Entertainment
Best R-Rated Slasher Of The 80s Is An Extremely Graphic Shopping Trip
By Robert Scucci
| Published
As much as I love horror, my mileage varies on slashers because they’re so overdone and predictable. Slashers of the 70s and 80s have some great kills but leave very little to the imagination. Modern slashers tend to get too meta, winking at the camera to make sure the audience knows the characters are fully aware they’re in a slasher flick. 1989’s Intruder, however, is my favorite kind of slasher because it’s campy and violent, clever yet serious, and has just enough humor to offset all the horrific murders that happen.
If I realized I was living in a slasher flick, I’d probably try to crack some jokes to cope with my potentially imminent death, at work of all places. Sometimes you need that kind of levity to buy into a storyline like this, and Intruder has so much fun with its tropes while still keeping a straight face. This Scott Spiegel vehicle features Sam Raimi in the ensemble, and Bruce Campbell shows up as well, letting you know exactly what kind of slasher you’re getting into.
A B-Movie In A Bottle Setting
Set entirely in a grocery store, Intruder uses its limitations to its advantage. When Jennifer (Elizabeth Cox) is accosted by her ex-boyfriend Craig (David Byrnes), things get physical fast as he starts swinging at the rest of the staff at the Ranch Market. Displays get knocked over, the authorities are called, but there’s still closing work to finish. Bill (Dan Hicks), the co-owner, tells everyone the store has been sold and they’ll soon be out of a job. Their task for the night is marking down the shelves to clear inventory, so the staff begrudgingly gets started.
One by one, they go about their work, unaware that the doors have been locked from the outside and an unseen assailant is systematically slaughtering them. Produce Joe (Ted Raimi) is oblivious to the carnage because he’s zoned out with his Walkman. Randy (Sam Raimi) is busy in the butcher department, surrounded by knives and bone saws. Tim (Craig Stark) only cares about pounding beers and eating free food in the walk-in cooler while ignorant to the fact that a madman is on the loose. Nobody seems to notice that Linda (Renée Estevez) hasn’t been seen in a while.
As the body count rises, Craig keeps calling the store to reach Jennifer, who becomes increasingly convinced he’s behind the killings. Never showing its full hand, Intruder keeps the killer’s identity hidden as the story moves toward its finale. I had to wait for that “aha” moment myself because Spiegel, in his directorial debut, really knows how to keep you guessing. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I’d see enough footage of that character alone to drop my suspicion. Nobody acts like a killer here. They act like overworked grocery store clerks trying to finish their shift.
The Scariest Thing Of All
Honestly, the most frightening aspect of Intruder might be the 1989 grocery store prices. Don’t get me wrong, the kills are absolutely brutal and the gore is top-notch. People get impaled, sliced, crushed, and disemboweled. But shrimp costing less than three bucks a pound is its own kind of horror. In 2025, we’re more afraid of inflation and the dwindling spending power of our dollar than anything else. As the film neared its climax, I kept freeze-framing product labels to see just how ripped off I am every time I buy a bag of chips.
Still, the stabbings, meat-hook mayhem, and trash compactor chaos in Intruder cannot be overstated. The gore is vivid, and Spiegel isn’t shy about showing the brutality up close in ways that make your stomach turn. It’s so over-the-top, though, that you’re constantly reminded you’re watching a slasher, right before the third-act reveal of the killer’s trophy room pushes things into full madness.
A Solid Slasher You May Have Overlooked
Intruder is a special kind of slasher because it checks all the boxes in such a satisfying way. The kills are brutal, the humor is situational, the mystery is tight, and everyone here knows the assignment.
It has heavy Clerks energy; nobody wants to be at work but everyone still shows up and does just enough to avoid getting fired. Even better, they find out at the start of the film they’re all getting laid off, yet they still go about their tasks because they don’t want to leave the store in bad shape before closing. If these events happened in real life, I truly believe this is exactly how cashiers and merchandisers would handle it.
Intruder is streaming for free on Tubi.
