Director
David Wellington
Producer
Jack Bravman
Writer
Doug Taylor
Cast
Wings Hauser, Pierre Lenoir, Lynne Adams, Ron Lea
THE CARPENTER is a horror film that is both original and downright zany—original in its premise and wild in its execution. It's a fun, psychotronic film that's a delight for fans of the genre. A housewife, Alice (Lynne Adams), seems to be suffering from depression. After a stay in a rest home, she and her controlling husband move into a new residence that requires extensive work. The crew hired for the job turns out to be undisciplined, ill-mannered, lazy, and not very good at renovations. At night, however, Alice hears noises and discovers the presence of an affable and gifted carpenter (Wings Hauser). The house was in fact never completed, its original builder having quickly fallen into debt and found himself harassed by debt collectors whom he murdered. Could the mysterious carpenter be the builder who died in the electric chair? Be that as it may, a relationship develops between Alice and the seemingly sympathetic carpenter. He even goes so far as to save her life when a workman becomes too insistent. A few absurd murders with power tools follow.
Far more entertaining than an episode of the retro series MADAME ET SON FANTÔME (THE GHOST & MRS. MUIR, 1968-1970), this film went relatively unnoticed when it was released, with the exception of Japan, where it was a box-office success. This is the first feature film by David Wellington, whose credits include I LOVE A MAN IN UNIFORM (1993) and major TV series including VIKINGS, THE KIDS IN THE HALL, MARY KILLS PEOPLE, ORPHAN BLACK, ROOKIE BLUE, and QUEER AS FOLK. Shot in Montreal in 1987 under the cinematography of David Franco, the film features an original soundtrack by Pierre Bündock—yes, the Bündock of the band of the same name in the 1980s and '90s. Reminiscent of the soundtrack to A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984), the music for THE CARPENTER was produced with the help of a DX7 synthesizer and a Korg M1 running on floppy disks. Pierre Bündock will be on hand at the screening to answer questions from the audience. – Translation: Rupert Bottenberg
Showings
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