There is something to be said of Mutilations, a no-budget film released in 1986 that few have probably seen, as it balances itself between utter trash and cinema gold. It is in all respects quite terrible yet, it is also a wonder to behold at times as the makers of this little gem throw everything at the wall including not only the kitchen sink but the pipes too to see what sticks and for some strange reason, it works.

To keep it short, the movie is about a group of students and their professor who go to check out a meteor that has recently crash-landed. They soon hear of cattle being mutilated in the same area and once there, they meet the colourful yokels and a few aliens to boot.

The story is quite simple and it manages to work, but due to this film being what it is and made the way it was, there are certain faults like the script which is not as strong as it could be and those who star in it are maybe not terrible actors but very fresh to the craft. As bad as they might have been, there was a bit of earnestness in their performances for even though they knew they were not making the latest blockbuster, they gave it their all.

One of the major bonuses to be found in this picture is the special effects. At times they were awful while during certain scenes they were quite effective. Still, given that those who made this piece of cinema went with stop-motion, something almost completely fazed out at the point and time this film was made, one has to marvel at what they were able to accomplish no matter the end product.

For all that it is, Mutilations is a silly, campy, funny film that perhaps was never intended to be so but ended up as such anyway. It is hilariously awful, yet so bad it keeps its audience transfixed if one can make it past the first quarter-hour. It is not high art but it is fascinating on more than one level and ultimately, entertaining.

1 out of 5