CLEAN UP ON AISLES 1-12… AND IN THE MEAT
 
DEPARTMENT…AND STOCK ROOM…
 
AND PRODUCE…

CLICK THE COVER ART TO BUY THIS GOOD SHIT FROM AMAZON

For all the good shit Empire Pictures did (FROM BEYOND, CELLAR DWELLER), they sure could fuck a film up in a New York minute, case in point: INTRUDER. After wrapping up his writing gig on EVIL DEAD 2, it was time for Scott Spiegel to make his directorial debut. What he created with INTRUDER is a masterpiece of the slasher genre. Unfortunately, Empire went crazy with the weed wacker and heavily cut the best parts of the film. Quentin Tarantino told Spiegel he should rent ever copy in the area and replace it with the unedited cut. No need, Synapse is here to do what they do best; taking genre classics and restoring them to near perfection, jamming them with cool special features, and in the case of INTRUDER, giving the unedited version to the masses. Every. Last. Drop.

Walnut Lake Market is closing up for the night. Please make your final selections and proceed to the register. After the staff is told the store has been sold, they are asked to stay late and slash prices on all items. Someone got the wrong message and starts slashing up the staff instead. We aren’t talking about machete kills, we aren’t talking bad dreams, we are talking trash compactors, meat hooks, and band saws. DAWN OF THE DEAD owns the mall, INTRUDER owns the grocery store.

Spiegel first started shooting films with Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell back in high school. Inspired by The Three Stooges, Hammer films, and Famous Monster’s of Filmland, they shot a large number of short films together, perfecting their craft along the way. That ambitious spirit of a young filmmaker isn’t lost in this film. Spiegel maximizes every shot, getting the most out of his location. He’s also inventive, using POV shot’s from telephones, bottles, trash cans and more.

With a cast made up of Sam and Ted Raimi, Danny Hicks (EVIL DEAD 2, MANIAC COP), Burr Steers (Flock of Seagulls from PULP FICTION), Elizabeth Cox (NIGHT OF THE CREEPS), and cameos from Bruce Campbell and Lawrence Bender (and his hand), Spiegel has a lot of talent to work with and everyone delivers. These are all real characters with quirks and nobody plays this like they are out of slasher central casting, particularly the killer himself who has never been better. There is a scene in the film when he/she delivers an extra thump in the head to one of his victims that is darkly comedic.
 

 
INTRUDER is a smart film that deserved better on its initial release. Synapse, as always, did an amazing job with this title. The film is presented in a 1080 progressive anamorphic widescreen with an amazing 2k transfer. Synapse has always been among my favorite distributors, this year though they are at the top of the list as the best distributor of the year. If you need me to validate that comment, just buy INTRUDER and then you’ll know what’s what.
 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Commentary: Scott Spiegel and Lawrence Bender
 
“Slashed Prices: The Making of Intruder”
 
Extended Murder Sequences from the Original Workprint
 
Outtakes from the now-lost short film, Night Crew
 
“The Slashing of Intruder” with Filmmaker Vincent Pereira
 
Behind-the-Scenes Stills Gallery, Original Cast Audition Footage, trailers.

VERDICT: BUY IT – THEN STAY CLEAR OF
 
THE BAND SAW

SEE YOU ON FORTY DEUCE,

G

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Jon Abrams

Editor-In-Chief at Daily Grindhouse

Jon Abrams is a New York-based writer, cartoonist, and committed cinemaniac whose complete work and credits can be found at his site, Demon’s Resume. You can contact him on Twitter as @JonZilla___.

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