Table of Contents
Today’s movie is a meta-sequel to a forty-one year old slasher movie. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I think I narrowed down who it is for. Check out my quick review below, and keep reading for some daily trivia.
Movie of the Day: Mutilator 2
The Mutilator (also known as Fall Break) from 1984 has never been one of my favorite slasher movies, but I like it fine. Well, I enjoy it enough to own it on Blu-ray. And I enjoy it enough to have gotten moderately excited when I heard about a sequel. The extended wait for its eventual release cooled my excitement quite a bit, and that’s probably a good thing. Mutilator 2 is decently fun at times, but it definitely made for a very specific demographic of horror fan.
Mutilator 2 exists in a world where The Mutilator (1984) is just a movie. As this movie begins, we see a tiny film crew shooting a remake of The Mutilator. Production is nearing its end, and a wrap party/horror convention is planned. A few actors from the original movie have been invited to attend (Ruth Martinez and Bill Hitchcock play themselves, and Terry Kiser plays Jack Chatham who played the killer in the 1984 film). As the party happens, a mysterious killer brutally murders a bunch of people.
The best parts of Mutilator 2 are the kills. They’re extremely low budget and unrealistic, but they’re fun. There’s a good amount of blood, and very little CGI. The first kill happens fairly early in the movie, and it’s a good indicator of what to expect from the entire production. Goofy kills with lots of close-ups on the supremely cheesy gore.
My biggest issue is that besides the first kill, the rest of the murders all happen near the end of the movie. That’s not necessarily a problem by itself. It’s what fills the rest of the time that I couldn’t get into. Mutilator 2 is a comedy. It’s a silly comedy that goes on long tangents for jokes that often aren’t very funny. When the wrap party starts, it’s like the movie turns into a sketch comedy show. It’s just joke after joke. I enjoy comedies, but the humor here just isn’t for me. So, since that killing only takes up about a third of the film’s run time, and since that’s the only part I really enjoyed, I only kind of liked Mutilator 2.
Star Rating: 2 out of 5 (kind of bad)
Despite rating the movie rather low, I’ll probably watch Mutilator 2 again someday. I adore slashers, even bad ones, so it’s definitely something I’d buy if I saw it on DVD or Blu-ray. So, that very specific demographic I mentioned this movie is made for? It’s me. I’m that demographic, and so are other people who love slashers regardless of how good or bad they are. Mutilator 2 is streaming as a digital rental on Prime Video.
Birthdays
Robert De Niro was born on August 17th, 1943. Though not primarily known for horror, he’s brought some terrifying characters to life. Most notably, De Niro played Max Cady in Cape Fear (1991). He also played the Creature in the 1994 version of Frankenstein, and he was the devilish Louis Cyphre in Angel Heart (1987).
Taissa Farmiga was born on August 17th, 1994. Taissa’s best horror movie is The Final Girls (2015) in which she starred as Max Cartwright, the daughter of a scream queen who finds herself trapped inside one of the mother’s slasher movies. Taissa is also part of the Conjuring Universe, appearing as Irene in The Nun (2018) and The Nun II (2023).
Donnie Wahlberg is also celebrating a birthday today. Born on August 17th, 1969, Donnie is best known in horror for his recurring role in the Saw franchise as detective Eric Matthews. He also memorably played a small role at the beginning of The Sixth Sense (1999) as the man who breaks into Malcolm’s home.
Events on This Day
The Exorcist III was released in theaters on August 17th, 1990. The film follows the character William Kinderman, the detective from the original film who became involved in Regan’s possession while investigating the death of Burke Dennings. Years later, Kinderman (played by George C. Scott) is working a strange case involving murders that appear to be committed by a deceased killer when he discovers a connection to an old friend from 15 years ago. The Exorcist III is streaming on Shudder.
More movies released on August 17:
- Cry of the Werewolf (1944)
- The Soul of a Monster (1944)
- Ghoulies IV (video, 1994)
- The Invasion (2007)
- ParaNorman (2012)
Thank you once again for reading. Are there any less popular slasher movies you’d like to see get the remake/sequel treatment? Next year is the 20th anniversary of Wrestlemaniac, so that’s my pick.
