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Fantasy Cult Classic

A haunted house gets a renovation from beyond the grave—and no one's safety is guaranteed.

THE CARPENTER

He's turning their dream house into a nightmare!

1988 · 1h 29m · R · Fantasy / Horror / Thriller · IMDB TMDB

A mad woman and her cheating husband hire men to fix up their new house. Mysterious carpenter, Ed, becomes her guardian angel, but he is actually an executed killer whose spirit has returned to finish the dream house he once started.

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What is The Carpenter about?

The Carpenter is a 1988 Canadian fantasy-horror-thriller film directed by David Wellington about a troubled housewife who encounters a ghostly carpenter with a violent past while renovating her new home.

Synopsis

After being released from the institution in Québec where she was placed in after suffering a mental breakdown, housewife Alice Jarett relocates to the country of Canada with her husband Martin, a professor. The house the couple moves into was never finished, so Martin hires a cheap construction crew to complete it. One night, Alice is awakened by hammering in the basement, caused by a carpenter she had not seen with the rest of the crew. Unlike the other workers, this one has a pleasant demeanor and good work ethic, and while Martin is away one night, he stops another carpenter from trying to rape Alice by cutting the man's arms off with a circular saw, sending the dazed Alice back to bed, and cleaning up the mess afterward.

Alice has a few more run-ins with the carpenter, and comes to the conclusion that he is the spirit of the house's builder, a man named Edward who was executed for killing several repo men when his obsession with perfecting his home caused him to incur massive debt. Despite Ed's murderous past, Alice finds herself falling for his charms, even after witnessing him murder two disgruntled former workers who break into the house to loot it.

One day, one of Martin's students, Laura Bell, shows up at the house, to confess to Alice that she and Martin are having an affair, and that she is pregnant with his child. An argument breaks out between Laura and Alice, who kills Laura with a nail gun with help from Ed. When Martin returns home and discovers Laura's mangled body, he attacks Alice, but is subdued and has his head crushed in a vise by Ed. Sometime later, Alice's sister Racheal stops by, and tries to leave with Alice after spotting Martin and Laura's bodies, but she is stopped by Ed, who gets violent with her. Angered by Ed harming her sister, Alice turns against him, and the two fight. During the scuffle, Alice realizes that damaging the house hurts Ed, so she starts a fire with a blow torch. As the flames spread through the house, Alice and a recovered Racheal flee, being briefly chased by Ed before he burns away.
Details & Specs
Director
David Wellington
Writer
Doug Taylor
Release
1988
Runtime
1h 29m
Country
Canada
Language
English
Also Known As
Sirkkelimurhaaja, The Carpenter, Le charpentier, Ciesla, Yomigaeru akumu, The Nightmare Is Reviving

Why Cult

Supernatural Renovator

The house's unfinished business comes courtesy of a ghostly carpenter, blending home repair with horror.

Wings Hauser Antihero

Wings Hauser stars as the unnervingly polite yet murderous carpenter, fusing charm and violence in one spectral package.

Canadian Psycho-Horror

Set in the Canadian countryside, this film combines mental breakdowns, infidelity, and supernatural vengeance.

Questions from the Vault

What is The Carpenter about? +

The Carpenter follows Alice Jarett, recently released from an institution, who discovers a ghostly carpenter with a bloody past renovating her new country home.

When was The Carpenter released? +

The Carpenter was released in 1988.

Who directed The Carpenter? +

The Carpenter was directed by David Wellington.

How long is The Carpenter? +

The Carpenter has a runtime of 89 minutes.

What genre is The Carpenter? +

The Carpenter is a fantasy, horror, and thriller film.

Where can I watch The Carpenter? +

You can watch The Carpenter on SassyFlix.