The Carpenter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Carpenter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 27, 2025

Slasher cinema heads to the home improvement aisle in 1988’s “The Carpenter,” as writer Doug Taylor (“In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,” “Splice”) looks to turn a tale of household renovations into a bloodbath. The material has a little more than simple violence, inspecting a psychological meltdown and all the trouble it provides for the main character, who retreats to a weird place of comfort to deal with her issues. For a low-budget offering, “The Carpenter” is competently assembled by director David Wellington, who puts care into shots and at least a few of the performances. The picture is missing a killer instinct, refusing to go wilder with a premise that invites screen craziness, but it scores in small amounts, aiming to be a little stranger than the average genre endeavor.

Alice (Lynne Adams) has lost her mind, unable to handle her thoughts and boredom, which secures her a trip to a psychiatric hospital. Her husband, Martin (Pierre Lenoir), is concerned but selfish, electing to treat his spouse to a new house in the country, hiring a cheap construction crew to complete renovations. Alice is meant to live free, but she struggles with dreams and thoughts, and she grows obsessed with Ed (Wings Hauser), a carpenter who labors overnight, creating a tentative relationship to the dedicated professional. While Martin poorly manages an extramarital affair, Alice is left alone to deal with predatory workers, finding Ed helping to eliminate men who cross the line into violence.

Alice’s true mental state isn’t dissected in “The Carpenter.” It’s clear she isn’t well, suffering as a housewife, married to a man with a practiced sense of concern for others. After she snaps, slicing up all of her husband’s suits, Alice is hospitalized, though she’s never quite well when it comes time for release. Instead of getting to the source of her issue, the character is gifted a new house, which commences all sorts of trouble to many people in the screenplay. Taylor introduces several characters, including Barry (Bob Pot), who can’t control his young construction crew, and Alice seeks employment at a hardware store run by Mort (Richard Jutras), looking to open up a tale that mostly resides in the Alice’s mind, as she battles troubling thoughts and impulses during a time of change.

Ed emerges as a man of comfort for Alice, and “The Carpenter” doesn’t try to hide his place in the story, uniquely connected to the woman from the opening act. There’s not much of a puzzle to the writing, but the union between the overnight couple is the most interesting aspect of the movie, exploring a relationship that’s tied to the materials inside the house and a need for a caring partner, giving Alice some fuel for her inner fire. Of course, Ed isn’t just a handy man, but a protector, and “The Carpenter” becomes a horror show with his acts of revenge, which detail his use of a circular saw to casually remove the arms of an attacker, while another aggressor takes a belt sander to the face. Extreme violence feels a bit out of place in a film that’s inching to become a character study, but excess does keep the picture alert, getting the most out of Hauser’s debatable screen appeal.

The Carpenter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"The Carpenter" arrives on Blu-ray in a "fully uncut original version," but to restore this picture, original materials weren't available. An info card details the issue, as Vinegar Syndrome used a 35mm release print and a "D2 master" to help create the full feature, before it was hit with severe cuts to gore scenes. It's not hard to spot the video portions of the viewing experience (the last two screencaps display the difference), and it's bizarre to witness how much violence was removed from the movie, basically hurting the story as well. It's all back in this Blu, but not in a consistent presentation. What's here is acceptable, providing a decent look at frame detail, examining the house interior and skin particulars, which are softer but not eliminated. Exteriors also remain agreeably dimensional. Colors are as consistent as the two sources allow, securing defined primaries on clothing and greenery. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. A bit of damage is detected, including mild scratches.

The Carpenter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix does run into some elements of damage, especially near the end of the film. Most of the listening event retains a consistent sound, prioritizing dialogue exchanges, which remain appreciable and balanced. Scoring supports with lighter synth, maintaining position with scenes of suspense. Sound effects are blunt but acceptable.

The Carpenter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features director Robert Wellington and screenwriter Doug Taylor.

• Commentary #2 features podcasters William Morris and John Dickson.

• "Aggressively Itself" (33:02, HD) is the making-of for "The Carpenter," featuring interviews with screenwriter Doug Taylor, director David Wellington, producer Jack Bravman, visual effects artist Andrew Campbell, and actors Wings Hauser, Richard Jutras, Ron Lea, Anthony Ulc, and Lynne Adams. Taylor and Wellington began their filmmaking journey together, bonding in college, becoming two Canadians ready to take on the industry, simply in need of a break. That opportunity arrived with Bravman, who wanted cheap labor to make B-movies in Montreal. The material was created with a degree of care, generated by Taylor after time spent acquiring a rich cinematic education. Casting is celebrated, finding Wellington "stoked" to have Hauser join the picture, using his seasoning to help with a younger generation getting an early taste of the process. Adam delves into character research and commitment, including her audition, where she was greatly disrespected. The supporting cast is also identified, highlighting the closeness of the Montreal film scene. The interviewees also herald the helmer, identifying his youthful enthusiasm during the low- budget shoot. Special effects are examined, putting the cast in contact with a few dangerous stunts and ghoulish imagery. Violence is dissected, finding the interviewees defending vicious content, which was taken out of the feature at one point.

• "Tools to Play With" (7:38, HD) is an interview with actor Wings Hauser, who experienced a rude awakening when he arrived in Canada to make "The Carpenter," showing up without a work permit, offered a forceful welcome before finally being allowed to start the picture. Drawn to the "absurd" script, Hauser utilized his own carpentry history to inform his characterization, also identifying his professionalism while surrounded by a very young crew. The interviewee celebrates his longevity in the business, and he's quite happy with "The Carpenter," delighted how the picture has reached an audience.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

The Carpenter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Carpenter" tries to get sinister, but it doesn't quite work. And family connections for Alice could use additional time to explore. There's some attempt at campiness, which disrupts the tone of the endeavor as well. The feature isn't stunning, but it retains compelling elements of B-movie style, and there are moments while exploring Alice's insanity where the material becomes something more than a simple chiller, helping to generate a fascinating examination of coping as a woman's world falls apart, and the only man who cares is a monster, possibly of her own making.