Originally entitled "Fall Break" but changed due to marketing advice based on the time of its release, The Mutilator is a Slasher, like others in the sub-genre that has generated a cult following. The film's director, Buddy Cooper, wanted desperately to make his own film – he did not have any prior film-making experience. Initially working with a budget of $80,000, he soon realized that money was disappearing quickly so he worked with the bank and took out another loan in addition to maxing out two credit cards. The grand total that was spent on the film would tally up to $450,000, giving insight to fans of cinema on how much time and money goes into making a movie. It's a shame that the outcome of The Mutilator isn't more memorable. In my opinion, it becomes lost among several of its kind. The short answer lies in the fact that Buddy Cooper did not undergo a mission to produce a horror movie in particular; just a movie in general. It seems as though the genre as a whole is a playground for inexperienced individuals. It's no surprise that the Slasher genre most of all is a wasteland of excuse- to-make-a-film entries.
The story opens with a young boy named Ed, who, for his father's birthday, takes it upon himself to clean the gun cabinet. After removing one of the rifles from the protective encasement, Ed aims it at the kitchen door and pulls the trigger; blasting his mother in the spine, resulting in a fatal injury. Shortly thereafter, Ed's father comes home and witnesses the accursed scene – slapping the boy across the face. He proceeds to sink down upon the floor while staring out blankly until the police arrive. The film shifts focus to many years later during Ed's college years. Ed and a group of friends are looking for a good time during Fall break until an opportunity arises – Ed's father notifies him after several years of estrangement to meet up at a secluded beach house. Ed and the gang embark on a journey to spend a couple of fun-filled days at the house but reality's grim expression rears its head – Ed's father suffers from psychological issues pertaining to the death of his wife many years earlier. He has chosen to blame Ed for the accidental shooting and viciously murder his friends singlehandedly.
It's fitting that we should discuss the opening credits early on in this review – they're uninspiring. This is compounded with the visage of a hideous-looking, color-by-numbers title card. The affair reminds me of the opening segments of an episode of Bosom Buddies or some other comparable '80s sitcom. At one point there's a freeze-framed shot then quickly snapped back into action as one of the characters mouths off a funny one-liner. Oh, that Ralph! He's so zany! This probably stands as one of corniest methods to a horror film that I've ever seen. It goes to show Cooper's inexperience as a film director to think that this sort of cheese would fly. The opening song is entitled "Fall Break" for reasons listed above – it exists in limited copies on record that are currently collecting dust in Buddy Cooper's garage.
The death sequences are largely looked at as being original, credited to the various murderous devices. I've seen far too many Slasher films from this era to praise this film for any sort of ingenuity. The lead special effects makeup artist on the set, Mark Shostrom, displayed his talents wonderfully despite how unoriginal the death sequences are. Shostrom has an impressive resume and his relevance and contribution to horror is equally praise-worthy.
The players in The Mutilator were unknown semi-professionals in 1985 and currently still are (in terms of acting, of course). The film was shot on location at Atlantic Beach, North Carolina so some of the acting talent was picked up locally. The lead actor who plays Ed, Matt Mitler, is easily the best one of the lot but the span of his acting career was a short one. The biggest issue I had was how ridiculously over-sold the death pantomimes were they are truly appalling. One character in particular is surprised by a chainsaw and shredded by its rotating blades. His death rattle and violent seizures are spastically similar to a drunken bar patron riding a mechanical bull. Essentially, the crew of The Mutilator would go on to have successful careers while the actors, and especially the director, would fade into obscurity. A similar fate besieged numerous fledgling thespians at the height of the Slasher era.
I had the pleasure of watching the unrated version of The Mutilator; a copy that is highly sought after because a censored version, known as the VIPCO copy, is still running amok in the horror card catalog. According to an interview I watched with Buddy Cooper, conducted in 2008, there are several segments of cut footage that do not exist on any known copy. Code Red, a film distribution company, has announced a few years ago that a new DVD release is in production. As of 2010, fans of The Mutilator are still waiting.
