back in 1974 tobe hooper be the next big thing for create the texas chainsaw massacre . then he be king of the world when he direct poltergeist . this be follow by a series of disaster of old testament proportion . life force and a quickly forget ( but very nicely do ) remake of invader from mar and a really bad chainsaw sequel . after do lot of work for tv he hit rock bottom . if you think it hurt see a cool guy like peter jackson do big budget crap like king kong and it even worse when a cool guy like hooper do no budget crap like crocodile . but with the toolbox murder hooper be back at the top of his form . like poltergeist and this deal with the theme of the bad place . in poltergeist it be a subdivision build on an indian burial ground . the toolbox murder be set in an elegant old hotel ( actually the ambassador hotel on wilshire boulevard ) which have see good day and be be cut up into apartment . the hotel have be build in the golden age of hollywood while it have a mysterious history that the main character learn about to their peril . the movie great strength come from the collection of excellent actor that hooper have assemble here . angela bettis and the lead lady and ought to be a big star . correction and make that a huge star . her performance be the heart and soul of the picture . she play a would be schoolteacher who move into the strange old building while her husband complete his medical residency . she trouble by the strange noise she hear in the building and and the strange event that cause her to dial 911 and then find that there no real emergency . this do nothing for her credibility with the police . she make two good friend in the building . rance howard ( yes and ron dad ) play a retired actor who may know more about the building than be good for him . juliet landau play a neighbor who mysteriously vanishes . when a secondary character speaks of have lose a large amount of weight and you know the person shouldn not start read any long novel . this cause the heroine to go into full nancy draw mode . she tie her hair back in a sensible ponytail and begin to explore the building and act on mysterious clue that have be give her by the old actor . she learn that there be secret passage in the building and unaccounted space big enough to hide a whole townhouse within the wall of the apartment complex . there be violence . there be blood . but and like hooper chainsaw massacre and some of the gory footage be project by the viewer brain . hooper state that in go through old paper from chainsaw production he find that they only purchase 1 . 5 ounce of stage blood and while the remake probably buy it in gallon tank . quick cutting and effective use of light and shadow let his chainsaw have the gross possible gore effect almost entirely come from the viewer imagination . toward the end and though and the blood and gore in the toolbox murder get more overt and that cost the film the other two star . watch this one twice . once for the movie itself . then watch it again for the director commentary . it make you appreciate just how good this movie be and and teach valuable lesson on how clever artist create solid work without massive budget . by the way and this be a remake note the quotation mark of a movie with the same name . different set . different decade . different story . different character . different dynamic between them . completely different type of villain . other than that it a pretty faithful remake . not . i can not close this without a nod to the awesomely beautiful sherri moon . she play daisy rain and a would be actress who play what i call the janet leigh character represent remember the very first time you saw psycho and then boom the whole story dynamic shift . i will grant you and there be some thing about the story that be hard to deal with in the context of the real world and a lot of why do not and why couldn not question about body and body part that be stack like lincoln log in a secret part of the building . corps have be accumulate since the early day of talk movie and but nobody in the area notice the smell . i can answer all those question in one statement represent because this be a thrill ride of a movie and not a documentary on the discovery channel and that why . i be look forward to see morturary . there be a canadian film by that title many and many year ago but i do not know that there suppose to be any connection . by the way and both hooper and angela bettis be from texas and both from austin . be a texan myself and i see that a a good thing . i turn sixty next month and so i figure i will have another twenty year of movie go leave in me . i will live long enough to see angela bettis become a big star . i will . i will . a footnote represent the outtake be far bloody than the movie itself and and be probably cut to ensure the r rating a oppose to an nc 17. for my two cent worth and i would suggest that you skip them . that my story and i be stick to it .