The Driller Killer

Find Movie Theaters & Showtimes

for
near
in

We didn't find this title in your area

Browse Local Theaters

Videos & Photos

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Producer:

D.A. Metrov, Rochelle Weisberg

Release Date:

Jan 1, 1979

Runtime:

1hr 36m

Synopsis

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.

Cast

  • Jimmy Laine
  • Carolyn Marz
  • Baybi Day

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.1
36.0K
20.4K
8.2K
RATINGS 84 FANS
3.1
  • Jun 29, 2021

    More slashers should have their killers’ motivations tied into how annoying it is to live next to a punk band.

    659 Likes
    Branson Reese
    Branson Reese
    Feb 23, 2020

    "you're becoming simply a technician. there's nothing there. there's no feeling, no drama, no passion. a work of pure, unadulterated ego." 70s economic and artistic frustration as a gutter slasher psychotic breakdown. an expression of rage that feels sordid and poisonous…

    559 Likes
    Josh Lewis
    Josh Lewis
    Feb 21, 2021

    Artists must suffer for their art, that's why it's called painting.

    288 Likes
    CinemaVoid 🏴‍☠️
    CinemaVoid 🏴‍☠️
  • Jun 14, 2015

    It would be completely reasonable to pan this for being incomprehensible, badly paced, strangely acted, and indulgent, but in that confused, slow, awkward mess are a fair few moments of accidental (?) brilliance. Some of these moments are funny (like the pizza eating…

    275 Likes
    Sally Jane Black
    Sally Jane Black
    Jun 30, 2023

    Abel Ferrara, who directed hardcore porn before, delivers a dirty, gritty and gory trip somewhere between Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" and William Lustig's "Maniac". All three movies that were made in the late 70s / early 80s are united by the extremely hostile, cold and dirty…

    251 Likes
    kat🕷
    kat🕷
    Nov 24, 2025

    "I'll tell you what you know about paint, man!" New York's homeless community finds out what happens when a painter with a drill, $19.95 for a cordless Porto-Pack and zero sleep loses this mind ... it's doesn't end well! (you didn't think it would did you?) "You don't…

    195 Likes
    VIVE_le_FILTH
    VIVE_le_FILTH
  •
    Apr 25, 2018

    Thanks to WraithApe, Nine Lives, and Mr. Mocata's comment on Hollie Horror's NYC list, I finally got around to watching this and it was about as awesome as I expected. Reno is a (very) struggling artist by day and a psychotic drill wielding killer by night. He kills mostly…

    164 Likes
    Tony the Terror
    Tony the Terror
    Oct 6, 2020

    scared that every mutual's letterboxd review of this is "i related"

    155 Likes
    KYK
    KYK
    Apr 24, 2024

    Guys will be sober for five seconds then decide the only way they'll ever be creative again is as a serial killer. 6/10

    148 Likes
    PT99
    PT99

Queue Community Reviews

63%
Community 117
❤️ LOVE
16%
👍 LIKE
47%
😐 MEH
26%
👎 DISLIKE
11%
Top Reviews
  • grimpoison
    grimpoison is "meh" on
    The Driller Killer

    in short; boring and plain. i liked the concept and the end but other than that the moving was insanely boring and on top of that they somehow felt the need to extend the movie for longer than it should of went. Theres some scenes that have nothing to do with the continuity of the movie and are…

    6M
    James New
    James New is "meh" on
    The Driller Killer

    Influential but really not good. 20 minutes too long and it’s distractingly grimy. Exploitation films at their most blatant with the tactile cinematography and uncomfortable performances. Worth watching for impact but quality wise it isn’t there

    1Y
    Strange Girl
    Strange Girl disliked
    The Driller Killer

    It was literally one of the most stupidest and annoying movie. Don’t even waste your time watch the trailer. (7-30-25)

    1Y
  • Hasvik
    Hasvik liked
    The Driller Killer

    most entertaining thing about this is the VHS cover.

    1Y
    Ghost
    Ghost liked
    The Driller Killer

    I feel like I was tripping when watching this

    2Y
    Shawn
    Shawn liked
    The Driller Killer

    Not bad but the audio is not the best

    3Y
  • Horror movies are cool
    Horror movies are cool loved
    The Driller Killer

    Very good movie kills are immaculate

    3Y
    Vogue Italia
    Vogue Italia disliked
    The Driller Killer

    terrible :(

    1Y

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

66
metacritic
Based on 8 Critics
tbd

USER SCORE (3)

No score yet based on 3 Reviews
75

Darkly fascinating, as much a document of the late-'70s New York punk and pop-art scenes as it is a grindhouse plugger.

Metacritic review by Noel Murray
Noel Murray
The A.V. Club
75

What makes the film so remarkable is the extent to which Ferrara, even at the outset of his career, exploits sex and violence for their popular appeal even as he reflects on the effect of such subjects on both his own art and the culture at large.

Metacritic review by Jake Cole
Jake Cole
Slant Magazine

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is The Driller Killer (1979)?
The movie is 1hr 36min long.
What's The Driller Killer (1979) about?
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.
Who's the cast of The Driller Killer (1979)?
  • Jimmy Laine as Reno Miller
  • Carolyn Marz as Carol
  • Baybi Day as Pamela
Who's the director behind The Driller Killer (1979)?
Abel Ferrara directed The Driller Killer (1979).
Who produced The Driller Killer (1979)?
D.A. Metrov and Rochelle Weisberg produced The Driller Killer (1979).