THE DRILLER KILLER

Artist Reno Miller and his girlfriend Carol enter a Catholic church and approach his estranged, derelict father. The derelict seizes Reno's hand, causing him and Carol to flee from the church. Unknown to Reno, his father slipped him a piece of paper. The father requests a meeting with Reno. Reno denies knowing the homeless man.

Later, at his apartment, Reno receives an electricity bill and a phone bill, both of which he cannot pay along with his monthly apartment rental fee. He shares the apartment with Carol, a former flight attendant, and her drug-addicted lesbian lover, Pamela. The apartment is in a derelict-filled neighborhood in Union Square. Reno visits Dalton, an art gallery owner, and announces he is currently painting a masterpiece. Reno asks for a week's extension and a $500 loan to cover the rent. However, Dalton refuses, saying he has already lent Reno enough money. However, if Reno finishes a satisfactory painting in a week, Dalton will buy it for the agreed amount.

The following day, a rock band called the Roosters begins practicing in a nearby apartment, leaving Reno unnerved and frustrated. At 2:00 in the morning, Reno becomes agitated by the music while painting. After a vision of his blood-saturated image, Reno goes for a walk. He sees an elderly homeless man sleeping in an alley, seizes him, and begins ranting. Reno ducks into the alley with the man, where they see teenage gang members chasing another homeless person. When the gang members are gone from sight, Reno drops the man to the ground and walks away, vowing that he will not end up like a derelict.

The next day, Reno complains to their landlord about the Roosters. However, the landlord refuses to take action because the music does not bother him. He demands the rent money and gives Reno a skinned rabbit for dinner. Reno takes the rabbit home, repeatedly stabbing it during the preparation. During a reprieve from the music, Reno hears voices calling his name and has a vision of Carol with her eyes gouged out.

That night, Reno leaves his apartment and heads outside, armed with a power drill connected to a portable battery pack. He discovers a homeless man inside an abandoned building and kills him. The following evening, Reno, Carol, and Pamela see Tony Coca-Cola and the Roosters at a nightclub. As the Roosters play, Reno becomes irritated by the music and crowd and leaves while Carol and Pamela dance and kiss.

Reno returns to his apartment, grabs his drill, and goes out on a killing spree. Throughout the night, Reno kills homeless people all over the city before returning home to sleep.

Later, Tony visits Reno's apartment to ask Reno to paint a portrait of him. In exchange, Tony agrees to Reno's demand of $500 to cover his overdue rent. As Reno paints, Tony poses by playing his guitar and kissing Pamela. Reno later kills an upset, transient man in a nearby alley. Afterward, Reno completes his painting, then wakes and notifies Pamela and Carol.

The next day, Reno and Carol show the painting to Dalton, who leaves after declaring it "unacceptable." Carol yells at Reno for sitting with a blank expression, which leads her to leave Reno for her ex-husband, Stephen, the following day. That evening, Reno calls Dalton and invites him to see another painting. When Dalton arrives as the Roosters are practicing, a dressed-up Reno kills him with his drill. After visiting the Roosters, Pamela returns to the apartment where, upon the discovery of Dalton's body inside, she flees into the hallway before Reno grabs her.

Across town, Carol is back with Stephen at his apartment. She takes a shower while Stephen prepares tea. Reno enters the apartment, kills Stephen, and then hides his body behind a kitchen counter. After her shower, Carol walks to the bedroom, where Reno hides under the bedcovers. She turns off the lights, gets into bed, and then tells Stephen to "come here," not knowing Reno is inside her bed.

Reno’s psychological breakdown culminates in a spree of violent murders, targeting the city's homeless with his power drill. The film concludes ambiguously, leaving Reno’s ultimate fate unresolved.

The ambiguous ending underlines the collapse of Reno’s psyche and the corrosive effects of isolation, poverty, and creative failure. By refusing to offer clear resolution, Ferrara forces viewers to confront the instability of both the character and the world around him. The lack of closure amplifies the film’s urban nightmare and cements its status as a cult artifact of exploitation cinema.