Search - Intruder on DVD

Chad B. (abrnt1) from CABERY, IL
Reviewed on 3/29/2010...

Fun low budget slasher film. Effective KNB EFX work.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

James B. (wandersoul73) from LINDALE, TX
Reviewed on 6/22/2009...

It's fun, campy and worth a look.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Damian M. (ratchet)
Reviewed on 3/11/2009...

Both Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi appear in this low budget slasher flick. It takes place after closing at a supermarket while the crew is stocking and cleaning up. Some cool camera angles ala Evil Dead (well, Ted Raimi, Scott Spiegel and Danny Hicks were also part of this one).

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

"I'm just CRAZY about this STORE!"

Johnny Anarchy | Schenectady, NY | 09/06/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Intruder is a "love story" about one cashier at a po-dunk supermarket and her ex-boyfriend/ex-con that still loves her. Sadly, she doesn't love him anymore. Maybe it has to do with the fact that she broke up with him a year ago and he just can't say goodbye? Its possible. That doesn't matter to him though. He goes to such lengths to prove he still loves her that he calls her repeatedly and gets in a brutal fight with her boss and co-workers while she is working...but not before socking her across the face. Ahh, young love.



On top of all of this she and her fellow employees find out their much loved place of employment is being sold to another company and the store will be shut down indefinitely within a month. While nowadays this would be met with as much concern by a supermarket employee as finding out your much hated enemy has contracted syphilis apparently jobs were so scare in 1988 that the girl's boss offers to give her a "recommendation for a job at another supermarket". As if this idea wasn't scary enough...somebody is stalking around the inside of the store killing each one of them off. Is it the ex-boyfriend???



Intruder is far from a masterpiece but is a good enough slasher flick to elicit shocks and laughs in abundance. While the "plot" isn't all that original there is a lot in Intruder that is. It is obvious that the director (Scott Spiegel, good friend of Sam Raimi and co-writer of Evil Dead II) was heavily influenced by Raimi. Some of the shots that he uses are totally bizarre (including the first ever shot up through the dial of a rotary phone!) and absolutely does not skimp with the gore. At least in this uncut version that is.



In many ways though this film is also a spoof of the slasher subgenre itself. 90% of the victims in this movie are male and I challenge anybody not to laugh as the "Mystery Killer" slowly drags off the screaming, writhing men to their ghastly fates. It also illustrates how nobody in slasher movies ever seems to attempt to defend themselves (except of course, for the heroine) even though their life is quite obviously about to be snuffed out in the grisliest way possible (a trash compactor and infamously, a band saw to name a few). If the movie played in total seriousness it would be funny enough as it is and just plain sad...but due to the over-the-top quality of the movie it all comes out as just plain funny. It is obvious the filmmakers just want to have a bloody good time and you can't help but be infected by it about halfway through the film.



The stand-out performance in this film belongs to Dan Hicks (and on a smaller scale The Brothers Raimi). Many of you will probably remember him for his role as Jake the redneck tow-truck driver in Evil Dead 2 ("BOBBY JOEEEEEEEE!!!"). After watching his totally goofy/fun performance it is an honest to god crime that he hasn't had bigger parts in more movies.



If you like absolutely ridiculous slasher films (and you can make it through some initial bloodless corniness) then Intruder shouldn't disappoint.



(NOTE: The back of the DVD refers to an "Ex-cop trying to figure out why these killings are going on" or something along those lines. This is totally false and I have no clue why this is there. The whole movie takes place in its entirety within the confines and surrounding areas of the supermarket and there is no ex-cop subplot. Also, on the back of the DVD there is a "still" of Bruce Campbell in one scene that is an obvious facsimile to make you think he is in the movie for more than 60 seconds. If you buy this movie because of any of the previous two misnomers you will be a tad ticked off. Other than that however...watch it.)"

Generic, but with good kills/gore

General Zombie | the West | 06/15/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Since this is a slasher movie, I'll keep this short. Suffice to say, this film is utterly generic in all ways except that which I'm about to mention: Odd camerawork, and particularly gruesome violence. This isn't a great film, or even a great slasher film, but it's worth seeing.



This was directed by Scott Spiegel, famed for his connection to Evil Dead II. Clearly, some of Raimi's directorial tendencies have rubbed off on Spiegel, as he inserts lots of senseless, unusual camera-angles. He's not as kinetic, or as big on moving it around, but he actually tops Raimi in terms of sheer gratuity, as exemplified by the stangest shot of the film, which is within a telephone, looking up at someone through the holes in the mechanism.



This movie is most famed for it's gore, and not with out good reason. Though it's got a fairly low-body count, it's makes almost all of them matter, including a horrific eye-skewering, head crushing by trash compactor, a gruesome hook the the face, and a truly brutal scene of one character having their head sawed in half. The gore isn't up to modern, mainstream standards of realism, but it's really quite impressive for a very low-budget film from the 80's. Sadly, the kills are clustered together too closely, as they often are in slasher movies. Still, they deliver, even if they could be spread out a bit more.



This DVD is in fact available now, though I won't say where as this would doubtless be against Amazon.com policy. (It ain't at all tough to find, however. You don't need my help.) It looks more or less like crap, but it is uncut, so it's a vast improvement over any other legitimate American VHS releases.



Definitely a reasonable way to pass 85 or so minutes.



Grade: C+"

Wholesale Slaughterhouse!!

B. M. Dorton | Lex, KY | 08/25/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Although starts off slowly this above average b-movie really packs a gory punch in the last 35 minutes or so.. The acting is what you might expect from an 80's horror flick but, who is watching these movies for the performances? However, I think the girl that was killed should have taken the leading role. Now.. here is a little something that bugs me about alot of companies that produce films to dvd. Bruce Campbell is in this movie for two minutes and for some strange marketing reason he is listed as the star of the film. Why? I really hate that. I love Campbell but, i dont like when I am led to believe that he plays a significant role in a movie and he is in it for a two minute "cop" role at the end of the movie. Anyway.. if you havent seen "Intruder" it takes place in a supermarket while the 3rd shift crew stocks, changes prices and, cleans. They all get more than they "bargain" for when they are told that the store will be closing in a month and their jobs will be lost. On top of the bad news a psychotic killer is picking them off one by one. The deaths are gruesome. Especially two in particular. One involves a butchers electric meat cutter, the other involves a box recycling bin. Over all I give this movie 3 stars and a half.. definitely elevated by it's gory deaths!! Fun Stuff!"