‘Mutilator 2’ FrightFest 2024 Review: A Short But Relentlessly Gruesome Partygoing Slasher
Fans of The Mutilator have waited four decades for a sequel, and while Mutilator 2 won’t be remembered as the best the horror genre has to offer, it still delivers the goods. Director Buddy Cooper returned to helm the long-awaited sequel after staying out of the director’s chair since the original’s release in 1984. Despite not directing anything for years, he certainly hasn’t lost his touch when it comes to delivering absurdly gruesome horror pictures.
The plot follows actors from the original Mutilator film reunited to shoot a new movie in a secluded seaside location. And of course, there’s an elusive killer prowling in the shadows. The cast generally seemed to be trying their best, and there were many instances in which they discussed their careers since the first Mutilator film. Terry Kiser was particularly entertaining as one of the older actors involved with the film, while Cody Renee Cameron, Eva Hamilton, and Marco Reese Maldonado were also on top form as his younger colleagues.
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The vast majority of Mutilator 2 takes place during the film’s wrap party by a beach, with the cast and crew members being killed whenever they wander off. The kills were no doubt creative, as we see people being impaled, flayed, and dismembered, with the practical gore effects being just as gratuitously outrageous as you would expect. There’s even a fun sequence in which several partygoers accidentally kill one of their injured colleagues while trying to help her. Maybe call for help next time, kids.
Since the bulk of the film occurs throughout the party, the imagery gets a bit repetitive. However, it was also amusing to see a partygoer in the film cosplaying as Art the Clown. It seems the Terrifier franchise is now iconic enough to be referenced in other slasher films.
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On the other hand, the jokes featured in the film were often hit-and-miss, and the filmmakers at times seemed to be so desperate to leave audience members laughing that they forgot to deliver the punchlines. A gag about a sleazy producer who finds himself with a prosthetic head glued to his crotch after he attempts to have intercourse with a woman who works in the props department was funny enough. But there was also an apparent joke about the police officer investigating the murder of the central film’s director being named Columbo (Damian Maffei). Some jokes will have you laughing, and others will leave you scratching your head. And if you haven’t seen the original Mutilator, you’ll probably be confused by the endless references and callbacks.
Mutilator 2 runs for just 82 minutes, with behind-the-scenes footage of the cast played throughout the end credits to pad out the runtime. Viewers are in for a decidedly short and spectacularly violent viewing experience. As with the original, Mutilator 2 is certainly no masterpiece. But fans who appreciate low-budget slasher films for what they are without expecting to witness anything Oscar-worthy are in for a great time. It may not be Citizen Kane, but Mutilator 2 still has plenty of its own brand of greatness to offer horror fans.
Summary
“: It may not be the very best the genre has to offer, but Mutilator 2 was still a satisfyingly gruesome and sometimes hilarious slasher film which never overstayed its welcome.
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