Deadly Intruder

This film got lost in the glut of slasher flicks that avalanched into the vid stores back in the merry old 80's.

Mental hospital escapee tries to survive outside. And you just KNOW he's going to revert to his old homicidal ways. And of course you've got your lone cop trying to find him before he does.

The dark atmosphere helped a lot here. One got the impression one saw more in the shadows. I kept thinking I missed a few clues.

The acting itself was so-so at its best, but no one was bad, so I guess that's a plus.

The cover art on the video box sucked me in back in '88 or so when I saw this. I never regretted it. There's so much drek from when video got huge. This one is worth remembering.

I'll admit this movie isn't original or special, but it has stuck with me since I saw it a long time ago (back when I was watching every horror movie available, so I have seen a lot). Basically, a girl is being stalked by a serial killer that is loose in a small town. There is a drifter wandering around, engaging in violent behaviour, as well as a mysterious newcomer that may be too nice. All in all, it's passable fair if you like the old 80's horror films (although this is more of a thriller than a horror). I must say, I really enjoyed the ending, and the very last shot of the film before the credits roll is excellent.

THE DEADLY INTRUDER (1988)

The setup is fairly simple as a group of friends are stalked and murdered by a mysterious killer before and after a dinner party. It all leads up to a predictable but well done twist and finale. There's not much new here but it's done pretty well. I'm not gonna lie the movie is very low budget and suffers from its constraints but still offers some decent, retro genre fare.

6/10

"Deadly Intruder" errs dangerously close to becoming the dullest slasher movie ever made. It sort-of redeems itself with some twists on the tired formula at the end of the movie, but these are too little too late, and are handled so badly that you might miss them, even if by some miracle you are still paying attention.

The movie's opening is singularly underwhelming. The entire thing is filmed at night, and so dimly lit you can't really understand what's going on. I got that we are witnessing an escape of some kind, but beyond that, you're on your own. It looks like one of the easiest escapes I've ever seen in a movie, but maybe I just couldn't make out the difficulty.

We then see some murders in suburbia, where people don't lock their doors. We see a woman drowned in a sink, her bathrobe coming open to show one of her breasts.

Then we get some random scenes of suburban activity, filled with people who make no impression on the audience whatsoever. If the ridiculous lighting didn't lose you, these boring scenes probably will.

One of the women we have been introduced to has a mysterious vagrant show up on her front door and scare her a little bit. Is he the escaped man from the beginning of the movie?

The movie does have one kill that actually brought out feelings in me other than boredom. A man is shown working on a car, lying underneath it. The killer lowers the car onto the man, crushing him. This actually disturbed me a little bit, so credit to the filmmakers for that one, I guess.

The movie strays from the typical slasher path toward the end, after giving us one of the lamest body-double nudity scenes I've ever seen, where a naked woman plays the lead actress from the neck down and there is little attempt to convince you that you're looking at the same person. It just leaves you wondering how much they paid the naked lady to do that... and why they really bothered.

Where it gets different is when the lead actress is taken hostage. I'm not sure if I've seen that in a slasher before. There is also a surprise ending that is more confusing than anything. The characters aren't drawn well enough for you to really be surprised. It feels like an interesting ending squandered by a filmmaker with no idea how to use it.

My review was written in March 1985 after watching the movie on Thorn EMI video cassette.

Deadly dull sums up "Deadly Intruder", an underdeveloped horror picture made last year and too weak for theatrical use, going directly into the home video market.

Stale premise and predictable twist concerns a psycho, escaped from an institution, on the rampage in a small town while local cop (Stuart Whitman, in for a couple of scenes wearing a beard) and his men haplessly try to catch him. A drifter (played by screenwriter and co-producer Tony Crupi) kidnaps the heroine (Molly Cheek), and is mistaken for the real psycho.

Relying on the stalker formula, pic repeatedly sets up situations of gore and mayhem yet tastefully avoids showing the carnage on screen. However, homevideo fans will appreciate the inclusion of several nude scenes, including one of the heroine that is photographed (head always out of frame) as if a body double was being utilized.

John McCauley's direction is mediocre, offering little style and relying upon a self-written musical score heavily indebted.to the repetitive keyboard figures favored by Italian rock group Goblin and America's John Carpenter.