The Hackers (1988) | Merits of Sin | Region-Free (DVD)

Title: The Hackers (1988)

Genre: Horror

Plot Synopsis:
Pa Hacker and his two mentally unstable sons, Arnie and Eldon, roam a rural lakeside community performing home repairs and odd jobs. When customers refuse to pay, the family responds with horrific violence. Their latest job brings them to a remote estate where a woman is staying alone—unaware of the bloody chaos that’s about to descend on her peaceful retreat.

Cast and Crew

• Director: John Duncan

• Writers: J. Samuels

• Cast:

  • Howard Coburn as Pa Hacker

  • Dale Caughel as Arnie Hacker

  • Steve Prichardo as Eldon Hacker

  • Michelle Rank as Marcie

  • Rich Hamilton as Dave

IMDb Link: The Hackers (1988) 

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. Gregory⛧Joseph – ★☆☆☆☆
   “Like TCM if there were ten-minute sequences of the Sawyer family fishing, admiring trains.”

2. systemter̵̮͝r̶̛͓̺̣̀̔ȏ̴͓͎̦̼̺̲̼̠̹̃́́̆͝͝ř̸̢͙̬͖̤̇̂ – ★☆☆☆☆
   “Low IQ, lower octane, unimpactful, geriatric, disinterested, and drowned out by nonsense noise. Feels like I’m watching a Republican barbecue.”

3. Tobias123 – ★★☆☆☆
   “Some fun kills, but this is really slow in parts. The scene on the playground is just bizarre.”

4. AnthonyHorror – ★★★☆☆
   “If you’re into backwoods horror and shot-on-video slashers, this is a weird little gem. Not good, but entertaining in its own way.”

5. VHSFreak1986 – ★★☆☆☆
   “The beer mug throat slash was the highlight. Everything else feels like filler between kill scenes.”

Meta Description:
A backwoods shot-on-video horror oddity from 1988, The Hackers follows a deranged family of handymen who turn unpaid home repairs into opportunities for murder. A must-see for fans of low-budget regional slashers.