Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Graphic
- gruesome
- tense
- campy
- late night horror marathon
- slasher double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an amateurish and conventional slasher whose main appeal lies in its explicit, inventive gore.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The teenagers gather at their father's beach house on Atlantic Beach, where the disappearances and murders unfold.
Critical reception repeatedly identifies the film's blood effects and creatively gruesome killings as its defining strength.
Ed Jr.'s childhood accidental killing of his mother and his father's mysterious disappearance establish the family's violent backstory.
The film follows a group of college youths on a Fall Break beach vacation facing a hidden maniac, matching established slasher conventions.
Films like The Mutilator, and why
The Prowler
shared 1980s slasher structure, isolated vacation setting, teen protagonists, and explicit gore
The House on Sorority Row
shared beachside vacation setting, college-age victims, mystery killer, and splatter effects
The Burning
shared teen slasher conventions, seasonal getaway setting, and escalating practical gore
Madman
shared formulaic 1980s slasher storytelling, isolated leisure setting, and inventive kill scenes
Movie Details
- Director
- Buddy Cooper
- Release Date
- 1985-01-04
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Rating
- 5.0 / 10 (142)
Cast
- Matt Mitler
- Ruth Martinez
- Bill Hitchcock
- Connie Rogers
- Frances Sherman
- Morey Lampley
- Jack Chatham
- Ben Moore
- Trace Cooper
- Pamela Weddle Cooper
Common questions
- What is The Mutilator about?
- A beach-house getaway becomes a blood-soaked slasher nightmare when a troubled family past resurfaces around a vanished father.
- What is The Mutilator like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Mutilator as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Mutilator violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Mutilator as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Mutilator?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an amateurish and conventional slasher whose main appeal lies in its explicit, inventive gore.
- Which films are like The Mutilator?
- Films with a similar feel include The Prowler, The House on Sorority Row, The Burning, and Madman.
- How long is The Mutilator?
- The Mutilator runs 86 minutes.