What's left to be said about The Mutilator? The first half of the film is paced so dreadfully slow that no amount of gory pay-off is worth the trouble. The carnage is well done for what it is; a sentiment that should repeat itself for miles. Unfortunately Cooper and the gang managed to output another typical, clichéd, re-hasher, that's only likable to the underground crowds who fully acknowledge that it sucks - which, if you think about it, seems a lot like showing interest in something only because it seems cool to do so. The Mutilator is garbage top-tiered garbage. If you enjoy trash for what it is like other "Fall Break" supporters, you may find what you've been looking for.
The story opens with a young boy named Ed, who, for his father's birthday, takes it upon himself to clean the gun cabinet. After removing one of the rifles from the protective encasement, Ed aims it at the kitchen door and pulls the trigger; blasting his mother in the spine, resulting in a fatal injury. Shortly thereafter, Ed's father comes home and witnesses the accursed scene – slapping the boy across the face. He proceeds to sink down upon the floor while staring out blankly until the police arrive. The film shifts focus to many years later during Ed's college years. Ed and a group of friends are looking for a good time during Fall break until an opportunity arises – Ed's father notifies him after several years of estrangement to meet up at a secluded beach house. Ed and the gang embark on a journey to spend a couple of fun-filled days at the house but reality's grim expression rears its head – Ed's father suffers from psychological issues pertaining to the death of his wife many years earlier. He has chosen to blame Ed for the accidental shooting and viciously murder his friends singlehandedly.
It's fitting that we should discuss the opening credits early on in this review – they're uninspiring. This is compounded with the visage of a hideous-looking, color-by-numbers title card. The affair reminds me of the opening segments of an episode of Bosom Buddies or some other comparable '80s sitcom. At one point there's a freeze-framed shot then quickly snapped back into action as one of the characters mouths off a funny one-liner. Oh, that Ralph! He's so zany! This probably stands as one of corniest methods to a horror film that I've ever seen. It goes to show Cooper's inexperience as a film director to think that this sort of cheese would fly. The opening song is entitled "Fall Break" for reasons listed above – it exists in limited copies on record that are currently collecting dust in Buddy Cooper's garage.
The death sequences are largely looked at as being original, credited to the various murderous devices. I've seen far too many Slasher films from this era to praise this film for any sort of ingenuity. The lead special effects makeup artist on the set, Mark Shostrom, displayed his talents wonderfully despite how unoriginal the death sequences are. Shostrom has an impressive resume and his relevance and contribution to horror is equally praise-worthy.
The players in The Mutilator were unknown semi-professionals in 1985 and currently still are (in terms of acting, of course). The film was shot on location at Atlantic Beach, North Carolina so some of the acting talent was picked up locally. The lead actor who plays Ed, Matt Mitler, is easily the best one of the lot but the span of his acting career was a short one. The biggest issue I had was how ridiculously over-sold the death pantomimes were they are truly appalling. One character in particular is surprised by a chainsaw and shredded by its rotating blades. His death rattle and violent seizures are spastically similar to a drunken bar patron riding a mechanical bull. Essentially, the crew of The Mutilator would go on to have successful careers while the actors, and especially the director, would fade into obscurity. A similar fate besieged numerous fledgling thespians at the height of the Slasher era.
I had the pleasure of watching the unrated version of The Mutilator; a copy that is highly sought after because a censored version, known as the VIPCO copy, is still running amok in the horror card catalog. According to an interview I watched with Buddy Cooper, conducted in 2008, there are several segments of cut footage that do not exist on any known copy. Code Red, a film distribution company, has announced a few years ago that a new DVD release is in production. As of 2010, fans of The Mutilator are still waiting.
What's left to be said about The Mutilator? The first half of the film is paced so dreadfully slow that no amount of gory pay-off is worth the trouble. The carnage is well done for what it is; a sentiment that should repeat itself for miles. Unfortunately Cooper and the gang managed to output another typical, clichéd, re-hasher, that's only likable to the underground crowds who fully acknowledge that it sucks - which, if you think about it, seems a lot like showing interest in something only because it seems cool to do so. The Mutilator is garbage top-tiered garbage. If you enjoy trash for what it is like other "Fall Break" supporters, you may find what you've been looking for.