Masked Mutilator

Director - Brick Bronsky

Starring - Brick Bronsky (Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., Class of Nuke 'Em High Part II: Subhumanoid Meltdown), Jeff Sibbach (WCW), and Tom Taylor

Release Date - 1994/2019

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Outside the squared circle waits the ultimate ring of hell"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I was a huge wrestling fan when I was a kid.  I'm a product of the late 80s and early 90s so I cut my teeth on classic ECW and WCW but I was never a fan of WWF.  I lived through the Attitude era but I never really got into it like I did ECW and WCW.  When Raw won the Monday Night wars and ECW and WCW was absorbed I found myself shifting away from wrestling and focusing more on horror.  I still buy those classic wrestling on occasion but I never really got into modern wrestling.  Back in 2019 Intervision Picture Corp. released the wrestling horror flick Masked Mutilator.  The film was originally shot in 1994 with additional scenes shot in 2019 for release.  I was very curious about this one and recently received it as a Christmas gift from a friend.  After spinnking Night Killer it was time to dig into this one.

     The film follows a teen foster home ran by a former professional wrestler who accidentally killed an oppenent in the ring.  He spends all his time taking care of the teenagers sent his way from the state but they are disappearing one by one from his care.  Some of the teens suspect that he has put on his mask and killing them but someone else has an eye for murder.

     I went into this one expecting a flat out shit show but I was really surprised by this one.  It was a pretty solid slasher with some wrestling fun thrown in.  It wasn't perfect but damn it was fun.  The acting in this one isn't bad but it's very inconsistent.  Many genre fans know Bronsky from his work with Troma.   He's not an amazing actor but he really has fun with his roles.  Here his character isn't as colorful as we are accustomed to be it fits the films as well.  Maybe he took a more serious and low key approach to save some energy for the directing.  I also enjoyed Jeff Sibbach's performance.  I was unfamiliar with him prior to this but he's a professional wrestler to some extent as well but his performance is pretty solid.  He was great as the tough as nails foster home manager.  The supporting cast is decent as well but some of the teenagers were very inexperienced and it shows in several of the scenes.  The story for this one is a cheap early 90s slasher with some wrestling added to it.  It's not as much of a wrestling horror story as it is a horror story that features a former professional wrestling.  We get one wrestling inspired fight scene later in the movie and more dialogue than we really need reminding viewers that the man in charge was a former wrestler but that's about the extent of the wrestling influence on the story.  However, the story is very much a classic slasher.  We follow a masked killer who was wronged and is now seeking revenge.  Pretty much a slasher by the numbers.  My biggest problem with the film is the new footage added.  This modern film footage throws the look of the film off and it's extremely goofy.  It doesn't fit and the "brother" part at the end of the film was extremely awkward to watch.  Finally, the kills do fit the theme of the film to an extent but are still very much slasher inspired.  They are very bloody but not much in the realm of practical effects.  They are not that memorable but they work very well for the film.  Overall, Masked Mutilator is a must see for wrestling or slasher fans.  I was expecting a shitty movie but I really enjoyed it.  Hell, I could watch it again to be honest.  I loved it and I'm sure you will too.