Dir: John McCauley
Cast: Molly Cheek, Chris Holder, Tony Crupi,
Danny Bonaduce, Laura Melton, Stuart Whitman
Rated R, Approx: 84 minutes
Thorn Emi/HBO Video
you...Don't unlock your door."
Worth a Look For Slasher Enthusiasts.
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.
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.
behind-the-scenes still from the film. Very special thanks to the film's Assistant
Editor, Bill Shaffer, for the photo.
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.
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 Bonaduce.
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.
* * * out of 5
Reviewed by Matt Serafini 6/7/02
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