Intruder (1989)

The greatest low budget horror film ever is "The Janitor", but "Intruder" certainly ranks up there as one of the all-time greats. (You can argue that such films as "Evil Dead" are low budget, but they don't have the amateur quality to them I'm speaking about.) In this film, a grocery clerk's ex-boyfriend shows up to harass her. After the store closes, people begin dying off one by one. Is it the boyfriend? With notable appearances by the "Evil Dead" alumni: Bruce Cambell, Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi, Scott Spiegel and Danny Hicks. What a line-up! The film has its flaws. I mean, it's a very amateur movie so the music is just awful (how long can the produce guy listen to the same song?). Not sure where the regular composer was this day. The acting is decent but iffy, and the overall feel is of a cheap and predictable film.

But that is ignorable. The unique camera angles let you know you're working with a Raimi posse member. You won't find shots like these in anything else, except maybe an M. Night Shymalan film (and in that case maybe he owes someone a thank you). And the deaths are of a kind you won't find in your average slasher film: a simple grocery store is taken to new depths.

Nice product placement for Adidas, Meister Brau and Diet Pepsi. Too bad they didn't actually get the money for doing that. And an excellent re-use of the monologue from "Raising Arizona" about the head and sandwich. The Raimi-Coen connection is strengthened.

If you liked the dark humor of the other Raimi projects, you'll love this. Scott Spiegel does not have the name recognition he deserves, showing us here he is just as able as the big boys to step up to the plate for a low budget horror comedy thriller.

Fmovies: Slasher films in the eighties were a dime a dozen. Some were just carbon copies of more successful franchises (IE: The Burning). Some were bloated, gimmicky sequels to a surprising success (IE: Friday the 13th Part III ) And finally, some offered an interesting take on the genre rather than just duplicating it. However, some of those films ended up lost in the shuffle, only to be discovered and branded with a cult following years later.

One of these films happens to be the 1989 Intruder. Written and directed by Scott Spiegel, one of the co-writers for Evil Dead II. Spiegel worked along side Sam Raimi, one of his closest friends, on Evil Dead II and a lot of the "Sam Raimi spirit" seems to bleed through Intruder. It's gory, unapologetic in some of its kills, and offers the fast-paced style of storytelling we're so used to horror films. Almost like a "so many bodies, so little time" type motivation.

The story is centered around a market which the owners announce will close the following day and that the staff needs to stay late to mark down prices. The central protagonist is Jennifer (Cox), a young and attractive woman who gets into a fight with her ex-boyfriend very early in the film. Out of nowhere, in the wee hours of the night, someone begins to repeatedly kill the workers in the building. The staff doesn't begin to notice until less and less people are in the store. They are clueless, confused, and trapped.

Horror films that center its plot around a claustrophobic place almost always succeed. For now at least. If the setting is utilized appropriately (by that I mean making us feel like we're trapped with these characters) and the music combines the right level of helplessness and tension, the film will most likely achieve its goal. Intruder takes place mostly all in the supermarket. Very few times do we leave to check out the parking lot. These characters are trapped and so are we.

Sadly, many of the characters are very bland and undeveloped. Except for, of course, the female lead. Everyone else is just victim to a splatter film. Speaking of a splatter film, this one definitely succeeds because it doesn't pull cheap punches. It shows us what we came to see. Remember the original Friday the 13th? Of course it occupied a very good setting and was dripping with unsettling atmosphere, but it didn't show us what we wanted. The murders. Intruder, at first, seems like it's another film that censors its action, but in reality, it shows us just what we came to see.

The ending is not the simple, mindless contrivance we've become used to in horror films. No cliffhangers, no abruptness to the story, no clichés, truly an original ending attached to complete a good horror film. What more can you sincerely ask for? Starring: Elizabeth Cox, Renee Estevez, David Byrnes, Dan Hicks, Sam Raimi, and Ted Raimi. Directed by: Scott Spiegel.

Prices aren't the only things being slashed at the local supermarket! Some heads are gonna roll when they see these amazing deals! Clean up on Aisle 9! Okay, that'll do.

In Scott Spiegel's somewhat unassuming directorial debut, "Intruder," the night crew at a supermarket find themselves locked in with a mysterious madman on the prowl. Is it a jilted ex- boyfriend of one of the cashiers? A disgruntled customer who waited too long in line behind the old lady who paid in pocket change? The guy from the opening scene in "Cobra"?

"Intruder" offers a little mystery to the proceedings, which can often feel like a paint-by-numbers slasher. Spiegel, who spent a considerable amount of time working with the "Evil Dead" crew of Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, et al brings some familiar faces along, as well as a few tricks up his sleeve. What "Intruder" may lack in originality, it delivers in physical humor, creative camera angles and some unbelievably over-the-top death scenes. Its cast is mostly unknown (featuring a few cameos here and there you may recognize) and yet perfectly capable. Really, the cast is likable and they add to the underdog charm of the film which, let's face it, was never meant for "classic" status.

