C'mon with a title like that you know you want to watch this. How could you not want to watch a drug-addled psycho wielding what's got to be one of the most awkward weapons in horror movie history with great ease?

Given that this should be nothing more than a by-the-book slasher movie (as it becomes in the last third - which are also the weakest moments of the movie) it's quite surprising that director Joe Castro and his co-writer Dan Benton have managed to inject it with a little more plot than I expected.

Aaron Gaffey plays Jack, who a year ago was a successful businessman only for him to become addicted to crack (which is shown in a well staged, and unglorious, "getting high" scene) and eventually he's driven crazy by his drug addiction (and with a little help from visions of his dead best friend who he let overdose) which leads to him starting too kill anyone who happens to arrive at the factory he lives at because he's become wigged-out enough to think everyone's out to get him.

Castro has been making a name for himself in the low-budget horror realm by making a slew of adequate genre flicks (and contributing gory effects to various others) and I'd have to say this is probably his best effort simply because it's commendable for attempting a "anti-drug" message even if the mix of exploitation and preaching gets a little bit unagreeable at times.

But if you can forgive the standard (and clichéd) finale you can still enjoy Gaffey's above average performance (a feat considering most of the acting here by side characters is "iffy" at best), the films effectively sleazy and grimy look, and some quite bloody deaths (including the impressive "through the shoulder" scene).

Sure, The Jackhammer Massacre, is a bit flawed due to losing its focus; but there's a lot worse slasher movies out there and this one keeps you watching thanks to its alright paranoid tone and the aforementioned slayings. (Chris Hartley, 1/17/05)

Directed By: Joe Castro.
Written By: Dan Benton, Joe Castro.

Starring: Aaron Gaffey, Kyle Yaskin, Trudy Kofahl, Jill Moore.