Skull: The Mask – Shudder Review (2/5)

SKULL: THE MASK on Shudder is a Fantasy Horror movie from Brazil. It’s based on pre-Columbian mythology and has lots of blood. All about gore and a supernatural serial killer. A true throwback to the horror movies of the 80s. Read our full Skull: The Mask movie review here!

SKULL: THE MASK on Shudder is a Brazilian horror movie. We’ve watched quite a few genre productions from Brazil over the years. The production quality is usually impressive and they have an affinity for 80s horror which becomes very obvious in this new Shudder addition.

The runtime is just 90 minutes which is pretty spot-on. Especially for a movie in the fantasy-horror genre that features a supernatural serial killer based on pre-Columbian mythology.

Continue reading our Skull: The Mask movie review below and find it on Shudder.

An homage to 80s horror movie gore

When I say that the affinity for 80s horror movies is obvious when watching Skull: The Mask, I don’t mean it in any bad way. It just isn’t for everyone. We’re dealing with the very bloody gore that was featured heavily in the fantasy horror movies of the 1980s.

Personally, I also really loved the humor that was used in the 80s horror movies, because it perfectly offset the crazy violence. Be it Freddy Krueger’s tongue coming out the phone or some grotesque monolog in Hellraiser. I’m fine with all of it because it highlights the fact that we’re just having fun with all those gore, blood, violence, and horror.

Basically, you’re saying “Sure, a man was just decapitated and another one had his skull crushed, but we’re not violent degenerates. We’re just laughing in the face of a world that is already pretty mad.” Unfortunately, Skull: The Mask doesn’t have much (or any, really) of the campy tongue-in-cheek style that made the 1980s horror movies golden for me.

Watch Skull: The Mask on Shudder

Armando Fonseca and Kapel Furman are the filmmakers behind Skull: The Mask. Armando Fonseca is the director while Kapen Furman has the title of “creative director”. Also, Kapel Furman is the creator of the story while the screenplay is accredited to them both as writers.

The two also co-created the 2016 features film Uptake Fear which I have not seen but seems to be rather popular. Based on the IMDb plot summary, it sounds like it would be perfect for you if you enjoy Skull: The Mask when you watch it on Shudder.

I wanted to like Skull: The Mask a lot more than I actually did. The magic of the 80s throwback didn’t really hit me, because only the gore and none of the camp was there. But hey, that’s all about preference and I’m sure many will really enjoy watching the brutal and bloody scenes. This movie also features a former wrestler which is very obvious during fight scenes!

Skull: The Mask is out on Shudder from May 27, 2021.

Details

Directors: Armando Fonseca, Kapel Furman
Writers: Armando Fonseca, Kapel Furman (story)
Stars: Rurik Jr., Tristan Aronovich, Ivo Müller, Micas Carvalho, Guta Ruiz, Natallia Rodrigues, Beatriz Severo