Fans of the genre will find many things to like about "Intruder" (which originally went by the much superior and much less generic title of "The Night Crew") and if you've seen enough slashers, you'll forgive its shortcomings for the amount of ingenuity the film works into its limited means. Just an all around pleasant stroll through the aisles of yesterday's slasher oeuvre, be sure to throw "Intruder" in the cart if you haven't already.

Okay, one more: Tonight, the stock-boy will be the one being stalked! No? Okay, I'll leave

Intruder fmovies. By the time "Intruder" was released, the slasher craze that dominated the early to mid-80's was pretty much over. The market had been so saturated with this genre (especially the DTV market), that so many that were being released were just clones of various predecessors, and not very good ones. Films like "The Last Slumber Party" and "Killer Workout" highlighted what went wrong with the genre during this time; filmmakers had become lazy. Anyone thought they could make a slasher flick and what resulted were films that were full of clichés, bad acting, and awful production values. Besides die-hard horror fans, most lost interest in the genre.

But in 1989 "Intruder" came along. And while it has its clichés and other flaws, it stood out simply because we could tell that true effort was put into the film. It looks good, there is some great, inspired moments of direction, the acting is decent, the atmosphere foreboding, and the gore effects extremely impressive. All of this on top of a setting not seen in a horror film before-a grocery store-elevated it into one of the best slasher flicks of the 80's.

The plot involves a group of workers at a local grocery store who are told that the store is closing and that that night will be there last being employed. This causes a few grumbles, on top of the fact that one of the clerk's, (Elizabeth Cox), boyfriend who was just released from jail for manslaughter showed up to harass her. He is quickly ejected from the store, though not without a fight. However, after the store officially closes, it doesn't take long for an unknown intruder to begin butchering the crew in very very very brutal ways. The film is extremely graphic and contains probably two of the most graphic death scenes of any slasher from the 80's--one involving a trash compacter and one involving a meat slicer. As disturbing and noteworthy as they are, the deaths are not even the best thing about this film. Spiegel obviously is a fan of the genre and his direction illustrates this. He knows how to build tension and implements some pretty creative camera angles. That foreboding atmosphere that is created is incredibly creepy, and the soundtrack certainly adds to the dark, isolated setting of the supermarket. The film never manages any real jumps or scares, but still creates a uncomfortable, dirty feeling that is almost just as frightening. The pace is fast, the acting decent (though I would have preferred Renee Estevez cast as the lead, as she was the stronger actress and was definitely underused).

My only gripe with this film is the last 15 minutes or so. Once the killer is revealed, Spiegel abandons the creepy, unsettling tone that he tried so hard to successfully create, and the film adopts a lighter, almost comical tone. The killer makes some wise-cracks that are completely unnecessary and the film almost loses its effectiveness. The ending also tries to be unconventional, but comes of as unbelievable, and again, abandons the horror aspect of the film.

This film is a must see for slasher fans and is truly a great ride. It has aged pretty well and truly is one of the best slasher films not only of the 80's, but possibly of all time.

My Grade: A

Why is it that some 80s slashers are so bad they're great, and some are so bad they're bad? Where is that mysterious dividing line? I don't know. But to draw a comparison, when it comes to 'teens- locked-in-shopping-areas-overnight' slashers, whatever it was that made Chopping Mall such an enjoyable treat is completely absent in Intruder, despite the fact that (killer robots aside) both are fundamentally the same and both are completely crap. Chopping Mall is somehow a lot of fun, but Intruder completely drags from the start. Despite the bright colours and snappy camera angles, the whole thing feels enveloped by an invisible vacuum of dullness. It limps from one boring scene to the next and by the time the kills come I'd already lost interest. Even the actors seem bored. It's pointless being too critical because 80s slashers are like the Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards of the movie world anyway, but Intruder is just dull.

I was very interested in seeing this movie for two very specific reason reasons, the main reason being that I work in a grocery store so the idea of a psycho coming to a the market and killing the night crew off really appeals to me and the other reason is that this movie is marketed as starring Bruce Campbell and he's one of my favorite actors of all time. Don't get me wrong, this movie was a total blast and very satisfying for someone who spends most of their time in a grocery store but I was very disappointed to see that Bruce Campbell was only in the film for about 2 minutes at the very end. The movie was good but that really let me down.

The acting isn't great but it doesn't really have to be because this is your typical 80's slasher and I thought Sam and Ted Raimi were awesome in their roles. The same pretty much goes for the story but there are very few slashers that have well thought out story lines so I think it's pretty much fine. So what, do you ask, can make up for a movie with okay acting and a weak story? The gore, of course! The gore in this film is great. I don't want to give the creative deaths away but you'll have to check it out for yourself.

If anyone reading this happens to work in a grocery store, they absolutely need to see movie for the experience. I can't recommend it enough if you work at one. As for everyone else, you should all check it out too because it is a really good time.