Director – Benjamin Stansky
Starring – Nancy Feliciano (Burglar from Hell), Phillip Herman (Jacker 2: Decent to Hell), and Patric Jackson
Release Date – 1993
Rating – 2.5/5
The Sleaze Box is a company that is difficult to ignore. This small production and distribution company has gained the respect from several in the indie horror community, myself included, with their original filmsAmerikan Holokaust, Skumbagz, andNaughty Dirty Nasty, as well as, their distributed films Death-Scort Service,Burglar from Hell, and so on.
Over the last few years Sleaze Box has released several shot on video, or S.O.V., flicks that were originally unreleased. They started with Burglar from Hell and followed that up with the anthology flick Tales Till the End, they have now moved on to Jacker and it’s sequel Jacker 2: Decent to Hell. They were kind enough to send over both films to check out. Thank you Chris for allowing me the opportunity to check out these two films!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a professional car jacker and murderer who returns to his apartment and has an argument with his live in girlfriend. He kills her and makes it look like a suicide. He speaks with the detective in charge of investigating her death and soon follows that up with several more car jackings, kidnappings, and murders. He eventually finds and rapes the sister of the detective bringing about a dangerous game of cat and mouse.**Spoiler Alert**
Jacker was one of the many films Sleaze Box has released that I had no idea existed until they announced the release. Some of the films are ones that I don’t find entertaining while others are very entertaining. Jacker is one of those films that really lured me in with the film’s artwork which you can see above. The film made me think of an early 90s thriller that I would see late at night on TNT or USA when I was little. Sadly, that is not the kind of film it was.
The acting in this one is not that bad considering the film’s budget. The cast showed a lot of talent but lacked experience. Experience is crucial for any actor to grow but this cast showed they had what it takes to make it in the business. Sadly, most of them did not.
The story for this one is one we have seen so many times before following a man going on a killing spree for no reason only to have a showdown with a cop or vigilante. Hell, this is even similar to the now classic thriller Se7en which was released a few years later brandishing an even more detailed story and was the basis for several Tales from the Crypt episodes.
Finally, the film has several on screen kills that are very weak. These kills are mostly quick gunshot kills with minimal practical effects. These were very lackluster and goes against most of the S.O.V. flicks I have seen over the years. Overall, Jacker is one of the many early 90s S.O.V. flicks that could have been something great but failed to deliver. The kills were weak and not very entertaining. The story was nothing original but could have been something extraordinary if the kills were done right. Jacker deserves at least one watch, if nothing else, to see the cast do their thing.
