Anthropophagus
AKA The Grim Reaper
Directed By Joe D’Amato
Released: 1980
Starring: Tisa Farrow, Saverio Vallone, George Eastman, and Zora Kerova
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Studio: Shriek Show

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The film begins on a remote island in Greece as a young couple head to the beach for some fun in the sun. They are both brutally murdered by an unseen killer. Sometime later, a group of tourists meet up with Julie (Tisa Farrow) by chance and she encourages them to travel by boat to the island to visit some friends she has recently lost contact with. They find the island to be nearly deserted and while they are out exploring, the boat is set adrift making it impossible for them to leave. To make matters worse, a monstrous cannibalistic man (George Eastman) has been slaughtering and eating the island’s inhabitants. One by one, the tourists are killed while desperately searching for a way to either escape or fight the beast.

Joe D’Amato (Beyond The Darkness, Death Smiled At Murder) directs this infamous and wildly over-hyped film. The attention this film receives for its two extreme yet brief gore setpieces has overshadowed the fact that Anthropophagus is a fine Italian horror film. The cinematography by Enrico Biribicchi is excellent (despite some shaky moments) at capturing the gorgeous Greek scenery as well as the claustrophobic interiors of the villa, mansion, and catacombs. The film’s synthesizer score provided by composer Marcello Giombini (Knife Of ice) is a creepy and invasive assault on the viewer’s senses. The plot is a joke but frankly, I’ve seen worse setups for horror flicks that work just as well as this one. Cannibalistic creature stalks island. Tourists visit island. Horror ensues. Who cares? Look at that Jaws reference!

Tisa Farrow (Zombie) is just as bland and washed out as ever. A good companion for her is the equally banal, Saverio Vallone, as Andy, the tourist/doctor/hero. George Eastman (Emanuelle’s Revenge, Rabid Dogs) is pretty good as the monster, partly because he is physically perfect for the part but also because he pulls off the killing machine bit quite well. Sadly, only three members of the cast have standout performances in this film. First up is Zora Kerova (Cannibal Ferox) who plays the slightly psychic and somewhat psychotic, Carol, the film’s official doomsayer. Next is Margaret Mazzantini as Rita, the blind girl driven beyond reason by the creature. And finally, Rubina Rey, who plays Irina, the mysterious and ghostly woman wandering around the village, and manages to pull off a good performance without having a single line of dialogue!

Ever since this film has resurfaced in its uncut form here in the States, I have yet to read a good review of it. One of the problems is that Anthropophagus has almost always been labeled as a gore film but its merits shoot far beyond the fetus eating and the gut munching. Obviously, these two scenes stick out and are clearly the money shots of the effects crew but this movie has some seriously heavy foreshadowing and menace throughout its running time.

Yes, the film has plenty of issues: the barebones plot, the mediocre lead actors playing pointless characters, the paltry production values, and the other gore effects (trust me, there are other gore effects) are clunky as hell; yet I still can’t help but recommend this film to fans of Italian horror and anyone else who appreciates early 80s fright flicks. Not every viewer will walk away pleased with Anthropophagus but don’t let the film’s reputation as an all out gorefest or as a “lost” cinematic marvel mislead you, this is just good stuff.

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DVD Stuff

Anthropophagus looks amazing in its 1.66:1 aspect ratio with some graininess but very little print damage. The audio however is disappointing. The English dub is a loud/quiet affair with loud music and sound effects but with quiet muffled dialogue. Once I realized that I was trying to lip read during the film, I switched to the Italian dub with English subtitles. The Italian track is much clearer but still awfully quiet.

As far as extras are concerned, anyone who calls themselves a D’Amato fan must get this disc immediately. On the first disc, there are trailers for other Shriek Show trailers as well as Promo trailers for Anthropophagus. Disc 2 is loaded! There is a feature called “Joe D’Amato Totally Uncut 2” which is over an hour of interviews with the director, George Eastman, and even Ivan Rassimov (score!) plus clips from tons of his films. There is also a 2005 public appearance from George Eastman and Zora Kerova (who looks great 25 years later, by the way) where they discuss working with D’Amato and their experiences on the set of Anthropophagus. There is a photo gallery, more trailers, and some Easter eggs worth searching for: an interview with Sergio Garrone (Lover Of The Monster) and a slew of D’Amato trailers.