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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