The Driller Killer (1979)
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- Not Rated
- 1h 36min
- Drama, Horror
- 15 Jun 1979 (USA)
- Movie
An artist slowly goes insane while struggling to pay his bills, work on his paintings, and care for his two female roommates, which leads him taking to the streets of New York after dark and randomly killing derelicts with a power drill.
Director:
Writer:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Abel Ferrara | ... |
Reno Miller
(as Jimmy Laine)
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Carolyn Marz | ... |
Carol Slaughter
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Baybi Day | ... |
Pamela Bergling
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Harry Schultz | ... |
Dalton Briggs
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Alan Wynroth | ... |
Al the Landlord
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Maria Helhoski | ... |
The Nun
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| James O'Hara | ... |
Man in Church
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Richard Howorth | ... |
Stephen - Carol's Husband
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Louis Mascolo | ... |
Knife Victim
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Tommy Santora | ... |
Attacker
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Rita Gooding | ... |
TV Spot
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Chuck Saaf | ... |
TV Spot
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Gary Cohen | ... |
Voice-over (voice)
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Janet Dailey | ... |
Girl at Audition
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Joyce Finney | ... |
Girl at Audition
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Butch Morris | ... |
Sidewalk Begger
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Paul Fitze | ... |
Kid on Street
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John Fitze | ... |
Kid on Street
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Karl Metner | ... |
Kid on Street
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Chris Amato | ... |
Kid on Street
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Rich Bokun | ... |
Kid on Street
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Michael Canosa | ... |
Kid on Street
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Greg Schirrira | ... |
Kid on Street
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Thomas Baeza | ... |
Kid on Street
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Frank Hazzard | ... |
Man Waiting for Bus
(as Frank Hazard)
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John Paul McIntyre | ... |
Man Waiting for Bus
(as Jack MacIntyre)
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John Coulakis | ... |
Hallway Derelict
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Lanny Taylor | ... |
Rooftop Derelict
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Peter Yellen | ... |
Bus Stop Derelict
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Steve Cox | ... |
Empire State Derelict
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| Stephen Singer | ... |
Street Corner Derelict
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Tom Constantine | ... |
Street Corner Derelict
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Anthony Picciano | ... |
Sidewalk and Street Derelict
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Bob DeFrank | ... |
Fire Escape Derelict
(as Bob De Frank)
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D.A. Metrov | ... |
Tony Coca-Cola (guitar)
(as Rhodney Montreal)
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Dicky Bittner | ... |
Ritchy (bass)
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Steve Brown | ... |
Steve (drums)
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Laurie Y. Taylor | ... |
Tony's Girlfriend
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Trixie Sly | ... |
Manager
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Andrea Childs | ... |
Friend
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Hallie Coletta | ... |
Friend
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Victoria Keiler | ... |
Friend
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Claire Mailer | ... |
Friend
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Paula Nichols | ... |
Friend
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Jack O'Connell | ... |
Rooftop Victim (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Abel Ferrara | ||
Written by
| Nicholas St. John | ... | (screenplay) (as N.G. St. John) |
Produced by
| D.A. Metrov | ... | associate producer (as Douglas Anthony Metro) |
| Arthur Weisberg | ... | executive producer (as Rochelle Weisberg) |
Music by
| Joe Delia | ... | (as Joseph Delia) |
Cinematography by
| Ken Kelsch | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Bonnie Constant | ||
| Michael Constant | ||
| Abel Ferrara | ... | (as Jimmy Laine) |
| Orlando Gallini | ||
Editorial Department
| Lou Somerstein | ... | negative matcher |
Makeup Department
| Rita Gooding | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Mary Kane | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Louis Mascolo | ... | assistant director |
Art Department
| James Lemmo | ... | inspirational art: photography (as Jimmy Spears) |
| D.A. Metrov | ... | paintings (as Douglas Metro) |
Sound Department
| John Paul McIntyre | ... | location sound (as J. MacIntyre) |
| Richard Weigle | ... | re-recordist (as Richard Wiegle) |
Special Effects by
| David E. Smith | ... | special effects (as David Smith) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| John Coulakis | ... | grip |
| Dale Denning | ... | assistant camera / second camera |
| Dale Diamond | ... | grip |
