Rust Belt Driller
Written by Aaron Krygier
Directed by Tilke Hill & David R. Williams
Starring Aaron Krygie, Jillian Geurts, Veronica Knightly
As a lifelong fan of the genre, back in the 1980s one of the most exciting things about perusing the Horror section of the local video stores was discovering the extremely low budget Horror films. Many would be terrible but with enough tries, you would eventually strike gold.
These were the films that never had a chance at distribution from a studio and would only find a following thanks to the dedicated genre fans who went every weekend to find a new “creeper” to bring home for the night.
The extreme low budget products could sometimes be hard pills to swallow but they had their place to be sure. These filmmakers had more freedom. They didn’t have producers breathing down their necks nor test audiences and no pesky ratings board to deal with.
Many of these films were ultra-gory with high sexual overtones and for better or worse, the filmmakers would have no limits and a wild abandon with their creations. No budgets, no rules and no limits.
The new low budget Horror film, “Rust Belt Driller” is a throwback to that great time in the 80s (and even the late 1970s) when the lack of big funding lent itself to the grungy feel of films about psycho killers and murder.
As the tag line on the one sheet warns us, “Urban decay… of the mind!”
Paying homage to Abel Ferrara’s 1979 Grindhouse classic “The Driller Killer” in both title and the killer’s choice of power tool murder weapon, Tilke Hill and David R. Williams’ have crafted a “homegrown” Horror film about a true psychopath.
Written by Aaron Krygier (who also stars), the film finds Renn, a somewhat successful artist who lives in a nice home and has a girlfriend named Carol. Things are not well in Renn’s life nor in his mind.
His manager is frustrated with his temperamental client, Carol is restless and maybe cheating on him. More dangerously, Renn is tortured by a dark voice inside him. A voice that is torturing him by showing the crumbling America outside and the violent world it has become, daring him to embrace the darkness of it all.
Renn believes he is losing his mind and the audience will be in full agreement. His violent thoughts are becoming too tangible and Renn is now acting out the thoughts brought to him by his mind’s dark visitor.
Renn’s paintings become more macabre, his mind becomes more twisted, and his actions become deadly. He has succumbed to the darkness inside him. Renn is now a monster.
This is a film unleashed. It plays like a wild and untamed jungle cat tearing into its prey.
This one is for the fans of the thrilling low budget gore days of yesteryear. The bloody special effects are very well done, and the camera lingers on the big industrial drill pounding into the flesh of Renn’s victims.
The screenplay may be telling us that Renn is a product of information overload. In our tv shows, movies, and especially news channels, violence, death, and the sexualization of almost any subject colors everything.
Yes, it is true (and most welcome), while splashing this tale in extreme gore and violence, the creators do have something to say about the effects this mad country. This film exists beyond mere shock value.
The cast does well. Krygier is creepy in the lead and Jillian Geurts is solid as Carol, the very definition of a long-suffering girlfriend.
Hill, Williams, and Krygier have no boundaries on this film, nor should they. The filmmakers and their cast are unapologetically diving into the Grindhouse vibe and genre fans will be pleased.
“Rust Belt Driller” is a disturbing film, but for followers of this type of genre, it is one that entertains. It is this kind of film I would want to see on a rainy Saturday afternoon in the Times Square of the 1970s. That was sometimes a dangerous place to be. So is this film. And that is meant to be the greatest of compliments.
The film is showing at L.A.’s Dances With Films Festival (danceswithfilms.com) next Friday August 27th as part of their Midnight Series. The showing will be held at Mann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
For those in the area or any that will be attending the festival, I highly recommend seeing this one. Here is the link where you can purchase tickets-
https://danceswithfilms.ticketspice.com/dwf24-rust-belt-driller–tinder-tango-as-good-as-dead–itch
NR, 83 Minutes, Razor Wire Alchemy/ Hi Glennn Films