''Shriek of the Mutilated'' (also known as ''Mutilated'' and ''Scream of the Snowbeast'') is a 1974 American horror film directed by Michael Findlay, and starring Alan Brock, Jennifer Stock, and Michael Harris. It follows a group of university students who, with their professor, visit a remote island in

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

to investigate sightings of a

Yeti The Yeti ()"Yeti"
''

cannibalistic Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

cult, using the Yeti scam as a way to lure victims, and that the Yeti is actually Dr. Werner in disguise. While Karen is asleep upstairs, Keith returns to the house and discovers Dr. Prell and Dr. Werner discussing what to do with her. Werner thinks they should just kill her, but Prell says that the code calls for no body bruises and that she must be frightened to death. Keith pulls out a rifle and orders both men to put their hands up. They ignore him. He shoots at them, finding out that the shells are blanks. He is then knocked unconscious by Laughing Crow. Still asleep upstairs, Karen wakes to a growling noise. She looks out the window and finds the Yeti running full speed at the house. Karen flees through the house and ends up trapped in a bathroom. She opens a cabinet to find Laughing Crow holding a knife, and dies of fright. While setting up for their big breakfast, Keith wakes up and manages to sneak away. He tries to escape in the van, but it gets stuck in the mud while he tries to hide from the party guests' funeral procession. Keith then hoofs it down to the bridge where he manages to flag down a cop who takes him back to the house. At the breakfast, Prell and Werner salute the party guests and hosts, toasting the previous schemes which have provided victims. Keith returns with the policeman, only to find out that he too is a cannibal. Prell and Werner explain that the "gin sung" Keith has eaten is actually human flesh, and they invite him to join their cannibalistic society. They bring in Karen's body, and Laughing Crow, brandishing an electric carving knife, speaks for the first time, saying "Mr. Henshaw — white meat or dark?"

Cast

Production

Development

The husband and wife directorial team Michael Findlay] and

Roberta Findlay Roberta Findlay (née Hershkowitz; born 1948) is an American film director, cinematographer, producer and actress. She is best known for her work in the exploitation field. Her work has received increasing critical appreciation in recent years. ...

began collaborating on films together in the 1960s, directing, producing, and filming low-budget horror,

exploitation Exploitation may refer to: *Exploitation of natural resources *Exploitation of labour ** Forced labour *Exploitation colonialism *Slavery ** Sexual slavery and other forms *Oppression *Psychological manipulation In arts and entertainment *Exploi ...

, and pornographic films. Prior to ''Shriek of the Mutilated'', Roberta had served as cinematographer on the horror film ''

Invasion of the Blood Farmers ''Invasion of the Blood Farmers'' is a 1972 horror film directed by Ed Adlum and written by Adlum and Ed Kelleher. Plot The film centers around a group of druids called the "Sangroids" living in Westchester County, New York Westchester County ...

'' (1972), directed by Ed Adlum. Adlum co-wrote the screenplay for ''Shriek of the Mutilated'' with Ed Kelleher, and pitched the project to Michael Findlay, whom they hired as director. By Adlum'sa account, on the first day of shooting while completing the opening title sequence, Michael suffered a nervous breakdown; Adlum recalled in a 2008 interview: Desperate to complete the film, Adlum contacted Roberta, who was, by her account, estranged from Michael at that point. She obliged Adlum's request to work on the film as cinematographer because the project had already been written, funded, and its actors cast.

Filming

Filming took place primarily in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

, in

Croton-on-Hudson Croton-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 8,327 at the 2020 United States census over 8,070 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Cortlandt as part of New York City's northern sub ...

and Yorktown. Some filming also took place in New York City: The film's opening campus sequences were shot on location at Fordham University in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

; the campus's

Keating Hall Keating Hall is a building located at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York City. Constructed in 1936, it is considered the "centerpiece" of the university's main Rose Hill campus, and is the home to the university's Graduate School of Arts ...

and Edwards Parade appear in the opening sequence of the film. The party sequence that appears early in the film was shot at an apartment in the city.

Release

After being rejected by

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

, the film was acquired by American Films Ltd. It was given a limited theatrical release in the United States by American Films Ltd., opening at drive-in theaters in Brownsville, Texas on July 18, 1974, and in Florida on July 19, 1974. It opened at drive-ins in

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

, Bakersfield, and Inyo, California on December 4, 1974 on a

double bill The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...

with '' Moonchild'' (1974). The film continued to screen in various U.S. cities throughout 1976 and 1977. The film continued to become a staple of late-night television in the years following its theatrical release.

Critical response

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' called the film "one of the all-time worst, but the unintentional laughs may make it worth a look for those who can stomach inept filmmaking." On his website ''Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings'', Dave Sindelar wrote, "Though it doesn’t quite reach the insane levels of ''

'', it still earns its place in the annals of bad moviedom, and gets weirder as it goes along." James Jay Edwards from ''FilmFracture'' gave the film a positive review, writing, "Like most of the quickly produced true-life creature movies of the seventies, ''Shriek Of The Mutilated'' is very low-budget and looks every penny of it. Still, it’s not without its charms, and for those who love a good laugh to go along with their shock, it’s essential viewing." Graeme Clark from ''The Spinning Image'' gave the film 3/10 stars, stating that the film was "good for trash fans with a sense of humour, but a no-go area for those with a low tolerance for shoddiness". ''The Terror Trap'' awarded the film 1.5 out of 4 stars, writing, "While it's true that some low budget drive in horrors are capable of generating some uniquely creepy vibes, unfortunately ''Shriek'' is an ineffectual cough that never rises to the occasion".

Home media

Iver Film Services (IFS) released the film on VHS in the United Kingdom in 1982. Lightning Video released a VHS in the United States in 1985. The film was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

by Retromedia Entertainment in 2003. The DVD does not feature the " Popcorn" instrumental song that appears early in the film due to copyright issues.

Vinegar Syndrome Cellulose acetate film, or safety film, is used in photography as a base material for photographic emulsions. It was introduced in the early 20th century by film manufacturers and intended as a safe film base replacement for unstable and highly ...

released the film on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

on August 30, 2022, featuring several crew interviews, as well as an audio commentary with cinematographer Roberta Findlay.

Legacy

In 1977, Michael Findlay was killed in a helicopter accident. After her husband's death, Roberta went on to direct hardcore porn, and also kept adding to her horror filmography. Recently, some of their films have gained a cult following. Writing of ''Shriek of the Mutilated'' in his book ''The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1960s and 1970s'', Scott Aaron Stine lauded the film as "an innovative, well paced, and fun little shocker that belies the "talent" behind it."

References

Sources

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External links

* * *{{Rotten tomatoes, shriek_of_the_mutilated, Shriek of the Mutilated 1974 films 1974 horror films 1970s monster movies American exploitation films American independent films American monster movies American natural horror films American slasher films Backwoods slasher films Films about cannibalism Films about cults Films based on urban legends Films shot in New York (state) Films shot in New York City Mariticide in fiction 1970s English-language films 1970s American films