Blu-ray Review; THE MUTILATOR (1984)

THE MUTILATOR
Directed by  Buddy Cooper, John Douglass
Distributed by Arrow Video / MVD Entertainment Group

  As many of you know, growing up as a child in the 1980's, I am a huge fan of 80's slasher films.   I was lucky to grow up during the best years of the slasher genre and got a chance to watch many of these great films from the 5 for $5 movie rental place which was just a bike ride away from my house.  While I have seen most of these classic 80's slashers, I still find from time to time a film I have always heard of, but never have seen.   THE MUTILATOR is one of those films.  I'm not sure how, but somehow I always missed this one growing up.   Thankfully I have remedied that now, thanks to the amazing folks at Arrow Video and MVD Distribution.   Here is the basic plot of film from the MVD website:

  BY SWORD. BY PICK. BY AXE. BYE BYE. Although the slasher film was in decline by the mid-1980s, there were still some grisly delights to be had... and they don't come much grislier than writer-director Buddy Cooper's sickening stalk-and-slash classic The Mutilator! When Ed receives a message from his father asking him to go and lock up the family's beach condo for the winter, it seems like the perfect excuse for an alcohol-fuelled few days away with his friends. After all, his dad has forgiven him for accidentally blowing mom away with a shotgun several years ago... hasn't he? But no sooner are the teens on the island than they find themselves stalked by a figure with an axe (and a hook, and an onboard motor) to grind... Originally entitled Fall Break (watch out for the incongruous theme song of the same name!), The Mutilator has earned a reputation amongst horror fans as one of the 'holy grails' of 80s splatter mayhem due to its highly inventive (and not to say, decidedly gruesome) kill sequences, courtesy of FX wizard Mark Shostrom (Videodrome, Evil Dead II). Finally making its long-awaited bow in High-Definition, The Mutilator has returned to terrorize a whole new generation of horror fans!

  Now the first thing you might notice when you watch this film is the acting.  I have to admit it is pretty atrocious.  Even by bad 80's horror movie acting standards!  Ha!  But, I don't think that will keep you from enjoying this film by any means.  It has too much going for it.  We all know what we are here for and that is the great kills and gore, so I'm happy to say that this film delivers on both of those aspects.  One thing I love about 80's films are the practical gore effects.  Back then there was no choice of practical vs. CG effects,  which is an excellent thing in my opinion.  Nothing beats the look of practical effects, which is one reason these old films always hold up better to me than newer films with flimsy CG blood and gore.

  Arrow Video always does a spectacular job with their presentations, both with the films themselves and with the Blu-ray packaging.   The brand new 2K restoration looks amazing for such an old film.   Like most all of Arrow releases, THE MUTILATOR comes with reversible cover art and a booklet telling you all about the film.  It really doesn't get any better than Arrow Video releases in my opinion....to me they have set the bar for other distribution companies to aim for.

THE MUTILATOR is available now on Blu-ray from Arrow Video and MVD Distribution and as always, Arrow Video has loaded down this release with tons of amazing special features including the following:

*  Brand new 2K restoration of the unrated version from original vault materials
*  High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
*  Original mono 1.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray
*  Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
*  Introduction to the film with writer-director Buddy Cooper and assistant special make-up effects artist/assistant editor Edmund Ferrell
*  Audio Commentary with Cooper, Ferrell, co-director John Douglass and star Matt Mitler
*  Audio Commentary with Buddy Cooper and star Ruth Martinez Tutterow
*  Fall Breakers: The Story of The Mutilator - brand new feature-length documentary on the making of the splatter classic featuring interviews with Cooper, Douglass, Ferrell, Mitler, actors Bill Hitchcock, Jack Chatham and more
*  Mutilator Memories - special make-up effects artist Mark Shostrom looks back at one of his earliest projects
*  Tunes for the Dunes - composer Michael Minard reveals how The Mutilator's unique score was created
*  Behind-the-Scenes Reel
*  Screen Tests
*  Alternate Opening Titles
*  Trailers and TV Spots
*  'Fall Break' Theme Song (Original and Instrumental Versions)
*  Opening Sequence Storyboards
*  Motion Stills Gallery
*  Original Fall Break Screenplay (BD/DVD-ROM content)
*  Reversible sleeve featuring two original artworks


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray