Intruder (1989) Directed by Scott Spiegel
Slasher movies will always hold a special place in my heart. No matter how corny or straight up terrible they are, I will always enjoy watching them. Intruder is a somewhat obscure slasher film that has recently got a little cult following due to the recent blu ray release. It is currently on Hulu Plus so you can stream it if you choose. It is kind of an oddity in the slasher genre due to its use of odd and questionable camera angles. It is a low budget film that seemed to use its entire budget on special effects. The plot of Intruder is about a group of people working the night shift in a grocery store. One by one an unknown killer knocks off the people in inventive ways. You are led to assume it is one girl’s ex boyfriend that was kicked out earlier in the film, who the killer really is, is really part of the mystery.
As stated earlier the camera angles are bizarre to say the least. We get a shot from inside a rotary phone, a shopping cart, and numerous other objects. I am not quite sure the reasoning behind this other than the director was trying to make it artsy. Most of the time the angles are distracting and annoying. You start laughing at the shots about twenty minutes into the movie because there are so many odd choices. The acting is bad, but not so bad you can’t watch the movie. The only real name in the movie is Rene Estevez, best known for being Emilio and Charlie Sheen’s sister. Her role is rather small, more like a sidekick to the final girl. The story is ok, its not great, not really bad. I’m happy it wasn’t the typical: guy escapes from a psych ward and kills people trope that filled the 80s slasher genre.
The real gem of the movie is the special effects. The kills are beyond brutal and gory. It tops probably any other slasher movie from the decade as far as brutality and intensity. A guy gets his head cut in half by a band-saw, another guy gets his head crushed by a baler, and a third guy gets hung up on a meat hook by his jaw. Those are only three of the crazy kills, basically the ones that really stick out to me as insane. As you would assume with kills like that, there is an abundance of blood splatter. If it wasn’t for the over the top kills this movie really wouldn’t be much to watch honestly. The killer is alright, he legitimately seems to have a few screws loose and has a somewhat weak motive but you really can’t take this movie too seriously. There are subtle little jokes spewed about this movie, they’re fun and not in your face eye rolling dumb.
If you enjoy slasher movies and want to see something you haven’t watched before, give it a shot. Like I mentioned the camera angles and low budget camera work as a whole kind of take away from the movie, but in 1989 most slasher movies weren’t great. The special effects really save the movie for me. The death scenes are top notch and they are so out of place with the tone of the movie, which has the subtle jokes and they’re out of place with the cheapness of the rest of the film. Also it is worth mentioning that Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell have small cameo roles in the film, so keep an eye open for them. This movie has millions of alternate titles, my favorite being Night Crew: The Final Checkout. How amazingly terrible is that? I would give Intruder a C, it isn’t a movie I can rewatch every year, in fact this is only the second time I have seen this in 6 or 7 years. The special effects are an A though. If you are a gore hound, then watch this twisted weird little slasher flick.
