). He obviously has a lot of talent, but doesn't have the money to show for it. The pictures in his apartment are really cool - sort of surreal, but with great detail/technical-prowess/finesse. Despite being months behind in rent and having trouble paying the bills, he thinks his next painting, a psychedelic buffalo, is his masterpiece and will bring him the big bucks. He cracks under the pressure (I think) and starts killing people with a drill. It's not really that plot-heavy.
There is also a strong musical element to this film (not like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat-musical, like music plays a role in it). There is a punk band called Tony and the Coca-Colas that has taken residence in the basement of Reno's apartment building, so we are treated to many scenes of them practicing/performing their new-wave/punk music. You get the idea that these were probably just friends of the filmmakers, so it was kind of cool to see what I assume is a pretty accurate portrayal of the local punk scene at the time. The music here isn't really my style, but it fits in with the overall vibe of Driller Killer - the whole thing has this sort of grungy punk/DIY aesthetic. It's got to have a low budget ($20,000 according to imdb) and it feels like they probably just filmed wherever they could. But this griminess and realness really help make the film more effective.
My main complaint is that you never really get an idea of why Reno just starts killing people. He seems pretty unhinged from the outset - if we didn't see him acquire the proto-pak (a belt/battery type thing that allows him to drill mobilely) I wouldn't be surprised if he was killing people before we joined him. There isn't a clear beginning/end to his madness, and he doesn't seem to really ever regret it, or conversely, love it. So there really isn't much of an arc to his character. But I don't think a well-told-tale is what Ferrara is going for here. If the aim was exploitative scuzziness, I think he succeeded. And I mean that as a compliment.
The violence is a bit shocking, although maybe more in concept than by what you see visually. I mean, the idea of a dude just wandering around and randomly drilling people is pretty troubling. The blood is of the red-paint variety, and you never really see the drill go into anyone. You'll see it hit the person and there is a lot of blood, but it doesn't go in any further, if that makes sense. So despite the name, it isn't a total gorefest.
But Driller Killer is still a pretty solid movie. It's rough around the edges, but it's one of those films where that roughness really works in its favor. It's pretty grim and is never really that fun - all of the characters (and the movie in general) have this kind of desperate or drugged-out vibe. But it's quite memorable and I've been thinking about it just about everyday since I watched in over a week ago, which I think is a pretty good sign. I think if you're looking for a late 70's slice of grindhousey goodness, The Driller Killer could be right up your alley.
I would recommend this film.
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