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Video Nasty classic The Driller Killer gets killer new Blu-Ray/DVD release from Arrow Films

David Morgan-Brown
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Video Nasty classic The Driller Killer gets killer new Blu-Ray/DVD release from Arrow Films

Abel Ferrara has made a name for himself with his crime films of the '90s (King of New York, Bad Lieutenant) and his art-house dramas of this side of the century (Mary, Welcome to New York, Pasolini), but he began his career back in the late '70s with this nifty and very New York slasher film, The Driller Killer. The video cover, as seen above, garnered much controversy when released in the UK and it became one of the quintessential films of the draconian Video Nasty era in the country, resulting in it being banned in the the UK along with dozens of other horror films. 

Times have changed, and UK home-video company Arrow Films, who previously did a Blu-Ray release for King of New York, have now released The Driller Killer in all its bloody, warped, 4k goodiness. This set comes with two different versions of the film, a newly recorded audio commentary from Abel Ferrara (moderated by Ferrara expert Brad Stevens), a new video interview with Ferrara documenting his career, a new visual essay guide to the films of Ferrara, Ferrara's 2010 documentary Mulberry Street, plus a reversible sleeve, one of which featuring the drilling screenshot from the film that so offended the British Director of Public Perecutions back in the day.

The Driller Killer is a worthwhile slasher film that certainly does what it says on the tin as it does portray a fair amount of folks getting killed by the cordless power-drill weapon. All the scenes in between show the driller killer himself, Reno (played by Ferrara), going insane as artistic and financial pressures come down on top of him whilst a noisy new band moves in next door to him -- it's all too much for this New Yorkian, until he goes out and buys himself a cordless power-drill. The Driller Killer is essential viewing for anyone interested in the golden era of nasty, nitty, gritty horror films of the '70s and is certainly of the most impressive and most accomplished of all the horror films honoured with the Video Nasty label. Buy a copy of it now, before the powers that be ban it again.

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abel ferraraarrow filmsarrow videohorrorslashervideo nasty

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