Anthropophagus (1980)
Let's see what we have here. "Anthropophagus", directed by Italian sleaze king Joe D'Amato, tells the heartwarming tale of a cannibal running rampant on a deserted island and picking off a group of very dumb tourists one by one. D'Amato regular George Eastman plays the title cannibal who (as we see in a flashback scene), was previously a family man who ate his wife and small child to stay alive while they were adrift and stranded on the ocean. Now a deranged lunatic with a full-blown appetite for the other white meat, Big George apparently washed up on a small and secluded island, chowed down on the islands meager population, and lies patiently in wait for the next snack to come along. And indeed the snack arrives, as a group of nitwit tourists headed by Tisa Farrow (the chick in "Zombie") decide to explore the little island, unaware of the cannibalistic terror awaiting them.
"Anthropophagus" is somewhat of a notorious film, with this notoriety basically coming from two gore scenes that are often cut from most prints, and of course we're talking about the infamous fetus and intestine eating scenes. Before we get to that though, what about the rest of the movie Rabid Ryan?
Well, it's often talky and pretty damn boring in many spots (like a majority of D'Amato's flicks) and it does take it's good time in getting started. Our little tourist group basically just wanders around the island for the first hour or so, all the while spitting out some of the most hilarious dialogue ever known to man. It's bad, really it is, and the atrocious dubbing does not help any either. A bonus though, is the on location filming of the Greek islands, which give a sort of odd vibe to the proceedings. Things do pick up when the grim reaper himself makes his appearance, and the first shot we see of him is actually sort of eerie, what with his ugly mug being lit up by lightning and all. George Eastman is a pretty big guy, and his physical appearance really gave his character a bit of presence to the screen. He's also got oatmeal smeared on his face to give him that "deranged zombie/cannibal" look, and it actually works. The dude was sorta scary I'll admit. While the group is busy exploring the island and getting killed one by one, D'Amato introduces a bit of a back story to the cannibal that really goes nowhere, except to set up a final battle with Tisa Farrow, who looked either drugged, hung over, or a combination of both throughout the entire flick.
The gore f/x is all done on the cheap with various stabbings and neck rippings performed to various degrees of effectiveness. As for the two often cut scenes, I'm not sure if all the hype I heard left me expecting more or what, but I'll admit I was slightly disappointed. The fetus scene occurs when the Reaper stalks a pregnant lass in his rather creepy cave home decorated in the latest d�cor of human skulls, bones, and rotting corpses. I'd love to see the Discovery Channel's Christopher Lowell pay a visit to that! Ramming his fist up through her crotch (talk about fisting!), he rips the unborn out of her and proceeds to take a nice, satisfying bite. The scene looked ok and was of course disgusting, but I think all the hype I heard sort of ruined things for me. It was however still pretty cool. The intestine eating scene, where Eastman takes a bite out of his own unloosened innards is also sure to offend most people, but I found it to be a tad brief and even a little funny. The end scene of the Reaper stalking Tisa Farrow in a well is actually pretty suspenseful and maybe the sole highlight of the film besides the cave stalking sequence and the previously mentioned gore bits.
All in all though, of course it's a bad movie, but I still had fun with it. I'd highly recommend, as I usual do, that you have lots of beer and some smart assed friends to watch it with you in a "Mystery Science Theatre" sort of mood. With the right frame of mind, there is much fun to be had here. For fans of Italian exploitation it's a must, all others though if you're not extremely drunken...please beware.