The basic story for THE MUTILATOR (or "Fall Break" as it says onscreen) is pretty average for an early 80's slasher movie, but what makes the film so memorable is its off-beat tone and then the sudden explosion of shocking violence during the second half. The gaff scene in the garage actually had me say "What the fuck?!" out loud. It was awesome!
Odd pacing, an up-beat theme song that's played at least three times, less than stellar acting (but in a good way), lots of weird facial expressions, 80's fashions, one badly shot topless scene, an illogical reason for the killings, one dude staring at the camera, a short blooper reel played during the closing credits and a few characters that are so chaste that they would be more at home in a Christian movie. (I don't think the Christians financed any slasher movies during the 1980's, but God, that would have been magnificent.)
THE MUTILATOR might not be as bad ass as other old-budget 80's horror oddities like THE NAIL GUN MASSACRE or THE ABOMINATION, but it's still a fun ride. Recommended.
