‘It’s a cold, cruel world – but Jackson can hack it!’
Unmasked: Part 25 – aka The Hand of Death and Jackson’s Back – is a 1988 British comedy horror film directed by Anders Palm (Deadline; Murder Blues) from a screenplay by Mark Cutforth.
The film stars Gregory Cox, Fiona Evans, Edward Brayshaw, Debbie Lee London, Kim Fenton, Anna Conrich, Robin Welch, Christian Brando, Annabel Yuresha, Adrian Hough, Helen Rochelle.
Reviews:
Mark Cutforth’s script alternates between breathtakingly banal, insulting to women, or pompously affected, whilst Anders Palm’s direction is perfunctory at best. Unmasked: Part 25 (inspired title!) is another British failed attempt at spoofing horror tropes in the vein of The Comic, Funny Man and (much later) Stitches, with characteristic feeble acting from ‘posh’ wannabees that seems to be intrinsic in such insulting cinematic ventures. Supposedly outrageous mocking of S&M and sex play toys is just obvious and dull. “Punish me!” Yes, this excuse for a film certainly did.
Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia
“Unmasked: Part 25 satisfies the requirements of a standard slasher film, offering up enough gore and nudity to please any fan of the genre, while adding a smirking, character-driven sense of humor that would seem to make to make it ideal for rediscovery for modern audiences. It’s got all of the charms of the ‘80s slasher era with a unique (and, despite what one would expect, consistent) tone, solid performances and genuinely clever ideas.’ Daily Grindhouse
‘There are strong hints this is actually Jason from the Friday the 13th movies, except here he’s been given a voice, just skirting close enough to parody to get away with the references, and it appears Jackson would rather be quoting Byron than going about his executions, but the lure of the machete proves too much to resist. This leads to ridiculous scenes where he’ll discuss his existential angst with the victims before doing them in, amusing enough, but the serious bits did suggest a lack of focus.’ Graeme Clark, The Spinning Image
‘A criminally obscure send-up of 80s slashers that remarkably marries sincere romantic sentiment with copious amounts of outrageous splatter without ever letting its parodic conceit wear thin, thanks in large part to the exceedingly earnestness of the production. Director Anders Palm soaks Mark Cutforth’s witty script in a pervasively gritty atmosphere that stands in stark contrast to the immediate silliness of the premise.’ The Royal
Choice dialogue:
“Turning into one of Thatcher’s little mechanicals, you are.”
“Please don’t kill me, I’ll do anything you want. I’ll make love to you, would you like that? I’ll give you a blow job.”
