Skunkyrate Gripping story with well-crafted characters

SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Sam Panico What happens when you put together three of horror's biggest stars — Robert Englund, Stephen King and Tobe Hooper? That's the question posed by this film, based on a King/Harry Allan Towers short story that first appeared in the men's magazine Cavalier before appearing in King's 1978 collection Night Shift, which also spawned the movies Children of the Corn, Cat's Eye, Maximum Overdrive, Graveyard Shift, The Lawnmower Man, Sometimes They Come Back, Trucks (yes, I know it's the same story as Maximum Overdrive) and Battleground.Bill Gartley (Robert England) owns the Blue Ribbon Laundry service, which is based around a laundry press that everyone calls The Mangler. His niece, Sherry cuts herself and gets blood all over the machine, which leads to the machine coming to life. It starts to eat anyone who gets too close to it, like Mrs. Frawley, by folding them just like a sheet.Drunken police detective John Hunton (Ted Levine, Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs) and his ex brother-in-law Mark — who just happens to study demonology — investigate the many deaths that follow. It turns out the Tha Mangler is how Gartley runs the town — when their virgin daughters turn 16, the town's most powerful men and women sacrifice them to the machine. Sherry is next.Sherry is next, but she helps the two men take out the demon — even if it kills Gartley, his lover Lin Sue and Stanner, the foreman. They throw holy water on it and the machine nearly beats them, but they succeed in taking it out. That is — until John talks about the antacids he'd been taking, which once belonged to the now dead Mrs. Frawley. One of the ingredients is deadly nightshade, also called "The Hand of Glory."Here's where the movie descends into BS. It only follows some of King's story — which was a novella, so we can cut them some slack. It takes passages from Sir James George Frazier's The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion. But the "Hand of Glory" is usually the hand of a murdered who has been put to death or part of the root of the mandrake plant. That said — the ending of the book and movie are totally different, so I shouldn't expect anyone to do actual research or make the occult make sense within their film.The Mangler comes back to life, killing Mark and chasing John and Sherry. She tries to give herself to it to save him, but he stops her. They fall through a manhole cover and escape, with him taking her to the hospital, as he's fallen in love.Read more at bandsaboutmovies.com/2017/09/14/tobe-hooper-week-the-mangler-1995/

Rautus This movie is actually pretty good, the whole concept of a possessed Mangle may sound kind of silly but it isn't really. It reminds me of Chirstine except it's a killer Mangle instead of a killer Car, The Mangler is based on a Short Story by Stephan King, the film is directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) who directed another Stephan King book before and that was Salams Lot, Robert Englund who stars in the Nightmare on Elm Street films stars in this as the owner of the building with the killer Mangle. The Mangler also has a nice bit of gore to it with people getting mangled. The Mangler may not be for everyone but if you like movies about killer machines then check The Mangler out. 10/10

kclipper Since the 1970's those of us that are true fans of horror flicks know that Tobe Hooper, Stephen King, and Robert Englund have contributed greatly to the genre, and are still today considered masters of their craft. Now, fans may have mixed feelings about "The Mangler", a ridiculous movie about a giant steam press possessed by a demon (or something), although I was no more or less than entertained. The story begins at the Blue Ribbon Laundry, whose business is obviously a pillar of a small town community. It just so happens that Robert Englund (for those who don't know played Freddy Kruger)is a madman who needs virgin blood (and anyone else's will do) to keep the mechanical monster thriving. Ted Levine (Buffalo Bill from Scilence of the Lambs)is a skeptical detective trying to figure out why people are being folded and spit out by the machine in gruesome detail. Although, the plot is absurd, this twisted tale based on the short story by Stephen King is handled quite well. First of all, the machine is absolutely menacing. Big, loud, dirty, steaming and glowing red from its bowels, makes for a great set-piece. The Robert Englund character is completely whacked out with metal leg braces and giant scars. (obviously inflicted by the mangler) Ted Levine's performance as the frustrated cop is hilarious, and Tobe Hooper does a good job of keeping the pace alive and breathing. Its not much for atmosphere or tension, and contains dumb touches such as a possessed antique refrigerator that shoots out lightning and is never quite explained, but for an evening's entertainment, one can do much worse. A hilarious scene has Robert Englund ranting and dancing about as the machine swallows up another victim. For all you haters out there, remember... These films aren't meant to win academy awards. Lighten up!

Stanley Strangelove The Blue Ribbon Laundry has a gigantic machine that presses and folds sheets. The machine has large rollers to press the laundry and generates lots of steam. It's nicknamed The Mangler. The owner of the laundry is William 'Bill' Gartley (Robert Englund) who is an S.O.B. He has a glass eye and steel legs.His 15 year old niece cuts her hand and some of her blood drops into the Mangler. It seems to like the blood. Old Mrs. Frawley is the first to go. She gets sucked into the Mangler and comes out not looking too good albeit quite a bit thinner.Officer John (Ted Levine) is dispatched to investigate.There are more accidents and more deaths and Officer John comes to the conclusion that the Mangler is possessed by a demon. Spoilers *****The rich people in the town have given a human sacrifice to the Mangler in order to stay in power. The sacrifice has to be a 16 year old and it just so happens that Sherry is turning 16. What a coincidence. Gartley knocks Sherry unconscious and takes her to the laundry to be sacrificed.The Mangler is adapted from an early Stephen King short story that appeared in the men's magazine Cavalier. The movie is yet another failure to adapt King's work to the screen. The story, while silly, is a heck of a lot better than this film. Director Tobe Hooper, who has always been incompetent, sinks to even lower depths of incompetence on this one. The Mangler is a totally worthless movie.My rating: Total Dud