Cannibal Apocalypse (1980)
"Apocalypse domani" (original title)

Giovanni Lambardo Radice and John Saxon are Vietman vets that bring back contagious virus that turn people into cannibals when bitten.

Director:

Antonio Margheriti

Writers:

Antonio Margheriti, Dardano Sacchetti (screenplay),

Stars:

John Saxon, Elizabeth Turner, Giovanni Lombardo Radice

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Saxon	...	Norman Hopper
Elizabeth Turner	...	Jane Hopper
Giovanni Lombardo Radice	...	Charlie Bukowski (as John Morghen)
Cinzia De Carolis	...	Mary (as Cindy Hamilton)
Tony King	...	Tom Thompson
Wallace Wilkinson	...	Captain McCoy
Ramiro Oliveros	...	Dr. Phil Mendez (as Ray Williams)
John Geroson	...	Officer Parker
May Heatherly	...	Nurse Helen
Ronnie Sanders	...	Orderly
Vic Perkins	...	Biker
Jere Beery	...	Biker Leader
Joan Riordan	...	Aunt Tina
Laura Dean	...	Brunette Jogger
Lonnie R. Smith Jr.	...	Biker (as Lonnie Smith)

Storyline

It starts off in Vietnam where John Saxon gets bitten by P.O.W. John Morghen who has been infected with some sort of cannibal virus. A few decades later in Atlanta, Georgia, Saxon wakes up from a nightmare flashback of what actually happened back in 'Nam. Saxon then receives a call from Morghen asking him if he wants to go out for a drink but Saxon refuses remembering the incident in 'Nam. Morghen has turned into a cannibal and is soon on the run after biting into a woman's neck. He barricades himself in a department store and shoots some folks with a shotgun. The cannibal virus spreads and soon Saxon joins veterans Morghen and Tony King along with some others to wreak some havoc.

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Plot Keywords:

virus | shotgun | atlanta georgia | pow | department store | 

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Taglines:

In the jungle, or in the the city, still they must EAT!

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy Spain

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

August 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cannibals in the Streets

Filming Locations:

De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edmondo Amati presents, José Frade Producciones Cinematográficas S.A., New Fida

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film watched by Bukowski on the cinema is From Hell to Victory which starred May Heatherly, who plays the role of the infected nurse Helen.

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Goofs

The blood on Charlie Bukowski's lips during the flea market shootout scene.

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Quotes

Captain McCoy: Charlie can you hear me?
Charlie Bukowski: I can hear you. Shitface.

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Connections

Referenced in Ban the Sadist Videos! Part 2 (2006)

User Reviews

Cannibalistic Vietnam vets go on rampage in downtown Atlanta

Vietnam vet Norman Hopper (John Saxon) has suddenly begun to relive the nightmare of war in his dreams. He receives a phone call from an old army friend, Charlie Buckowski, that he rescued in Nam, Buckowski and another man Tom Thompson had been found in a Viet Cong prison with a craving for human flesh and both had since been in a mental hospital for psychological analysis. Hopper turns down the offer of meeting his old mate as he is struggling with demons of his own, he believes his wife may be an adulteress, he is also attracted to the very young girl next door and more importantly he is stressed at his increasing craving for raw meat and blood. Buckowski goes on a shooting rampage and kills a few people and is locked up again, but then escapes along with Thompson and he urges Hopper to help them escape the city. Saxon a fluent Italian speaker and a veteran of many Italian films, jumped at the chance of working with the great Margheriti and was immediately impressed by the directors rapport with actors and his talent behind the camera, Saxon was also attracted by the seemingly novel idea that war might be spread by a virus, he was shocked though when during filming he suddenly realised that the virus was a cannibalistic one and he refused to be in any of the scenes containing such acts. For those who like the adventure aspect of a jungle set Cannibal film, this might disappoint slightly, except for a few flashbacks this is entirely set in Atlanta and plays more like a Nam Vet action film with some gore on the side. Still though, the characters are interesting and time is given to their development, Saxon impresses as the troubled Hopper, which is hardly surprising, but he may have been helped somewhat by his depression at the time, due primarily to financial problems he had after the break-up of his marriage. His fellow actors including John Morghen recount that he was rather aloof and distant and not much fun during filming. Margheriti was renowned for his period set Gothic costume dramas and Cannibal Apocalypse was a big change of style for him, gone are all his trademark stylings and in come the more appropriate washed out colours and a steely grey look of the city. The gore is for the most part pretty tame by genre standards but its still effective. The faux disco score was tacky as hell and at times seemed inappropriate to the visuals, but this is still a fun film, and is recommend to fans of the genre