Intruder 4K 1989

Another brilliant trash film from Scott Spiegel and Sam Raimi. ‘Intruder’ draws on all the classic tropes and clichés of the slasher genre, yet manages to do so in a very interesting and tasteful way. There are plenty of sophisticated shots and scenes that were truly atypical for the time. Slasher films of the 1980s are mostly monotonous and recycle the same tropes. Here, however, it’s clear that the director put in the work. Where else would you find an eyeball in a jar of olives or such a realistic bloodbath with a cleaver in the finale... I won’t even get started on the “sandwich in one hand and a severed head in the other.”

Most of the action in ‘Intruder’ takes place in a supermarket. The plot follows a group of students working at the store who stay behind for the night shift. One of the girls is being stalked by her ex-boyfriend. The director makes us believe that he is the killer... But it’s not that simple... The main slaughter scene, in my opinion, was way too quick and “taciturn”—the victims didn’t put up much of a fight. But the film’s finale is stunning. It turned out to be very unexpected and well-done.

Overall, ‘Intruder’ is a decent trashy horror flick with solid performances by Dan Hicks, David Burns, and Elizabeth Cox, and S. Spiegel’s talented direction. Sam Raimi’s role is very small, but his death scene is spectacular. The cops are played by Lawrence Bender, a producer who has worked with Van Sant and Tarantino, and Bruce Campbell.

A little trash, a little retro, a little teen comedy, and a lot of gore. Fans of the genre should enjoy it.