The Mangler (1995)

December 13, 2022 12:23 PM

When an accident involving a folding machine at an old laundry happens, detective John Hunton (Ted Levine) investigates. While he tries to solve the mystery, Bill Gartley, the owner (IRobert Englund), wants to find new victims for his machine.

Directed by Tobe Hooper. Screenplay by Hooper, Harry Alan Towers, Stephen David Brooks, based on the story by Stephen King.

27% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Available for digital rental in the US. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (5 comments total)

This is actually fun in a campy way. Tobe Hooper knows what he's doing here. I mean, it's a haunted laundry press movie, it was never going to be The Shining. But it's a fun watch if you can get on its wavelength.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:33 PM on December 13, 2022

For me, this movie is all about the set. The physical space of the laundry is grotesquely beautiful and expansive, and Hooper does a good job of showing it off.
posted by mrphancy at 12:36 PM on December 13, 2022 [3 favorites]

This movie should be shown at DSA orientations, lol.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 1:09 PM on December 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

I love this movie. It’s a not-great movie based on a not-great story, but it does something wonderful at the end, which makes me laugh as well as respect it.
At the end, when (here comes the spoiler train) the plan to stop the villain is revealed to be a failure, Our Fearless Protagonist doesn’t give the usual horror movie cliché “Noooooooo!” or other standard ending reaction. He doesn’t heave himself back into the fight.
No, he just gives up, slumps off, gets in his truck, and drives away. It made me laugh out loud when I watched it. It still makes me smile when I think about it.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 8:39 AM on December 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

DirtyOldTown, are you aware of the podcast Just King Things? The cohosts read and discuss 1 Stephen King book a month, in publication order. The bonus episodes for Patreon subscribers are usually about a film adaptation of the book they discussed. I (re)watched most of the King movies you've posted so far along with them. They have a lot of fun with this one in particular!

(It's a good podcast, as far as podcasts go--they're fans who are also very critical when warranted, which matches how I treat Stephen King these days, too.)
posted by rhiannonstone at 1:41 PM on December 17, 2022