Cult 1980s Slasher Movie Getting Sequel Almost 40 Years Later

By Russ Burlingame

Almost 40 years after the 1984 release of the original, The Mutilator is getting a sequel in 2023. Surprisingly, writer/director Buddy Cooper is still at the helm after all this time, and he's bringing actors from the original back in a Wes Craven's New Nightmare-style meta horror exploration. In the film, The Mutilator is apparently a movie, but when someone decides to make a remake, real-world murders start up.

It's an unexpected continuation to a movie that feels very much like a part of the '80s slasher boom, powered by video rental stores that could give a life to movies that didn't turn a big profit at the box office. The original The Mutilator earned just 

"I'm so honored and excited to be a part of The Mutilator franchise," composer Alexander Taylor told Bloody Disgusting. "One of the best parts of this is the fact that Buddy Cooper is back! It's rare for a legacy film to have the original writer and director come back, so you know this is going to be special. Buddy and I already have some cool themes and wild ideas for the score."  

You can see the trailer below.

Terry Kiser (Friday The 13th Part VII, Weekend At Bernies) and Damian Maffei (The Strangers: Prey At Night, Haunt), Chaney Morrow (Wrong Turn), and Eva Hamilton (Ruin Me) star, alongside returning franchise stars Ruth Martinez and Bill Hitchcock.

The original Mutilator, A teenager who accidentally killed his mother finds himself being hunted, along with his girlfriend and his friends, at a remote beach house. The killer, as it turns out, is his father, driven to madness by the loss of his wife.

Originally given an X rating by the Motion Picture Association of America, The Mutilator had to be cut back in order to make the R rating so that it could have a theatrical release, and for years, almost every screening or home video release would be that shortened, R-rated cut. Even still, the movie's gore level (combined with the uncomfortable familial connection between the slasher and his victims) made for a memorable movie that remained a cult classic for years after its initial release.

In 2015 when Arrow Video was putting together a Blu-ray release,  the original cut finally got an HD commercial release. During preparation to release the disc, Arrow supposedly found an unedited copy of The Mutilator and was able to prep that version for release in 2016.

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