The Driller Killer

5/12/2024

**_Ugly, tedious flick about a painter going over the edge is also an amusing period piece_** An artist in Union Square, Manhattan, struggles with his homeless father, finishing a key painting, an annoying rock band in the building, and his relationship with his two female roommates. Insanity and worse can’t be too far away. “The Driller Killer” was shot from June, 1977, to March, 1978 and released in 1979. I point this out because it reeks of late 70’s Manhattan, and not the pretty side. It’s a gritty art house Indie made by the protagonist, Abel Ferrara, who’s listed as actor Jimmy Laine in the credits. Despite the exploitive title and the fact that it undeservedly ended up on the UK’s “video nasties” list, it’s actually a grungy psychological drama about life in the Big City in