After being released from a mental institution, Alice and her husband move into a large country home. They hire a group of laborers to renovate the house while they begin their new life. Of course, things aren't going as smoothly as they should. Alice's husband is having an affair with one of his students and these laborers are pretty much sleazeballs. But one night Alice discovers one mysterious carpenter who continues to work late into the night. But is he really what he says he is?
Not much about The Carpenter seems well made. The kills are over the top, the gore is cheaply done, and the acting from the supporting cast is pretty eccentric. But all of these things combine with an eerie score and decent cinematography to create a dreamlike feel for the film. It's probably it's strongest trait. As it has you wondering until the second the credits roll if this is all just some hallucination Alice is experiencing.
The characters are all interesting enough and easy to invest in. Alice's husband is a complete scumbag. He's sleeping with one of his students and treating his wife poorly all the while. The relationship between Alice and The Carpenter develops through several conversations filled with interesting handyman metaphors. And most of the townspeople are so over the top weird, that you can't help but listen to what they have to say.
The Carpenter is by no means perfect. It's far from it. But for a straight to video horror film of the late 80's this is pretty damn good. It has a deliberate pace that never gets too boring because the characters are all easy to invest in. The only weak part of the overall writing is the ending. Which seemed a little un-creative to me. Even so, The Carpenter is an interesting horror film that's worth checking out at least once.
Bodycount:6
Side Note: Wings Hauser stars in this as the titular character. I guess he's sort of a straight to video legend. He does a good job as the charming yet dangerous antagonist.
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