The Mutilator (1985)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Buddy Cooper

Writer:

Buddy Cooper (writer)

Release Date:

January 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Their horrifying vacation was no day at the beach!

Plot:

A teenager who accidentally committed matricide finds himself being hunted together with his girlfriend and mates by his now crazed father.

Plot Keywords:

Teenager | Beach | Axe | Slitting Throat On Child | Weapon

Cast

Matt Mitler	...	Ed Jr.
Ruth Martinez	...	Pam
Bill Hitchcock	...	Ralph
Connie Rogers	...	Sue
Frances Raines	...	Linda
Morey Lampley	...	Mike
Jack Chatham	...	Jack Sr.
Ben Moore	...	Cop
Trace Cooper	...	Younger Ed Jr.
Pamela Weddle Cooper	...	Mother
Jimmy Guthrie	...	Bartender
George Sutton	...	Gentleman At Bar
Steve Davis	...	Student In Bar
Tom Outlaw	...	Student In Bar
Pat Jordon	...	Student In Bar

Also Known As:

Fall Break

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Australia:R (cut) | Sweden:15 (heavily cut) | UK:18 (cut) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, USA

Trivia:

In the script Big Ed was suppose to be killed when he is ripped in two by a turnstile bridge, but the stunt was deemed too dangerous and the death scene was re-written.

Quotes:

Ed Jr.: That's strange. My dad’s battleaxe is missing.

It's aptly titled, at the least.

(** out of *****)

The goofy opening credits sequence (and the cheesy `Fall Break' theme song that plays over this sequence) almost tricks you into thinking this is just another one of those cheapo ‘80s teen comedies where a bunch of dumb kids go to the beach and screw around. But don't be fooled -- this is actually just another one of those cheapo ‘80s teen slashers where a bunch of dumb kids go to the beach and screw around and get brutally slaughtered by a homicidal maniac. You see, one of the dumb kids (Matt Mitler) accidentally shot his mother in the back with a shotgun when he was a little boy and his alcoholic, big-game hunter father (John Chatham) never forgave him for it. So, ten or so years later, the dysfunctional old man asks his son to lock up the beach condo for the winter, but only so he can take out his revenge on his son and his son's friends with antique battle axes, big fishing gaffs, chainsaws, butcher knives, etc. (talk about holding a grudge!) There is some mild suspense here and there, but the only things that really distinguish this overly familiar killer thriller are some pretty graphic gore effects. Otherwise, the directing and editing are poorer than usual, and the acting is not quite on the same level as, say, `Glengarry Glen Ross' (but, I suppose that's to be expected, right?) It starts to pick up quite a bit in the climax, with the mad dad still chopping away at state troopers with his ax -- even with the lower half of his body missing! They actually have a bloopers reel running during the end credits (like in the "Cannonball Run" movies).

Lowlight: In one scene of such artistic beauty and vivid cinematography that it rivals anything by Bertolucci or Herzog, a female victim is hoisted up by a steel hook through her crotch and savagely beheaded.