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By sword. By pick. By axe. Bye, Bye.

Bitchin’.

What was originally titled, “Fall Break” (and IYKYK, that intro song SLAPS), The Mutilator gives us quite the gonzo backstory. A woman is seen in the kitchen of a wood panelled home (weren’t they all) preparing a cake for her husband, Big Ed. Just in the other room, a young boy is sat cleaning out a hunting rifle (natch) that apparently belongs to Big Ed and accidentally fires it. The bullet plows through the kitchen wall, striking and killing his mother.

When Big Ed gets home and discovers what presumably little Ed has done, he has a nervous breakdown and takes his anger out on the boy.

So our questions begin – in the power of true horror love and lore-

Question 1: Why is that boy cleaning a gun, as a “surprise”? Buy him a shitty wallet or pack of golf balls like any self-respecting cheapskate.

So…TA DA…I guess. Fast forward to what seems to be a decade later, Ed Cooper Jr. (Matt Mitler) is now in college. He’s well-adjusted, bushy haired and surrounded by good ol’ American kids. While he’s seated in a dive bar, itching to start Fall Break with his cohorts, Ed gets a phone call from his father asking him to come the family’s beachfront property to close it up for the season. It had been used as a sort of hunting clubhouse for Big Ed and his friends back in the day – he tells the gang. The gang consists of Mike (Morey Lampley), resident shy guy, Linda (Francis Sherman), Mike’s girlfriend, resident goof and prankster Ralph (Bill Hitchcock), ever-tolerant girlfriend to Ralph, Sue (Connie Rogers), and if “aw come on you guys” was a person, Ed’s girlfriend Pam (Ruth Martinez). They all can’t think anything better to do (like see their own families) over Fall Break than to accompany Ed, but oops, Big Ed is stalking the grounds of the clubhouse. BA BUMMMM!

Questions 2-4

2. How did Big Ed know where Ed Jr. was to give him a call?

3. Do these friends not have families?

4. Ed, why are you going my friend? Your father doesn’t even like you.

When the gang finally arrives at the clubhouse, they see that the door is already open, the inside is strewn with beer cans and there’s no sign of Big Ed. “Aw shucks” Pam wants to call the cops but Ed brings the bad and ominous news that the cops aren’t stationed on this beach…in the middle of nowhere…where no one can here you scream. LET’S PARTY!

Traveling into Big Ed’s trophy room, more like animal head manor, the gang spots a crime scene shot of a blood soaked man that Ed Jr. regales was run over by his dad’s speedboat. Chin scratch.

He further goes on about his dad being a survivalist and a collector of weapons. He shows them a pyramid stinger in the wall and recants a story of his father and some friends in a throwing contest. Big Ed sounds like a real charmer. The pesky little detail of Ed Jr. killing his mother accidentally (a bomb Pam drops during Ed’s call with his dad) isn’t ever brought up – but you can see that not only does Ed Jr. have a huge sense of guilt, he still has a sense of loyalty and obedience. He’s seeking his father’s forgiveness. Pam points out that one of the weapons is missing. Ed says “oh yeah, the battle axe”. Bro what? An axe is missing. That’s a nope for me, but the gang presses on and Ed quells the fears of a skittish Pam that he’ll call his father about it in the morning.

Questions. They abound.

5. Is no one nervous? Why is no one nervous?

6. I’m with Pam, because why are we waiting ’til the morning to call dad…or the beach patrol?

Meanwhile, Big Ed (Jack Chatham), wakes up in the garage, gripping an axe. He’s just woken from a dream of choking, shooting and slicing his son’s throat with one of his fancy weapons. The wife’s death thing has him pretty bad. He hides with the axe as Linda and Mike enter the garage – but they’re none the wiser. That night after dinner, Ed and Pam take to cleaning up. Mike and Linda go for a walk on the beach while the others stay inside. Probably smart. Staying in, not the beach. Pam becomes worried about Mike and Linda’s prolonged absence, so they all go out to look for them on the beach.

If they’d only looked down a few houses they would’ve found the horn dogs taking a dip in a neighbor’s pool. In a game of underwater tag, Linda is pulled under water and drowns and she is snatched out of the pool without Mike noticing. Like- I’ll wait for question time.

Mike shouts for Linda who of course is no where to be found. He gets out the pool to find his clothes missing. He checks around the pool shed and sees Linda’s bra and panties. Thinking she must be hiding somewhere secret to do the deed, he opens the shed to find Big Ed holding a boat’s motor blade and he slices into Mike.

