"The Toolbox Murders 2" has an interesting history. A sequel to Tobe Hooper's remake of the grind-house classic, I'm not sure the film ever got a formal release. It did get a digital release on Amazon (which I own!) and was a sleazy, incredibly gory, horrific work about a woman who gets kidnapped and abused by the killer from the first flick. Somehow, the director got Brian Krause and Bruce Dern (!!) to make appearances, and Dern's is actually more than just an extended cameo!!
Apparently, the film's reception wasn't good (not surprising) so it was pulled back, re-cut, new scenes added, and rechristened "Coffin Baby" after the nickname of the murderer. "Coffin Baby" had most of the graphic violence cut out and made a major change in plot -- our main victim was no longer a totally innocent woman but someone who committed a horrific crime and "Coffin Baby" had become sort of an "avenging angel."
Now we finally have the official release of the film. Released on DVD and Blu-Ray under it's original title, "Toolbox Murders 2" is the original cut that I had seen long ago. And folks, this is a nasty piece of work.
The "plot" is simple. At the start of the film, the killer (dubbed "TBK" in the credits) carves up a woman in her house. The woman's sister Samantha goes to the crime scene, and while waiting in a police car to be taken to the station to give a statement, TBK grabs her and takes her back to his house of horrors.
And horrors it is. For the next 80 minutes or so, Samantha is starved, tortured, forced to watch as TBK murders and mutilates a jaw- dropping amount of victims. He also cooks and eats some of his victims. We see every thing in graphic detail, including watching poor Samantha start to lose her mind as she desperately tries to escape.
And that, friends and readers, is the entire film. As bleak and reprehensible as the film is, it's carried by the extreme gore and the performance of Chauntal Lewis as Samantha (Chauntel lost her hand in an accident a year or two prior to this film, see if you can notice!).
Overall, I think most people will find this film unwatchable so it's hard to totally recommend it. But if you want to see the bleak side of extreme horror, check it out.
Apparently, the film's reception wasn't good (not surprising) so it was pulled back, re-cut, new scenes added, and rechristened "Coffin Baby" after the nickname of the murderer. "Coffin Baby" had most of the graphic violence cut out and made a major change in plot -- our main victim was no longer a totally innocent woman but someone who committed a horrific crime and "Coffin Baby" had become sort of an "avenging angel."
Now we finally have the official release of the film. Released on DVD and Blu-Ray under it's original title, "Toolbox Murders 2" is the original cut that I had seen long ago. And folks, this is a nasty piece of work.
The "plot" is simple. At the start of the film, the killer (dubbed "TBK" in the credits) carves up a woman in her house. The woman's sister Samantha goes to the crime scene, and while waiting in a police car to be taken to the station to give a statement, TBK grabs her and takes her back to his house of horrors.
And horrors it is. For the next 80 minutes or so, Samantha is starved, tortured, forced to watch as TBK murders and mutilates a jaw- dropping amount of victims. He also cooks and eats some of his victims. We see every thing in graphic detail, including watching poor Samantha start to lose her mind as she desperately tries to escape.
And that, friends and readers, is the entire film. As bleak and reprehensible as the film is, it's carried by the extreme gore and the performance of Chauntal Lewis as Samantha (Chauntel lost her hand in an accident a year or two prior to this film, see if you can notice!).
Overall, I think most people will find this film unwatchable so it's hard to totally recommend it. But if you want to see the bleak side of extreme horror, check it out.