'Mutilator 2' -- it's happening at the Crystal Coast!

 

A couple of years ago we (excitedly) posted about learning about "The Mutilator," a horror movie filmed in Atlantic Beach back in the mid-1980s. (Yes, it has it's own IMDB entry.) As we noted then: 

This movie was very much an Atlantic Beach creation. According to IMDB, the cast and crew stayed at a nearby motel, "which was owned by writer/director Buddy Cooper's family. Buddy now owns the motel. Much of the film's crew still work there" In fact, the Cooper family has a long history of town involvement. To wit, the current mayor of AB is A.B. "Trace" Cooper III.

The original cast included Matt Mitler, Frances Raines, Bill Hitchcock, Ruth Martinez, Connie Rogers, Jack  Chatham, Ben Moore, Pam Cooper and Cooper, according to the Carteret County News-Times. "Filming occurred at various locations in Atlantic Beach and Morehead City. The working title of "Fall Break" was scrapped when distributor Marvin Friedlander saw the initial ad campaign and found it lacking."

"Wanting to make 'a gore movie for gore fans,' Cooper changed the title to "The Mutilator" and had to superimpose that over the pre-printed Fall Break promo materials."

Well, Chuck Waters at the Carteret County News-Times recently did a feature on Cooper that revealed that he (and others) are making "Mutilator 2" or "M2," as the early logos called it. Oh, and it already has its own IMDB entry.

According the article, the second installment in the Mutilator series boasts a working budget of about $1 million. Cooper is "optimistic that M2 will get a better shake from the MPAA — and the box office — than its predecessor did."

"I think the environment for horror movies is more accepting of the genre now than it was in 1985. Certainly, the gore that the MPAA demanded that we remove from The Mutilator for us to get an R is tame, by today's standards. There are many new ways to distribute a movie today. In addition to theatrical release, there is DVD distribution and a host of streaming sites. Plenty of ways to get a picture out there today, especially if it has something going for it — in which case it will be in demand," Cooper said.

Good luck to another NC cinematic classic!