The Carpenter is a 1988 Canadian horror film directed by David Wellington from a screenplay by Doug Taylor. It stars Pierre Lenoir, Lynne Adams, Wings Hauser, Beverly Murray and Barbara Ann Jones.
The film was released on DVD by Scorpion on November 11, 2011.
Plot teaser:
After being released from the institution she was placed in after suffering a mental breakdown, housewife Alice Jarett relocates to the country with her husband Martin, a professor. The house the couple moves into was never finished, so Martin hires a cheap construction crew to complete it.
One night, Alice is awakened by hammering in the basement, caused by a carpenter she had not seen with the rest of the crew. Unlike the other workers, this one has a pleasant demeanour and good work ethic, and while Martin is away one night, he stops another carpenter from trying to rape Alice by cutting the man’s arms off with a circular saw, sending the dazed Alice back to bed, and cleaning up the mess afterward…
Reviews:
“Wellington and company throw a lot of shit at the wall in an effort to see what sticks here — part comedy, part Lynchian absurdist nightmare, part gorefest, part low-grade soap opera, The Carpenter confidently, and nearly seamlessly, blends genres left and right in an effort that some may call haphazard, but others will appreciate for its sheer bravado and for the consistently ethereal tone it maintains throughout these numerous changes.” Trash Film Guru
“Those coming in expecting a balls to the wall slasher won’t be completely satisfied, but Ned does off his victims in gruesome ways (and takes out a few rats with his nail gun). Wings Hauser is fantastic in his role, playing a goofy psychotic spouting off one-liners when dealing with his foes, but being gentle and kind towards Alice. Their brewing romance could have been hokey, but the two had tremendous chemistry and it worked out well.” The Gentlemen’s Guide to Midnite Cinema
“Even though it wasn’t a blood-filled slasher flick with a ton of wicked death scenes like I originally thought it was going to be I still dug The Carpenter. I thought that it was different and just a very good movie in general. The only thing that I didn’t really like about it was the ending as I thought that it seemed really rushed and was poorly written…” Todd Martin, HorrorNews.net
” … this isn’t some long lost amazing gem that everyone has to see. But it isn’t another direct to video pile of steaming shit either. It’s a unique flick that doesn’t easily fit into most of the 80’s cliche sub genres. And for that reason it simply isn’t going to appeal to everybody. But if you’re like me and zombie flicks have grown stale and slashers are damn near a bore then I recommend The Carpenter. It’s a film that isn’t easily pegged and it’s got Wings Fucking Hauser in it.” Uncouth, Brutal as Hell
