The Jackhammer Massacre

Product Description

Self-Destruction Is Only The Beginning

Jack Magnus, once a successful businessman, is now so badly addicted to drugs, he can barely function. Drugs have forced him into a paranoid psychosis so deep he believes his dead buddy Mike is his only friend. Jack also believes that the D.E.A. and other supernatural authorities are out to kill him. The only way to save himself is to get them before they get him...in an all-out, blood splattering killing spree.

System Requirements:
Running Time: 89 Min., Color.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Odd subplot for a slasher, hmmm?.......2007-02-02

When I decided to start reviewing movies in a big way on this website, I told myself that I would go out of my way to watch plenty of zero budget flicks. You know, the stuff that goes straight to DVD. The stuff made by a couple of guys in their backyards, shot on video most likely, and financed with credit cards. I figured doing so might possibly help out a budding filmmaker, maybe give a guy with a smidgen of talent an extra boost he or she needed to get a shot at making a real movie. It's ridiculous, I know, to think that some hack reviewer on this site could assist someone in this way, but that's what I thought. Who knows? Maybe that person would see my good review and take heart. Or maybe he would see a bad review and learn how to improve their next film. Those days, my friends, are long gone, lost in a sea of bad movies watched through increasingly bleary eyes. I've seen so many crudfests that I can't watch them anymore. I started seeking out big budget blockbusters, not because they're great, but because the production values and better acting (among other things) washed the bad taste of movies like "Jackhammer Massacre" out of my mouth.

"Jackhammer Massacre," sometimes referred to as simply "Jackhammer," is a low budget crudfest directed by some guy named Joe Castro. His forte, according to the Internet Movie Database, is in special effects. It's the only area where "Jackhammer" succeeds. All else is dross wrapped in a disturbing patina I'm not allowed to mention on this site. Sorry. Anyway, the film doesn't start out that way. It actually begins as homage to Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign as we watch a rich, smart yuppie named Jake (Aaron Gaffey) descend into the absolute madness of drug addiction. He starts his real decline by going to a drug den with a friend, shooting up junk with a girl sporting a bad Bettie Page coif, and then watching his pal die a painful death. The demise of his friend pushes Jackie over the edge, and before we know it he's lost everything expect an oozing, puckering sore on his arm. Jackie, not smart enough to let this festering wound heal, continues to shove smack into this seeping hole every chance he gets. Yuck. And since he's lost everything he's got, our hero is reduced to living in a storage facility crammed full of all sorts of junk. He also owes bad people a lot of money.

One day these bad people track Jake down and shoot him up with an overdose that should kill him. Instead, it turns him into a murderous thug. Jake arms himself with a jackhammer he finds in the storage facility (How convenient!) and proceeds to wreak bloody havoc on all who enter his orbit. And, amazingly enough, you'd be surprised at how many people show up at this out of the way storage facility! It's like the Interstate runs right through the building as the drug dealers, the owner of the place, and a cleaning crew all die horribly at the hands of the drug crazed Jake. As soon as Jake dispatches someone with a jackhammer blade through the mouth or some other orifice (!!), the next victim ambles in for his or her punishment. Oddly enough, no one seems to hear the jackhammer pounding away inside this small building, nor do they have the presence of mind to just run outside. It's not like the jackhammer runs on portable power; we can all clearly see the cord running out of the tool. Oh well. After Jake murders a lot of people, he meets his match on the roof of the storage facility. The conclusion is taken right from the end of "Halloween".

"Jackhammer Massacre" is an exceedingly dumb film. The acting is comparable to a kindergarten play, the viewer gets whiplash jouncing over the numerous plot holes in the script, and people do stuff that defies logic. The one plus, and the thing that gives this film two stars instead of one, is the gore. Jake pounds body parts into mush with that jackhammer, and Castro doesn't spare the sauce showing us the carnage. It doesn't always look totally realistic, but it's close enough to garner some praise. Perhaps the oddest element of the film is what I said above, what I can't mention on this site. How do I say it without saying it? Hmmm. Well, all the guys in the production seem to lumber around without shirts on. Most of them strip down to their undies. And then there's the way that these guys die. One chap takes the jackhammer blade in the mouth in what has to be a statement about...well...you know. Then there's the shot of the jackhammer blade in the girl's "posterius". Oops! Something sinister is going on here. Either someone has a problem with syag or someone just finds it funny to work a yag subplot into a slasher film (wink wink on those backwards words, eh?). Give "Jackhammer Massacre" a watch, if you dare, and see what you think.

