Intruder (1989)

Intruder (1989) has slipped by me all these years. I’m certain it wasn’t released theatrically in Kansas City; I kept a close eye on such things at the time. More unusual, I don’t even remember a VHS release, and I had been managing a chain of video stores for two years. Chances are, if I did see it, I would have discounted it as a straight-to-video release and this was late in the Slasher age.

Therefore, I was pleased by how much I enjoyed Intruder when I recently watched it for the first time on Shudder (sans Joe Bob, although that’s how it was called to my attention.) Oddly, 45 years later, it feels more like a throwback to a slasher today rather than a rip-off of one at the end of the 80’s. It has all the tropes, but also a unique twist or two.

Twist is too strong a word. In relation to the plot, there’s not one. In fact, marketing for the movie seems to clearly identify the killer, even in the distorted image shown on the poster. If it didn’t, the screenplay and direction by Scott Spiegel still places too much emphasis on the red herring. If you didn’t know who was the killer, you’d know who wasn’t the killer.

Intruder starts a little slow, but once it starts rolling, it doesn’t stop. It features extreme gore in its killings that are, in a way, reminiscent of a characteristic that had grown in popularity throughout the decade. The relentlessly detailed depictions of the murders also signal an end to a subgenre that had run its course and that would become more uncommon in the 90s.

The action takes place entirely in a grocery store after it’s closed and the employees are restocking the shelves. Our final girl is Jennifer Ross (Liz Kern) and our prime suspect is Craig Peterson (David Byrnes.) Their relationship ended a year earlier when Craig went to jail. He wants Jennifer back and will stop at nothing to get her. He’s dangerous, but is he a killer?

Another fact that may make Intruder more appealing now than it was then is the number of soon-to-be-famous horror creators that participated in the production. Don’t let taglines fool you, though; it’s limited participation. Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Burr Steers, and Greg Nicotero appear on the screen in what ranges from blink-and-you’ll-miss-them cameos, to a couple beefier roles.

There are also “retro” cameos from Emil Sitka, who appeared in many Three Stooges shorts, and Alvy Moore and Tom Lester, who were popular characters on Green Acres. There are probably others I missed. I knew the two from Green Acres — and have even met Alvy Moore — but had to rely on my podcasting partner to educate me on the significance of an old may saying, “Hold hands, you lovebirds.”

Speaking of Rich, he thought Intruder was OK, but really liked the ending. I thought the ending was OK, but really liked what led up to it. He claims movies never end like this and you’re always left wondering what happens next. I felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen next. Imagining how it plays out after that at least proves it’s a movie worth watching and contemplating.