Given how nit-picky movie fans are, we could no doubt argue about the definition of a cult movie. However, for the sake of this discussion, let's say that a cult film is a movie which is well-known to a select (not necessarily small) group of fans. But, what makes the movie well-known? It can be any number of things. Maybe it's the bizarre story. It could be shocking visuals. Perhaps it's odd vibe of the movie. Intruder is one those movies which gained a reputation because of who is in it and behind the camera. But, is the movie itself any good?

Intruder takes place in a supermarket. As the store is closing for the evening and the last customers leave, the employees get ready for their closing duties. Just as the doors are about to close, Jennifer (Elizabeth Cox) is accosted by her ex-boyfriend, Craig (David Byrnes), who has just been released from jail. After Craig leaves the store, store manager Danny (Eugene Glazer) and his assistant, Bill (Danny Hicks), announce that the store has been sold and will be closing soon. Not long after this, as everyone goes about stocking shelves and preparing for the next week, someone begins stalking and killing the employees one by one. The survivors realize that they are locked in the store with no way out and no way to contact the police.

However, those hoping for another Evil Dead 2 are in store for a letdown. For the most part, Intruder isn't a very good movie. It's just a slasher movie which arrived to the party a few years too late. Plot-wise, it's yet another gory murder-mystery slasher where we are treated to a group of stereotypical characters, red-herrings, and bloody murders. The plot twist revealing the murderer is especially silly, and it makes the viewer wonder if any of the rest of the movie was meant to be taken seriously. The only original element to the script comes in the final minute, where the movie takes an unexpected turn to the mean-spirited. The pacing is sluggish, and we quickly realize that we are just going to be waiting around to see who dies next and how it's going to happen.

As bad as that sounds, Intruder does have one thing going for it (besides the interesting cameos). Spiegel has done an incredible job shooting the movie. Even when compared to his colleague Sam Raimi, Spiegel comes across as a visual genius here. Shots come from incredibly creative places, such as inside of a phone or a shopping cart. It's as if Spiegel knew how lame the material was and that he had to make the visuals interesting in order to keep the audience from walking out. You can ignore the story (seriously, it's easy enough), but the movie is worth seeing for the visuals alone. But, one has to wonder why Spiegel didn't go on to bigger things. Yes, he's directed some other things, but the look of Intruder suggested someone who could be named in the same breath as other visual directors.

Intruder has an odd cameo by two actors from Green Acres on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Synapse Films. The film has been letterboxed at 1.85:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 30 Mbps. Given that this is a 22 year old low-budget movie, the image looks pretty good. The picture is sharp and clear, although it does show some mild grain. I didn't note any severe defects from the source material. The colors look OK, although they are somewhat muted at times. The picture is a tad dark at times. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 1.6 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. This is a nice stereo track as it offers intelligible dialogue, which is never overpowered by the music or sound effects. There are some good instances where obvious sounds come from the light or right channel.

The Intruder Blu-ray Disc contains several extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY with Writer/Director Scott Spiegel and Producer Lawrence Bender. "Slashed Prices: The Making of Intruder" (38 minutes) is a very detailed and nostalgic look at the production of the film. Through interviews with most Spiegel, Bender, and some cast members, we learn how a 8mm short grew into a feature film. There's no on-set footage, and no Sam Raimi, but Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell do appear in interviews here. This is one of those featurettes about an older movie where everyone is really honest, thus making it more entertaining. We get a 10-minute reel of "Extended Murder Sequences" taken from the original workprint, which contain extra gore. These are quite raw, with no music and we can hear Spiegel directing. This is followed by a 7-minute reel of footage from "Night Crew", the short film which preceded Intruder. Wow, Sam Raimi is so young! "The Slashing of Intruder" (3 minutes) has filmmaker Vincent Pereira reminiscing about seeing Intruder, and writing a fanzine about the movie and how Spiegel replied. "Original Cast Audition Footage" (11 minutes) shows seven of the actors trying out for their roles. (What? Sam Raimi didn't audition?) "Behind-the-Scenes Still Gallery" offers a plethora of images, many of them gore related. The final extras are the THEATRICAL TRAILE for Intruder and a TRAILER for "Night Crew".