7. There are only two of you in this damn pool and you don’t notice?

The gang finally runs into a beach patrolman who they enlists to check out the grounds of Big Ed’s place. Alas…

Ed and the gang decide to play ‘Blind Man’s Bluff’ at the house. Sue goes first, switching off the lights (please, girl, don’t) and hiding. After Ralph, Pam and Ed gulp down a few brewskies, they head back inside as Big Ed sneaks in from the back door. Pam nabs Sue and joins her under the kitchen table. Ralph spots them and joins them. We watch as Big Ed stalks the home in what could be a kill-one-get-two-free scenario, but no, it’s just Ed Jr. jovially offering a beer to everyone. Big Ed takes off unnoticed.

8. If you are scared someone has broken in why have you not locked the back door??? Work with me people.

The games are over and everyone retires to bed very nonchalantly, other than Pam who is still concerned about Linda and Mike. Ralph and Sue enjoy a little foreplay until Sue puts the kibosh on that by reminding him he forgot to lock the front door. Y’all. SMH.

Ralph begrudgingly heads to the door but decides to pop out and have a look around for Mike and Linda.

He spots Linda’s panties and of course, takes this moment to drive a pyramid stinger through them. BULLSEYE. This wakes the bear and Big Ed comes charging out of the garage and stabs Ralph in his throat with a pitchfork. Pam hears a rustle and tries to wake Ed who is having none of it. Man, your father’s weapons keep missing and so do your friends, GTFU!

Sue goes running outside to check for Ralph, leaving the door wide open for Big Ed to sneak back inside and take yet another weapon. Pam finally gets Ed up after eons of wrangling. And they join Sue outside to look for everyone. When they split up, Sue is yanked by Big Ed who he hooks in the pelvis with a fishing gaff and later decapitates. Sue definitely gets the worst of it out of everyone – but that’s for question time.

9. WHY IS EVERYONE SO CALM AND HEADING TO BED LET ALONE SCREWING AROUND???

10. Why is Sue’s kill worse than everyone’s? I mean yeah the beach cop lost his head but man, that’s calculated and brutal and pretty egregious work to put on a female character, not to mention the longest kill of the film – yes I love this film – but I hate this kill.

Back together, Pam and Ed go to the garage, finding their dead friends positioned like trophies, bleeding out.

A shadow looms in the corner, Big Ed is back! Ed Jr. tosses Pam to safety and struggles with Big Ed until he’s overtaken and bound. As Big Ed lifts the axe over Ed Jr., a dream finally fulfilled, Pam distracts him but Big Ed still injures Ed Jr.

Pam swings into action and stabs Big Ed with a pyramid stinger AND a knife (we love a thorough queen) which gives Ed Jr. time to get free. They run to the car but it won’t start.

Big Ed jumps on the roof, smashing into it, but Pam burns him with a cigarette lighter causing him to jerk back. Ed starts the car and knocks Big Ed off and crushing him..no wait…splitting him in half.

As the REAL cops (finally) arrive to the beach, they round up Pam and Ed Jr. to take their statements. In zero-hour horror fashion, Big Ed’s top half only (lolz) leaps over the car to slice the officer up with an axe before he finally heads to the sweet, sweet yonder.

The closing scene has Ed Jr. and Pam observing a moment of silence in the hospital.

And there we have it, the last two standing. “Aw Shucks” Pam and “Will You Ever Love Me, Daddy?” Ed Jr.

BUT NOW SOME SERIOUS NEWS: THE SEQUEL “THE MUTILATOR 2” IS PLAYING FRIGHT FEST’S DISCOVERY SCREEN 1. FRIDAY 23 AUGUST – 11.05 PM IN THE UK!!

Mo Moshaty is a horror writer, journalist and award-winning producer. As a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and life long horror fan, Mo has lectured extensively and internationally on horror cinema and literature. She has partnered with horror giant, Shudder Channel, to co-produce the 13 Minutes of Horror Film Festival 2021 and 2022 with Nyx Horror Collective and her literary work “Love the Sinner” was published with Brigid’s Gate Press in July of 2023 and her newest collection, “Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment will be published in 2025. 
Mo is the creator and Editor-in-Chief of NightTide Magazine, From Inside the House Podcast and the Founder of Mourning Manor Media.