| Ray Festa | ... | video |
| Sal Giarratano | ... | grip |
| Ernie Jew | ... | head gaffer |
| Doug Rowan | ... | grip |
| Kalman Schissel | ... | assistant camera |
| David Sperling | ... | additional camera |
| Wendy Stites | ... | grip (as Wendy Weir) |
| Sylvia Talkington | ... | grip |
| Louis Yansen | ... | grip (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Joe Delia | ... | music performer (as Joseph Delia) |
| Abel Ferrara | ... | songwriter: Rooster Music (as Laine) |
| D.A. Metrov | ... | songwriter: Rooster Music (as Metro) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Holly Yellen | ... | continuity and script |
Additional Crew
| Deborah Delia | ... | production assistant |
| Louis Mascolo | ... | additional dialogue and scenes |
| Karen and Richard | ... | home cooking |
Thanks
| Christopher Andrews | ... | editors wish to thank (as Chris Andrews) |
| Sarah Brown | ... | thank you |
| Sidney Ginsberg | ... | thank you |
| Ivan Karp | ... | thank you |
| Kip Livingston | ... | thank you |
| James Macreading | ... | editors wish to thank (as James MacReading) |
| David Nugent | ... | thank you |
| Dominique Richard | ... | thank you |
| Lou Salvatore | ... | thank you |
| J. Stroke | ... | editors wish to thank |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Rochelle Films (1979) (United States) (theatrical)
- Wizard Video (1982) (United States) (VHS)
- Wizard Video (1982) (United States) (video) (Betamax)
- King of Video (1985) (Australia) (VHS)
- Le Groupe Prolusion (1985) (Canada) (VHS) (dubbed in French)
- Magnum Entertainment (1985) (United States) (VHS)
- Mimi (1985) (Japan) (VHS)
- Cult Epics (1999) (United States) (DVD)
- Cult Epics (2004) (United States) (DVD) (2-disc limited edition)
- DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS)
- EastWest Entertainment (2004) (World-wide) (DVD)
- Epcott (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
- Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
- Cult Epics (2005) (United States) (DVD) (reissue)
- Aurora (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
- FilmAnnex (2006) (World-wide)
- 4Digital Media (2008) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- CFS Releasing (2012) (World-wide) (DVD) (Classic Splatter Pack)
- Spectra Filmworks (2012) (United States) (DVD)
- Walking Shadows (2010) (United States) (DVD)
- SGL Entertainment (2013) (World-wide)
- Sepulchre Productions (2014) (World-wide)
- Unearthed Entertainment (2012) (Australia) (DVD)
- Edel Media & Entertainment (2015) (Germany) (DVD)
- Arrow Films (2016) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray) (Steelbook edition)
- Arrow Films (2020) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- Orlando Eastwood Films (2017) (United States) (video) (VOD)
- Third Bell Management (2019) (United States) (theatrical)
- Rogue Video (2019) (United States) (video) (VOD)
- 3GTG (2020) (World-wide)
- The Criterion Channel (2020) (United States) (tv) (digital)
- Thor Films Video Producciones (1986) (Spain) (VHS)
- Tonpool Medien (2023) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
- Tubi TV (United States) (video) (VOD)
- Video Instant Picture Company (VIPCO) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Video for Pleasure (VFP) (Netherlands) (VHS)
- Vértice Producciones Audiovisuales (Spain) (VHS)
Special Effects
- Navaron Service Dept. (extra special effects)
Other Companies
- Max's Kansas City (thank you)
- Mayor's Office for Motion Pictures & Television (thank you)
- New York Police Department (NYPD) (thank you)
- Residents 16/18 (thank you)
- Ross-Gaffney Inc. (production services)
- Sterling (II) (thank you)
- The People of New York (dedicated to: "The City of Hope")
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Reno is an artist struggling to survive in NYC. He draws inspiration from scenes of daily street life and occasional random violence. Under pressure to finish his oft-delayed grand masterpiece, his psychotic alter-ego takes over and he begins killing random vagrants to boost his creativity, not quite realizing that it is happening in reality. When an art dealer grimly rejects Reno's finished masterpiece, Reno's mental condition quickly deteriorates. Written by Elfin Slade |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | The blood runs in rivers... The drill keeps on drilling See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $20,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Could have easily escaped the UK's "video nasty" list if the original pre-VRA video cover wasn't so graphic. it featured a very bloody close-up of a drill boring into a man's head with lots of blood. The video cover was featured in video catalogs and received many complaints. See more » |
| Goofs | When the Driller Killer drills into a homeless man's head, he does not drill far enough to cause death, as evidenced by the depth of blood on the drill-bit. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into Gli ultimi giorni dell'umanità (2022). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Invention in Bb; Arioso See more » |
| Crazy Credits | Movie opens with message "THIS FILM SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD." See more » |
| Quotes |
Reno Miller:
Oh, so it's finished? Thank you. It's finished... Since when did you become such an expert on painting? I mean, you're telling me it's finished? What do you know about painting, anyway? Really, what do you know about paint? I'll tell you what you know about paint, man: you don't know nothing about paint, man. You know what you know about? You know about how to bitch and how to eat and how to bitch and how to shit and how to bitch! But you don't know nothing about paint, so don't tell me when it's going to be done. I'll tell you when it's going to be done. See more » |