Gruesome Deaths Alone Can't Make A Film

I've relied on low expectations to see me through some lousy movies lately, but even that couldn't save Intruder. I picked it up for cheap at a store back in, February I think, because it said Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell were both in it, although neither is the main character.

It's closing time at a local grocery store, but work is disrupted by the sudden appearance of Jennifer's ex-boyfriend Craig, out of jail after (accidentally(?) stabbing a guy. Jennifer hasn't been responding to his calls or letters, and Craig makes a scene, fights most of the staff, but eventually is bodily ejected. Shortly after that, and after the manager has announced he's closing the store in a month, people start getting murdered in various gruesome ways. Lots of stabbing or impaling, but there's also a deli slicer and some sort of hydraulic press. Everyone else seems blissfully unaware as they go about their jobs, until Jennifer is the only one left, and the killer's after her.

The film is a little under 90 minutes, it takes about 35 minutes for anyone to die, and it still feels overly drawn out. There isn't enough here to maintain interest. I couldn't kep most of the guys distinct in my mind, and I couldn't tell you any of their names, other than there was a Danny, and also a Randy, but which face goes with which name, *shrug*. There wasn't any reason to care.

There's a brief stretch at the beginning where everyone is searching for Craig inside the store where there's some tension, because no one is quite sure what he might do, but once they toss him out of the store, everyone goes about their business. And since everyone is scattered, there isn't a point when they start to realize what's happening and try to escape or fight back, until there's just Jennifer. And at that point, it settles into a rather tedious back and forth of her trying to escape, getting caught, briefly gaining the upper hand and then running off to start the whole thing over again.