Reed Alexander's Horror Review of 'Anthropophagus' (1980)

So, it's important going into this review that 1980's Italian Cinima was basically the same as 1970's American Cinima... by that I mean BAD. And I mean BAD. But there are certain nuances that I feel are important to explain why they're bad. Something I talked about in my review of Suspiria (1977), is that the weird acting and campy tone is very intentional. That's what was normal for films at the time. Remember, movie acting was still very much being treated like stage acting so what we know as cinema from the 80s hadn't developed or caught on yet.

So, because we know the actors are basically treating the camera as the eyes of the audience at a show, we know why the acting is so damn bad. But hey, it's still good enough for horror. The bar is already pretty low, so campy acting is really no sin. It's just important to address it to put things in perspective going into this movie. But anyway, if you're expecting an award-winning performance, you've come to the wrong place.

You know what, though? The FX aren't terrible. Sure, the makeup for the killer is pretty bland, but it's not bad. The use of filters and lights are on point. Even the practical FX are solid. It seems like the director and crew were competent.

The plot isn't dumb, either. It's simple as all hell, but it isn't dumb. A group of friends arrive by boat on an island to discover the inhabitance are all dead or missing. Most are missing. It's basic, but it works. So, then we discover there's a killer on the loose. Not just any killer, but a cannibal. Someone hunted down and killed all the inhabitance and now these unfortunate travelers are next.

What's neat about this movie is that it really doesn't hold a lot back, even though there isn't much going on about the plot. The writers and director clearly didn't want to hold anything back and a couple of times go balls to the wall. I'll have to talk about it in the spoilers, but needless to say, there're two scenes that are just fucking brutal. Almost revolutionary for the time this was made.

You know, if you don't go into this expecting much, you may actually enjoy it. It's definitely good for riffing, but I feel like most horror heads will actually have fun with it.

SPOILERS!!!

You know what I didn't expect out of some cheesy 80s Italian flick? A guy ripping the fetus out of a pregnant woman and eating it. That's fucking metal, right there. It was basically just your typical slasher up til that point. For the most part, you don't really see what the killer is doing. It's not until the forty five minute mark where one of the main characters discovers the half-eaten corpses of his friends. I mean, they really weren't fucking around, were they?

And the fucking ending scene? The killer gets his guts torn out and that mother fucker picks them up and eats them. That's pretty fucking metal, too. Honestly, I kinda wish they had had a bigger budget. I wonder what kind of fucked up shit they could have pulled off if they had more money for practical FX.

I can't talk about this movie without talking about one scene in particular because it was so ridiculous. There was this blind lady hiding in a vat of wine and when the main characters come near the vat, she pops out and just starts stabbing. It's hilarious. The whole movie is almost worth it for that scene alone.

Honestly, I think most people will get a kick out of this movie. Give it a shot.