The Mutilator (1985)
An OK Productions film
Written and Directed by Buddy Cooper
Music Score: Michael Minard
Cast: Matt Milter as Ed Jr.
Jack Chatham as Ed Sr.
Ruth Martinez as Pam
Frances Raines as Linda
Morey Lampley as Mike
Bill Hitchcock as Ralph
Connie Rogers as Sue
Opening Thoughts: The Mutilator is the start of my New Year's goal for 2019 and that is to own and eventually review every film Arrow Video distributes in the United States. With Barnes and Noble's 50 percent off Arrow sale this week and an additional 20 percent off using the code CHEEERS online. I am now down to 19 releases I am missing altogether.
The Mutilator marks my first purchase BluRay purchase of 2019 along with the 4K release of Bad Times at the El Royale. So I am starting my Ne Year's Resolution on the right foot. As far as the Mutilator goes, I don't know too much about the film other than it is a slasher film with what many horror fans consider one of the goriest scenes in the history of horror. I am not easily phased so let's see of the horror fans are right.
Plot: Ed Jr.'s father's birthday is today. Ed wants to give his father a special gift from the heart for his birthday. Ed decides to polish his dad's rifles that are in his dad's cabinet. Really what can go wrong with that? An unlocked gun cabinet that a young child can take out a rifle at anytime without adult supervision.
Ed Jr. in the process of cleaning his father's rifles shoots and kills his mom. Ed Sr. walks in shortly after melts down and chases his son off with a gun.
Fast forward to present day Ed Jr. is now in college and has a great group of friends Ralph the comedian, Mike the Jock, and Pam his girlfriend along with her friends Connie and Linda. Like all college students they are looking forward to Fall Break. The group just doesn't know what they want to do. That is until Ed's dad calls and asking that he goes to his beachfront condo for the weekend and prepare it for the winter.
Ed doesn't want to because he doesn't get along with his father very well, but his friends talk Ed into the trip. A weekend at a beachfront condo for fallbreak sounds great. That is until his friends arrive at the condo to find out Ed's dad is the Harbinger of Death for animals and enjoys the hunt.
Like any man who hunts just for the game, Ed Sr. has a wide variety of weapons at his disposal. While Ed Jr., sees nothing wrong with a weapon missing amongst his dad's collection. The others are afraid a person has broken had a party and stole some stuff.
The truth is scarier than they all think. They are now the game they just don't realize it.
Will they survive or be stuffed and mounted?
Review: The Mutilator is a very unique film in the slasher genre. Not because of the killer by any means or even that an event that leads a simple man to become a killer. All the normal things you would expect to see in a slasher film this film has. The unique aspect of this film is the small subtleties that could easily have made this film a romantic dramedy instead if the slasher was not in the film.
Those subtleties start with Michael Minard's score. The score for love scenes has elements of Burt Bacharach's score for Arthur making the mood very lighthearted and then comedic scenes has a bit of Ralph Burns's Vacation score. Honestly those subtle touches are a stroke of genius because you don't know when some of the deaths are going to happen because this style of music is on. Then the score suddenly switches to Manfredini style similar to Friday the 13th at the exact time death happens or the group realizes they are in danger. Leads to one or two moments that had me jumping out of my seat.
The other subtleties come from the cast who also play the film off as a light hearted comedy. Matt Milter as Ed Jr. perfectly plays the story teller comes across a little Keith Gordon like. Bill Hitchcock playing Ralph is my favorite character of the bunch. Ralph is the jokester of the bunch and comes across like Stifler always having fun likeable, but needs a slap every once in awhile to put him in his place. It's a shame this is Hitchcock's only role because I would have loved to see more of him in other films.
So the film does have alot going for it until you come to the slasher. While Ed Sr. is interesting in concept he just comes across a little boring I wish he had a little Billie Whitelaw in him to make him more menacing, but it is just not there. That is the downfall of this film I am not sure if it is Chatham's performance or a lack of writing and vision on Cooper's part.
However the film more than makes up Chatham's performance in gore value. There is one sequence that gives a whole new meaning to penetration. While some of the effects are unintentionally bad it adds a certain charm to the film that makes me warm inside.
Closing Thoughts: The Mutilator is far from perfect and not for everybody. If you love slasher films then you will love this film especially in a group setting. There is at least one scene that leaves you in a state of shock for a second.
I wish I could rate this film higher, but I can't the film is a solid 6.5/10 mainly because you wish for more from the slasher and a little more substance in the story. Yet it does get a 9 on the gore scale of 10.
Warning Do Not Watch This Film If You Plan of Having Sex that Night. The film is total buzzkill in that department.
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