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Horror Cult Classic

After hours at a grocery store, the real bargains are your body parts.

INTRUDER

1989 · 1h 28m · R · Horror / Thriller

The night crew of a local grocery store goes about their jobs just like normal. Never mind the cashier’s weird ex boyfriend who seems to want to fight everyone; you see the employees are turning up dead. Well pieces of them anyway, scattered throughout the entire store.

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Vault Note

Proof that the graveyard shift really does mean graveyard.

Programmer's Pick

Intruder slices into the late-shift drudgery of supermarket work and serves up a bloody basket of bodies instead of bargains. With Scott Spiegel at the helm and a cast full of cult-favorite faces, this is one retail gig with a grisly employee discount.

— SassyFlix Programmer
Quick Answer
What is Intruder about?

Intruder is a 1989 American horror-thriller film directed by Scott Spiegel about a supermarket night crew whose shift turns deadly when employees begin turning up dead after the arrival of a cashier’s vengeful ex-boyfriend.

Synopsis

A supermarket closes and the workers begin restocking the shelves for the next day. Craig - the ex-boyfriend of cashier Jennifer - appears and the two quarrel. Worried about her friend, Linda presses her panic button. Co-owner Bill shows up and a fight ensues. Craig escapes onto the shop floor. The night crew set out to track him down while Jennifer calls the police. When they find Craig, there is another scuffle. He is ejected from the building and disappears into the night.

The owners gather the night crew to announce that they are selling the store and the staff will soon lose their job. The employees are assigned to mark down all the stock in preparation for the close. Craig makes telephone calls to the store, upsetting Jennifer. The police arrive but do little help and just tell the group to be careful.

After finishing her shift, Linda is stabbed by an unseen assailant. Bill spots someone trying to enter through the back door and gets out to investigate. He finds Craig watching Jennifer through the bathroom window and is rendered unconscious.

Back in the store, the killer begins to brutally murder the employees and scatters their severed body parts around in the store. Noticing that everyone seems to have vanished, Jennifer investigates and discovers several bodies and body parts in the storerooms. Terrified, she is attacked by the killer but manages to escape back to the shop floor. Hearing someone at the door, she tries to draw their attention, but the person has left by the time she gets there. Craig grabs her, but she beats him with a meat hook.

Bill then staggers in. Claiming that Craig attacked him outside the store, he proceeds to call the police. Jennifer notices Bill's hands are covered in blood and realizes that he is the killer. Bill tells her that he couldn't let his partner sell the store, so he killed him and got carried away killing everyone. Bill attacks Jennifer and chases her around the locked building. A delivery man appears outside, but Bill kills him before Jennifer can get his attention. Bill re-enters the building and stalks Jennifer again. Craig tells Jennifer he saw Bill killing Linda, and that he climbed into the building through the bathroom window to save her. Bill appears and bludgeons Craig while Jennifer flees.

Crawling out the bathroom window, she tries to escape in her car but finds Linda's body inside. Bill grabs her legs and pulls Jennifer under the car, but she stabs him with a knife. She heads to a phone booth to call the police, but Bill reappears and starts to smash the booth to get at her. He topples the phone booth over and traps her, but Craig appears and brutally damages him with a meat cleaver.

When the police arrive, one of the policemen finds the carnage in the store. The severely injured Bill claims that Jennifer and Craig are responsible for the attack. The policemen ignore their protests and arrest them. Bill suddenly opens his eyes as Jennifer screams, leaving all of their fates unknown. 
Details & Specs
Director
Scott Spiegel
Writers
Scott Spiegel, Lawrence Bender
Release
1989
Runtime
1h 28m
Also Known As
Night Crew AUS, Night Crew: The Final Checkout, Intruder

Why Cult

Supermarket Slasher Setting

The film transforms an everyday grocery store into a labyrinth of terror, making aisles and stockrooms the perfect hunting ground.

Cult Cast Including Raimi Brothers

Spot Sam and Ted Raimi among the night crew, adding a meta touch for fans of horror’s behind-the-scenes royalty.

Inventive Gore

Employees don’t just clock out—they get carved up, with body parts scattered throughout the store in creative, gruesome fashion.

Workplace Horror with a Twist

Layoffs are the least of this staff's worries when their closing shift turns into a pulse-pounding fight for survival.

Trailer

Questions from the Vault

What is Intruder about? +

Intruder is a 1989 horror-thriller where supermarket night staff are hunted after hours by a mysterious killer, sparked by a cashier's ex-boyfriend returning to the store.

Who directed Intruder? +

Intruder was directed by Scott Spiegel.

How long is Intruder? +

Intruder has a runtime of 88 minutes.

What genre is Intruder? +

Intruder is a horror and thriller film.

When was Intruder released? +

Intruder was released in 1989.