To be fair, Castro's film isn't the worst low budget clunker I've watched. I think back to the days when I perused shot on video dreck from Sub Rosa Productions and realize "Jackhammer Massacre" is far better than almost anything I saw from that company. I'm still giving this two stars, however, due to the myriad problems outlined above as well as the fact that it's just not that original of an idea. Also, Lionsgate didn't do a decent job with the DVD. The picture doesn't look that great, it's full frame, and the only significant extra is a rather bland commentary track with Castro and a few of the cast members. In short, I can't really recommend this movie. There's just not enough here to warrant a viewing.

From the CHARLES BAND of our generation !.......2006-12-06

JACHAMMER aka Jackhammer Massacre , Director's Cut.
Written and Directed by Joe Castro.
Starring Aaron Gaffey, Rachel & Rob Rotten and Joe Haggerty.
This is an amazing ride, It has stuff YOU have never seen in Horror, Before !
The acting was all believable, The story very unique.
There were tributes to Laserblast, Leaving Las Vegas and American Werewolf in London.
Special effects were something like Davids, Cronenberg and Lynch.
Let's discuss the relationship of a man and his Jackhammer. The tool looks real and makes hamburger helper out of a lot of victim's body parts. While watching it,Got a weird sensation of Déjà vu and it's because of Charles Band handling of Laserblast. This movie showed you don't pick on someone with Issues or Aliens will make Him KICK UR ARSE !
Some scenes,should be spoiler warnings; The dueling Land Of The Giants hypodermic appendages/ screw driver brain surgery/ and never unplug your extension cord, Too funny.
Joe Castro and Steven Escobar should be given more money to make the film there effects can imagine, But JACKHAMMER is a good start. Oh,yeah, Great Anti-Drug message too, In case the MPAA is reading this, LOL.

Don't watch it.......2006-11-09

Oh, lord. This is the worst film I have ever seen. It has no acting, and is not believeable. A buisiness man named Jack Magnus goes to buy some drugs with buddy Mike. Mike gets all screwed up and dies. Jack goes crazy, gets kicked out of his apartment and moves into a (warehouse?). He then kills anybody who goes in. Although it has a plot, parts of it are thin. Such as when his sister comes to pick him up. Here is an example of the terrible acting: Jack comes towards a guy with the jackhammer and the guy simply throws his hands up and says "ahhh!". It looked like when someone is watching a movie on a children's show and they make the acting of the movie bad on purpose. The ending is incredibly stupid. Just don't watch this film.

Pretty Good Low Budget Film...........2006-09-06

First of all, this movie is a Lions Gate Film, its a low budget flick, but pretty good, but if you're only into main stream horror movies..then you probably won't like this movie. But for those of you that can sit through a low budget B horror movie without complaining that "the acting isn't the greatest", or "this effect was lame", or "that doesn't make any sense!" Then read on...

The movie is about a down on his luck guy who gets involved with some heavy drugs, and the story follows him as he slips further and further into insanity from the heavy "crap" he's on...he's homeless, he has no money, and owes some bigtime drug dealers money. Eventually, they get tired of his excuses and decide to inject him with some "stuff", that's suppose to kill him. Well, unfortunately for them, it doesn't kill him, it only makes him stronger (and a helluva lot crazier), he goes on a murdering spree of anyone who gets in his way, with the help of his dead friend, who overdosed on drugs. Ending in, well, a jackhammer massacre, a jackhammer being his weapon of choice.

There's a great amount of gore in this movie, for all of you gore freaks (like me), and the plot makes sense if you watch the movie, and not bitch the whole time about it being low budget. Sure, the acting's not the greatest, but its definitely not the worse. The main character actually plays a nutcase rather well.

For a movie I've never heard of, before buying it for $2.00, It was well worth the price. Give the movie a chance, and watch it all the way through before shooting it down just because its a low budget flick.

Ok Movie But Not Great.............2006-02-24

I purchased this DVD because of the word Massacre in the title! Being a huge fan of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies, I thought this might be really good. The box says.. Move over Leatherface..Here comes The Jackhammer Massacre. In my opinion, No movie can compare itself to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies, much less Leatherface! However I bought it and was a bit disappointed. The movie is a bit boring at times but did contain good death scenes. The best thing about the movie was the gore. It centers around a man named Jack who's badly addicted to drugs. Being so messed up by drugs, Jack believes that everyone is out to get him and kill him. He takes revenge on people by killing them with a jackhammer which I admit is "different" and a refreshing change. Overall, not a bad movie but not as good as I expected. It's worth renting if you are curious about it. There ARE worse horror movies out there.

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