Skull: The Mask
Promotional release poster
Directed by
  • Armando Fonseca
  • Kapel Furman
Written by
  • Armando Fonseca
  • Kapel Furman
Starring
CinematographyAndre Sigwalt
Music byFernando Arruda
Production
companies
Infravermelho Filmes
Fantaspoa Produções
Boccato Productions
Distributed byRaven Banner Entertainment
Release dates
  • 22 May 2020 (2020-05-22) (CFF)
  • 27 May 2021 (2021-05-27) (Shudder)
Running time
90 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Brazil
  • United States
LanguagePortuguese

Skull: The Mask (Portuguese: Skull: A Máscara de Anhangá) is a 2020 slasher film written and directed by Armando Fonseca and Kapel Furman. It stars Natallia Rodrigues as a detective investigating the ancient mask of Anhangá—a vassal of a pre-Columbian god—who is incarnated and embarks on a sacrificial killing spree. The film is an international co-production of Brazil and the United States.[2]

Skull: The Mask premiered digitally as part of the Chattanooga Film Festival on 22 May 2020.[3] The film is available for streaming on Shudder as of 27 May 2021.[4][5][6]

Plot

Cast

  • Natallia Rodrigues as Beatriz Obdias[3]
  • Wilton Andrade as Manco Ramirez[7][8]
  • Ricardo Gelli as Padre Vasco Magno
  • Guta Ruiz as Galvani Volta
  • Greta Antoine as Lilah
  • Tristan Aronovich as Nobuto
  • Ivo Müller as Tack Waelder[7]
  • Eduardo Semerjian as Herr Schädel
  • Che Moais as Pajé Iratinga
  • Rurik Jr. as Skull

Release

In 2018, Cinestate acquired the rights to distribute Skull: The Mask in the United States through the Fangoria label.[9][10]

Skull: The Mask premiered digitally on 22 May 2020 as part of the 7th annual Chattanooga Film Festival.[1][3][11][12] The festival took place online as a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

The film was made available for streaming on Shudder on 27 May 2021.[4][5][6]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 67% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[14]

Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting called the film "a gloriously carnage-fueled horror movie nestled deep within a messy web of entangled plot threads. A lot of it doesn't work, but it's hard to be too upset about a film that brings an insane amount of gore and intriguing new monster mythology to the table."[3] Screen Anarchy's Andrew Mack praised the film's gore as "fantastic" and "top notch", though he noted: "It feels like two separate films were made then there was an attempt to edit them together and make a cohesive whole."[15] Jacob Oller of Paste Magazine complimented the film's prop design but criticized its choreography and staging, writing that "Skull: The Mask just isn't shot in a way to fully appreciate the nastiness its creators so clearly enjoy."[8] Nick Allen of Roger Ebert.com gave the film a score of one-and-a-half out of four stars, finding faults with its characters, editing, and sound mixing.[16]

Gizmodo's Cheryl Eddy praised the film's special effects, and wrote that the perceived complexity of the film's plot "doesn't detract much from the movie's enjoyability."[7] Drew Tinnin of Dread Central gave the film four-and-a-half out of five stars, calling it "an indie action slasher masterpiece."[17] Both Eddy and Tinnin compared the film's antagonist to Jason Voorhees of the Friday of the 13th franchise,[7][17] with Tinnin writing that "Brazil may have found their version of Kane Hodder in pro-wrestler Rurik Jr."[17] The Guardian's Phil Hoad gave the film three out of five stars, calling it a "silly, uneven but strangely appealing slasher film that leaves no heart unripped from human thorax."[6] Martin Unsworth of Starburst Magazine rated Skull: The Mask four out of four, commending its action scenes, pacing, performances, and special effects.[18] Hope Madden of UK Film Review called it a "throwback exploitation" and said the "film’s opening is its strongest segment, a grainy video portrayal of a 1944 political bloodbath with the goal of enacting an ancient pre-Columbian ritual."[19]

References

  1. 1 2 "CFF 2020 Features". Chattanooga Film Festival. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  2. ↑ Lang, Jamie (16 May 2020). "Ventana Sur's Blood Window Aims to Frighten at Cannes Film Market". Variety. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Navarro, Meagan (22 May 2020). "[Review] Brazilian Horror 'Skull: The Mask' Unleashes Ultra-Gory Carnage in Convoluted Narrative". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  4. 1 2 Pementel, Michael (3 May 2021). "Over 20 New Horror Movies and Shows Releasing in May 2021!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  5. 1 2 Nobile Jr., Phil (26 May 2021). "OMG, This Exclusive Skull: The Mask Clip Is NSFW AF". Fangoria. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Hoad, Phil (27 May 2021). "Skull: The Mask review – a masterclass in over-the-top butchery". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Eddy, Cheryl (24 May 2021). "Brazilian Horror Skull: The Mask Is a Splatter Fan's Delight". Gizmodo. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  8. 1 2 Oller, Jacob (25 May 2021). "Brazilian Slasher Skull: The Mask Kills Too Much Time". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Mack, Andrew (21 May 2018). "Fantaspoa 2018: Cinestate Acquires Skull - The Mask From FantasMercado Market". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  10. ↑ Finotti, Ivan (6 February 2019). "Monstro voador aterroriza a zona leste de São Paulo na gravação de filme de terror" [Flying monster terrorizes the east side of São Paulo in the shooting of a horror film]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  11. ↑ Miska, Brad (13 May 2020). "Get Hyped, the Online Version of the Chattanooga Film Festival Is Jam-Packed With Awesome Films and Events". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  12. ↑ Millican, Josh (22 May 2020). "Batsh*t Crazy Trailer for Skull: The Mask Now Screening at Chattanooga Film Fest Digital Edition". Dread Central. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  13. ↑ Gullickson, Brad (18 May 2020). "Chattanooga Film Festival Goes Virtual and They're Bringing Ice-T, Ernest Dickerson, and Joe Dante". Film School Rejects. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "Skull: The Mask (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  15. ↑ Mack, Andrew (24 May 2020). "Chattanooga 2020 Review: Skull: The Mask (Skull: A Mascara de Anhanga), Blood And Gore Brings Joy to Your Heart, Before Ripping it Out". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  16. ↑ Allen, Nick (27 May 2021). "Skull: The Mask movie review & film summary (2021)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 Tinnin, Drew (28 May 2020). "Chattanooga Film Fest 2020: Skull: The Mask Review – Esta Máscara es S-s-smokin'!". Dread Central. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  18. ↑ Unsworth, Martin (8 March 2020). "Skull: The Mask [FrightFest 2020]". Starburst Magazine. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  19. ↑ Madden, Hope (26 May 2021). "Skull: The Mask film review". UK Film Review.
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