Robert Chipman
Welcome to this column dedicated to my appreciation of physical media supplements called: Feature Presentations. The goal of this column is not to say whether a film is good or bad and worth picking up or not—I would like to highlight the discs that go the extra mile and provide film fans with enough tasty tidbits to satisfy even the hungriest of cinephiles. With all that out of the way, today’s article will focus on The Mutilator from Arrow Video.
The 1980s were a time like no other for the horror genre. Stepping out of the ’70s—in the shadows of such classics as The Exorcist, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Alien, and John Carpenter‘s Halloween, just to name a few, the 1980s had big shoes to fill. Not to say that the ’80s didn’t try, but this decade took a decidedly different route.
When Friday the 13th hit cinemas in 1980, horror as people knew it changed. Smooth camera work, Oscar-nominated acting, and reliance on suspense gave way to quick and cheap scares emphasizing more on gore and nudity. And there is nothing wrong with this shift in focus. In a way, it evolved horror to a new level yet seen and exposed kids of a specific generation to the shocks and thrills that those kids, like myself, hold dearly.
As horror films got pumped out cheaply and quickly, the theaters became inundated with the latest cinematic offering almost weekly. From the various sequels to cheap knock-offs, one might be remiss if they lose track of all the horror films gracing theaters. Not every cinematic offering could be A Nightmare on Elm Street or Child’s Play. For every box office sensation or critical darling, there were ten films that flew under the radar. One of the many that fall into the latter category is Buddy Cooper’s 1984 slasher, The Mutilator.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a bunch of fun-loving and horny kids head out for a weekend of fun only to be picked off one by one by a deranged killer. What’s the hook? Instead of a cabin in the woods, they’re at a beachfront condo. Red herrings are nowhere to be found as we know who the killer is as soon as the slashings begin. And, although a condo may not be the sexiest location, the film is elevated thanks to its likable cast and competent direction from Cooper. Add all of these up, and you get a mid-80s slasher that, while not reinventing the wheel, is an enjoyable good time.
Even if The Mutilator doesn’t reside within the pantheons of classic slasher films, Arrow Video stepped up and gave the film a worthwhile Blu-ray/DVD physical media release.
Kicking things off, Arrow Video provided the release with reversible artwork. On one side, you get the theatrical print under the title of The Mutilator, while the opposite features the film’s original title, Fall Break. While not a “break the bank” feature, having the option to showcase the movie under its original moniker is a welcome feature.
Before playing the film, you can play the disc with or without an introduction from writer/director Buddy Cooper and makeup effects artist/assistant editor Ed Ferrell. Running about a minute, Ferrell briefly explains the cuts necessitated by the MPAA to get an R rating, and Cooper explaining the lack of film elements. The introduction is skippable as you can find what’s discussed elsewhere on the disc.
Getting into the heart of the release, Arrow Video includes two feature-length audio commentaries. The first features Cooper and lead actress Ruth Martinez Tutterow. The first thing I have to state is listening to Cooper is a hoot. Thankfully, the man who came up with the idea for the film and is The Mutilator‘s creative force has plenty to say. He recounts how the genesis for the movie came about and the struggles that come with being a first-time filmmaker. He and Tutterow get along splendidly, rehashing stories from the set and exuding happiness and positivity as they discuss the film.
The second commentary features Cooper, actor Matt Mitler, Edmund Ferrell, and co-director John Douglass. When I saw that The Mutilator had a co-director, I assumed this was due to a troubled production. Thankfully, as detailed in the track, Douglass came aboard to assist Cooper, creating a collaborative spirit on set. Again, Cooper is a fun listen and allows the others in the discussion to offer their thoughts, opinions, and insights. Mitler discusses coming from New York to work on a production in North Carolina, Douglass’ job as co-director, and Ferrell chats about the film’s most notorious scene of violence. Between both commentaries, you will walk away knowing more than you’ll ever want to know about The Mutilator.
But hang on!
Arrow Video also includes a feature-length documentary, “Fall Breakers,” which traces the film’s history with many cast and crew members. Cooper, Mitler, Ferrell, Douglass, and Tutterow all return along with actors Bill Hitchcock and Jack Chatham, and others get their turns to shed more light on The Mutilator. The documentary helps shed further light on the behind-the-scenes with the film—even if some of it is covered elsewhere on the disc.
