(the following refers to the unrated VHS version of the film.)

The Mutilator

(Buddy Cooper; 1984)

(Vestron Video)

Ed and his friends travel to Ed’s father’s beach house after Ed’s father asks him to close it up, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to get away during school break. Unfortunately Ed’s Dad is a psychopath who lost his marbles after Ed accidentally shot and killed his mother when he was a wee lad. So obviously the thing to do is lure Ed and his friends to some deserted house and butcher them one by one. Right?

I decided to dust this one off seeing as it’s been several years since I watched it. Much to my delight this is a great little American slasher film that does it right. Sure, the plot is derivative and the film entertains every cliché in the book, and the music is absolutely atrocious. That being said, when the film wants to it has the atmosphere just right. And it’s delightfully gory. Stemming from the real heyday of the American slashers, The Mutilator  is certainly one of the better of them out there. Not a huge amount of T&A, but the grisly and imaginative death sequences make up for it in spades. Typical plot. Typical acting. Exceptional effects. Seek this one out, you’ll be glad you did.

Overall Score: 8.5

(Rating scale is out of 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 the best)