Mutilations

Although this movie is truly a jewel, I don't feel it is fair to bump this up to the category of "Plant Nine From Outer Space". If you are looking for nit-ch film cult classics this would be one, I would think. The movies two best qualities are the scene in the caves where the hero and heroiness are running from the aliens and that the total running time is somewhere around 45 minutes. In the caves the most incredible actor, the fuzzy rat, bears its fangs… priceless. But if you have anything else to do, like laundry, mowing the yard or even taking out the trash your time would probably be better spent else ware. This is time you will never get back.

After hearing reports of a strange saucer sighting, a group of students and their teacher head out to the farmhouse where it reportedly landed to investigate, but when they realize the alien inhabitants of the saucer are bloodthirsty creatures out to take over the world try to stop them.

This was a pretty enjoyable genre effort. One of the better features here is the remarkably strong and intriguing effects work that's quite advanced for this kind of film. The first half here provides some rather enjoyable aspects with the shots of the ship flying over the farm being mistaken for a meteor and then crashing near the homeless village which looks rather impressive in this type of film. While obvious, the alien ships flying through the sky are repeated often enough to have a fine charm to them in the best of these genre features, while the scenes of the mutilated cattle are quite shocking to see as the wriggling puppets are extremely disturbing. The audacity to feature an action-packed crash sequence as the ship flies into the house and brings everything down around them forcing the survivors to make their way through the debris while dodging the creatures makes for a generally fun time. This leads to the film's best aspect here which is the constant series of attacks that take place in the second half. Not only the scenes of the group trying to get out of the house with the creatures trying to kill them but the series of encounters in the basement and the surrounding underground tunnels which offers up some exciting scenes. From the attack inside the basement where they barricade the room only for the creatures to break in and knock off several of the group in a graphic fashion to the highly atmospheric action in the tunnels involving the final confrontations with the creatures that offer enjoyable tactics for fighting off the aliens that's all the more enjoyable due to the highly impressive effects for the creatures that make for a cheesy good time. As well as the rest of the fine graphic kills and design of the alien that all come together into the final stage for a lot to really like for the most part.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.

As you gather by the film's title, these are not your friendly extra-terrestrials.

Professor Jim McFarland takes his student on a field trip to a small southern community which is experiencing lights in the sky and cattle mutilations. What they do encounter will have them fighting for their lives.

"Mutilations" is very much on the cheap, rather camp horror Sci-fi taking inspiration from the 1950's alien invasion crop with its story-telling, but 1980's excesses shows within its execution of its effects and shocks. That's not taking anything away from it either. For it's makeshift budget, the puppetry along with screen work (just think off Bert I. Gordon's use of it) and stop motion animation effects while crude, still amuse and offer up an effectively nasty surprise or two. Like the creative use of the claws and the icky aftermath they cause.

The term cheesy rings true for "Mutilations". Everything about it, is cheesy. But you can't help but think it was purposely so... although there are moments were you do question its intentions. The acting and dialogues are what you expect for such a project. Sometimes animated, other times wooden with constant gawking, slow reactions and ponderous ramblings... while throwing out lines like "I'm going to wash my face" when trying to escape aliens or the obvious "...killing and eating the cattle RAW". Also there are stupid moments aplenty too, which will have you raising an eye-brow. One is at the end involving a stick of dynamite. But again these don't seem to surprise.

Actually the story and get-up is rather predictable with fairly one-dimensional direction, but its snappy pacing makes sure it doesn't outstay its welcome. It goes for just under 70 minutes. A character during one stage in the film tells the group to "Stay calm and cool". I wish someone would have told that to the music composer. Very random in the cues, as the organ/or synthesizer blasts away. It was just odd with its timing... "How much do we owe you"? "15 will do it". Then the music would chime in highlighting something horrifying. Yes, I guess they were gypped. On the other hand the sound effects were quite atmospheric, especially the unusually creepy mumbling coming from the aliens.

Visually it does look low-rent with its sets, but still it creates something foreboding and moody, as you can't go wrong with a fog machine and light show. For the first half-hour we only get to see camera shots of claws and legs of our outer space guests, but later on we get to see the full design in all its glory. These stop motion creations aren't too bad, but watching them in battle is quite rib tickling due to the use of editing and screen work.

Sure "Mutilations" won't set the world alight, but its a fun throwback with some eye-popping effects... the good and the bad.

A college professor takes his students on a field trip to see alien sightings in rural Oklahoma and to check out mysterious cattle mutilations.The group runs into a half-dead cow with its flesh ripped off,a flying saucer and a farmhouse with an old hermit named Oliver Matson.They find themselves having to fight for their lives as they get attacked by stop-motion animated alien monsters obviously inspired by the works of Ray Harryhausen.Extremely cheesy and cheerful piece of local sci-fi/horror effort made in Oklahoma by Larry Thomas.The make-up and gore effects are pretty decent.I also enjoyed the stop-motion creatures and claymation effects.The acting is amateurish and the script is fairly silly,but this is a perfect movie to watch with the bottle of cold beer.7 out of 10.

Wow this movie was totally shot in one cut I mean with the camera it used some kind of tape loaded VHS it is hard to imagine them actually "cutting" anything. I don't think the film was trying to be a spoof at all I think they were dead serious the acting was just so bad that it appeared campy. I love the claymation animations though. The professor was so bad how did he get the lead anyway? I would really like to remake this movie with about the same budget... 0 dollars. I think it could be done however I would probably use a better form of play doh though for the monsters. What was going on with the monsters anyway? They come down in space ship they have appendages that look like the drainage pipes one puts on their house to move water away, and the whole scene with the axe! Classic. I heard a rumor someone while checking out blogs that someone was working on a remake of the film. I hope they leave in the rat scene... "ahhh its a rat!" zoom into dirty stuffed animal.