Bringing together more than just the top players, “Fall Breakers” is the type of documentary feature I crave and yearn for more physical media distributors to supply. Having Buddy Cooper there to lead The Mutilator‘s production journey is just the tip of the iceberg. Filled with on-camera interviews, production photos, and footage shot on set, “Fall Breakers” is a “warts-and-all” style documentary feature as told by those most familiar with the film. As someone unfamiliar with the film before diving into this Blu-ray, I understood the constant struggle the creative forces behind The Mutilator dealt with and the friendly camaraderie built amongst those associated with the production.
“Mutilator Memories” is an on-camera interview with special effects artist Mark Shostrom. Whenever you’re watching the supplemental material associated with a slasher film, one’s hope is there will be comments from the special effects guy. Thankfully, Shostrom is kind enough to sit down and detail his time working on The Mutilator. He discusses how he to Buddy Cooper’s radar, the split in makeup effects work between him and others on the production, and walks through some of the film’s notorious set pieces.
As with “Fall Breakers,” Shostrom is honest and thorough in his assessment during the film’s shoot. He discusses special effects challenges, including a kill that failed at the last minute, resulting in a new death sequence concocted moments before shooting. Shostrom also dishes on a gore sequence in which he claims full responsibility for its failure.
The interview isn’t all gloom and doom, dishing on failures. Shostrom speaks highly about Cooper providing all essentials needed to complete his portion of the project and mentions that The Mutilator is the best film experience in his 35-plus years in the industry.
“Tunes for the Dunes” is an interview with the film’s composer, Michael Minard. Over the course of the disc’s audio commentaries, Buddy Cooper mentions how he and Minard became collaborators. For this discussion, we hear how Minard recalls his time with the production. He details Cooper’s enthusiasm for crafting a feature film and how that excitement occasionally didn’t gel with his music-making process. He appreciates Cooper and all he did; his passion intermittently made the music-making process choppier than desired.
Minard also discusses his music history and how he brought in Artie Resnick to assist with the film’s catchy theme song. As with most associated with The Mutilator, Minard has positive memories overall. He reminisces about other productions he worked on and compares them with Buddy Cooper’s film and how the director and the North Carolina graciousness were just right for him.
There’s also a compilation of screen tests, funnily enough, most featuring Ben Moore, who plays the cop in the film. You also get glimpses of Matt Mitler, Ruth Martinez, and Bill Hitchcock, among others performing various scenes seen throughout the film. While screen tests aren’t for everyone, I always find watching these fascinating to see how the actors grew from these pre-production performances to the final cut.
A smattering of fly-on-the-wall behind-the-scenes recordings supplied by Buddy Cooper comes with the disc. The rough, VHS-quality footage features makeup tests, the cast and crew goofing around, shots from on set, and the final take filmed. I love movie productions, so I ate this up. There isn’t a narrative as the video is spliced together from various moments, so this feature will not be for anyone. If you enjoy what it’s like behind the camera and the nuances of film production, this feature is right up your alley. Everyone else, if this doesn’t sound appealing, it can probably be skipped.
Arrow Video also includes the storyboards for the film’s opening scene. The feature plays with the finished film’s sound effects and music and works well to translate the animatics to their finished form.
The film’s theme, “Fall Break,” gets its own feature. Arrow Video allows you to play the complete song or an instrumental version. I’m not sure I’ve seen an extra like this on a disc, but if you couldn’t get enough of the (admittedly) catchy theme, Arrow Video has you covered.
And speaking of the theme song, “Fall Break,” plays over a collection of stills gathered during the film’s production. There are plenty of behind-the-scenes shots to tide you over, but you might want to mute the song as, by now, you’ve probably had enough of “Fall Break.”
The disc comes to a close with a handful of marketing materials. You get the film’s trailer and television spots under both titles: The Mutilator and Fall Break. Arrow Video also includes two radio spots.
And there you have it! Wow, what a disc. Even though this release is over five years old, the number of features and love given to The Mutilator is hard to rival nowadays. Everything you could ever want to know about The Mutilator is here. And maybe even more than you could want. I don’t think I have to state that this Arrow Video release is the end-all-be-all for all things Mutilator, or Fall Break, if you will.
