USA, 1975
Review: JA Kerswell
This bewildering piece of what-the-fuckery from the polyester decade features kung-fu fights, identical twin giants, and someone tossing coconuts at the killer. A group of people are picked off one by one on a remote island in this 10 LITTLE INDIANS-inspired semi-proto-slasher that was unreleased in the 1970s after distributors presumably were left scratching their heads as the end credits rolled, but it was rediscovered and finally released on Blu-ray in 2017.
Like many ‘70s proto-slashers, THE INTRUDER somewhat anticipates what would come later in the decade with John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN (1978), but also relies heavily on creaky old thriller clichés—and maybe a few hits of acid. In this variation of Agatha Christie’s novel (which arguably set the template for the subgenre, highlighted here by typewriter sounds as dates scroll across the screen), a group of people go to a remote island estate after the death of a wealthy relative who may—or may not—have hidden millions of dollars’ worth of gold nearby, and who may—or may not—be dead. Without a will, they think they can split the loot if they just find it. The only problem is that the person who invited them is missing, and even worse, a seven-foot ghoul starts to bump them off.
The script for THE INTRUDER is like a jigsaw puzzle—and not all the pieces fit. Although it begins as expected, the film goes off on some pretty wild tangents and fails to resolve almost anything. The first spanner thrown into proceedings is that the initial victims are found with puncture wounds in their necks. While the word vampire is never explicitly used, one victim tries unsuccessfully to defend themselves with a crucifix. As with many plot threads in the film, this angle is quickly abandoned, never explained or revisited. At times, it seems the killer might be supernatural (they appear immune to bullets), and there’s a hint of black magic. Yet, like most aspects of the film, it’s a plot line that spirals into nothingness, like a faulty firework.
To presumably save money, the film kills off its most recognisable faces first. Bizarrely, most of Rooney’s role involves him pootling around a marina in a boat (seemingly in real time)—although he does get killed in perhaps the film’s most impressive scene in a lighthouse. De Carlo at least gets to deliver a waspish performance at an awkward dinner scene before being found dead in the morning. Ted Cassidy—best known as Lurch from the ‘60s version of the TV comedy THE ADDAMS FAMILY—appears in the last 20 minutes as both the towering killer and an unexpected lothario. Sadly, the film misses the chance to have Lurch and Lily Addams duel to the death. He shares a romantic moment with one of the few remaining characters, who, for some reason, is now wearing a full-body red polyester cat suit with a hood. A piano sonata plays during this confounding excursion into light romance before a spot of electrocution and a powerboat mishap.
THE INTRUDER alternates between scenes of people sitting around looking morose, mouthing stilted dialogue, and sudden, poorly choreographed kung fu fights (with credits acknowledging local Floridian instructors at the end). It seems Carl Douglas was right: everyone really was kung fu fighting in the mid-1970s. However, it might also be the only film in history where the kung fu fighters fall from a height and impale themselves on the same pitchfork. I know the budget was tight, but still... It’s challenging to know what writer/director Chris Robinson (who also starred in the film) was thinking, but it's easy to see why confused distributors shelved this bizarre fever dream of a movie. It’s a film completely devoid of logic, coherent story, and continuity—with one character being completely dry seconds after falling into a bubble bath, which, I guess, was an ad for 1970s man-made fibres.
THE INTRUDER was filmed in South Florida in early 1975 with a mooted $200,000, although a later interview with the director revealed the actual cost was closer to $25,000. The Manalapan Club on Hypoluxo Island served as the stand-in for the house in the film, with an outdoor restaurant clearly visible in the background in one scene. Perhaps hinting at why the film is so incoherent, Robinson told The Palm Beach Post in February 1975, “… the story was conceived in a day. I wrote the script in two weeks, prepared the cast in two weeks, and shot it in three weeks.” It also stars his then-wife Phyllis Robinson (the couple divorced months after filming, though it’s unknown if making this film contributed to their breakup). The film would have remained lost if not for a 35mm print being discovered and carefully restored by Garagehouse Pictures. Robinson—who has since passed away—said at the time of its very belated release that he had more or less forgotten about the film and it probably would have remained lost if not for happenstance.
In no way could THE INTRUDER ever be described as a good film in a traditional sense, but it is quite unlike anything else. that's for sure.
BODY COUNT 13:
Female 3 / Male 10
THE INTRUDER (Trailer)
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