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Carpenter
A carpenter, who was executed in the electric chair, comes back to finish his dream house, now inhabited by a young married couple.
Release : | 1988 |
Rating : | 4.8 |
Studio : | Gold-Gems Ltd., |
Crew : | Art Direction, Set Decoration, |
Cast : | Wings Hauser Lynne Adams Pierre Lenoir Johnny Cuthbert Anthony Ulc |
Genre : | Horror Thriller |
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Reviews
Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
From producer Jack Bravman, a man who worked on such films as "Snuff" and "Zombie Nightmare", comes this goofy but fun horror movie, pretty much the working definition of the word offbeat. Written by Doug Taylor and directed by David Wellington, "The Carpenter" tells the story of poor Alice (Lynne Adams), a woman with an uncaring and unfaithful husband, Martin (Pierre Lenoir), who has a nervous breakdown, and after getting out of the hospital, moves with hubby into a country estate being renovated. She finds that every night after every other worker has gone home, a mysterious carpenter (Wings Hauser) continues to toil away, because after all, a job's not done until it's done. Words to live by. Anyway, she finds herself enticed by this guy, to the point where she looks forward to seeing him all the time. "The Carpenter" is an amusing Canuck horror flick that this viewer wouldn't really consider a slasher, and would concede may not have enough action, gore, or kills for some tastes. And, truthfully, it's a little disappointing that there isn't more gore when The Carpenter is busy eliminating any unpleasant person on the premises using his assorted implements (nail gun, power drill, etc.). But, in the end, what I like about this is how crazy it is as it goes for a more psychological approach. What is The Carpenter to Alice - an angel or a devil? Some moments in this movie are so silly, and so hilarious, it's hard to believe Bravman and company didn't have their tongues in their cheeks, at least to some degree, and it's just too entertaining to see Hauser and Adams indulge in some fairly serious conversations, as Wings waxes poetic on the nature of masculinity and the problem that arises when men get too far removed from good, honest, hard physical labour. Men have to take PRIDE in what they do, damn it! Wings fans can note that he's in fine form, as he plays a somewhat familiar and somewhat unfamiliar character, as he's often stern, sadistic, creepy, likable, and charming all at the same time, as he imparts upon others his own sense of morality. Adams, Lenoir and the other actors are just okay at best; they certainly pale in comparison to the dynamic star of this thing. Ron Lea, however, is a hoot as the jovial local sheriff who provides exposition in a manner that's anything but boring. Filmed at various Quebec locations, "The Carpenter" may eventually end up with a rather conventional finish, but until then it's pretty engaging - and, I dare say, under-rated - stuff. Seven out of 10.
I like watching Wings Hauser and in 'The Carpenter' he could be classified the sole interest for giving this one a look. However I guess I like it more than others seem to do, even though I wouldn't call it excellent, but this low-budget straight video ditch is a modest achievement in the psycho thriller genre.Alice (a reliable performance by Lynn Adams) and her husband have moved to a country estate, after she was release from hospital due to a mental break down. To keep her mind of the fact that her husband is cheating on her and her recurring nightmares, she finds comfort in the carpenter that's repairing her house. But there's something not quite right about him, as he begins to use his tools on those who cause any trouble to Alice.Other than Hauser's performance (who perfectly nails down a quietly uneasy intensity), it's the hallucinogenic air that makes this a strange little package. This quality is rather profound as we don't know if it's all in the heroine's head (as she is recovering from an nervous breakdown), or maybe it's a simple psychopath or it could it be something out of left field involving the supernatural. It teases, nonetheless it's answered for us midway through and in certain aspects (due to the path it takes) it can feel absurdly daft.True handyman horror! Hauser's uses hammers, nail guns and vice grips to dish up some unpleasant acts of violence, while also managing to spit out mannered dialogues about hard work and craftsmanship. It's all in a hard days work. The majority of the scenes occur around the house, close quarters and some under lit scenes amongst shadowy areas. The serviceable story is low-key, and David Wellington's direction keeps it basic making it sharply well-made. Although the pacing can become plodding, and latter end skews in to mundane territory. Pierre Bundock music score is hauntingly angelic, and pretty much bombards the air.
Wouldn't it be so much cooler if John Carpenter had directed this movie? Then the box of the VHS could loudly announce "John Carpenter's The Carpenter"! And also, it probably would have been a much better film if John directed it "The Carpenter" is a rather weak and laughable 80's slasher movie that desperately tries to add in some deeper psychological themes, but fails. It centers on a beautiful, thirty-something housewife that just got released from a period in a mental institution because she cut up her husband's business suits for no apparent reason. They move into a new countryside house that still needs a lot of renovation and Alice stays indoors whilst her husband cheats on her with a hot blond chick. Meanwhile Alice falls in love with the reincarnation of carpenter Ed (portrayed by 80's stud Wings Hauser). Ed is an old-fashioned workaholic who died in the electric chair 40 years earlier after he went a little berserk and killed some people that didn't allow him to finish his work. Together, Alice and Ed butcher a couple of lazy handymen and talk about dancing. How adorable! It's a pretty ridiculous film overall, with too much talking and only a couple of demented murder scenes to make up for it. The killings are similar to the ones in the 'video-nasty' cult classic "The Toolbox Murders" (a nail gun, a bench vice ) but not nearly as gross or memorable. I always thought Wings Hauser is a bit of an idiot and didn't really like him in this role, neither. His tedious speeches about how "handy-work is holy" are implausible and not exactly terrifying. The climax is just plain retarded.
The Carpenter isn't as dull as some have made out, it's just that at the end of the film it seems like all you have seen is merely something to 'pass the time'. As you are watching, The Carpenter slowly draws you in to the twisted romance between Alice and the Carpenter. I was expecting it to end in an unconventional way where Alice and the Carpenter would become psychotic lovers. Sadly it takes the less interesting and more safe route of having Alice see the Carpenter as evil and killing him. So all in all, it's mainly the direction the film takes that spoils it. And that's why it's boring. This isn't a slasher film, so slasher fans should avoid disappointment and not bother watching it.