Intruder

Title: Intruder (1989)
Dir: Scott Spiegel
Rating: **1/2 out of 5 stars



I think I like this movie the more I watch it. This review is based on my second full viewing of it.

Firstly, if you decide to see Intruder, make sure it's the unrated cut. The gory death scenes (courtesy of KNB FX) are the best parts of the movie.

The plot is typical horror fare: the young night crew of a supermarket are terrorized by a serial killer who may or may not be the crazy ex-boyfriend of one of the clerks. One by one, they are picked off in very gory - and fairly creative - ways.

Intruder is directed by Scott Spiegel, who you may know as one of the "Michigan Mafia" (the filmmaking friends that include Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Josh Becker, etc.). Sam Raimi has a fairly good role as the supermarket's butcher, while his little brother Ted also pops up as "Produce Joe." Viewers who don't blink may also catch Campbell's cameo as a cop and Spiegel's cameo as, well, a victim. The best leading role goes to the oldest player, Danny Hicks (the hillbilly from Evil Dead II). He may be the best actor in the movie (but that doesn't say much).

My biggest complaint with the film is its pacing, or lack thereof. Especially toward the end, the movie just drags ON and ON. It's not even 90 minutes long, though. I'm not sure how Spiegel could've improved on that except have more or longer death scenes. But that might've been just as bad.

Ah well, Intruder is good for what it is - a slasher flick. The gory scenes are pretty well done (as long as you see the UNRATED version) and Spiegel shows some creative flare. I don't find the weird POV shots interesting so much as derivative of Raimi's work, but Scott has some original moments (eg, Intruder used the head-hand-puppet idea long before Dead & Breakfast!).

I'm not typically a fan of slasher movies, but Intruder has a slight edge over most other crap, plus I love those Michigan boys. It's likely to please any fan of those guys or slashers in general.