Complete credited cast: | |||
Tisa Farrow | ... | Julie | |
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Saverio Vallone | ... | Andy |
Serena Grandi | ... | Maggie (as Vanessa Steiger) | |
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Margaret Mazzantini | ... | Henriette 'Rita' (as Margaret Donnelly) |
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Mark Bodin | ... | Daniel |
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Bob Larson | ... | Arnold |
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Rubina Rey | ... | Ruth Wortmann |
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Simone Baker | ... | First Victim |
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Mark Logan | ... | Second Victim |
George Eastman | ... | Klaus Wortmann / Antropophagus | |
Zora Kerova | ... | Carol |
Tourists take a boat to a remote island, where they find that most of the people have disappeared, and something is stalking them. They find a hidden room in the big mansion on a hill, and an ancient diary, which gives them clues to the source of the terror. Written by Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>
A lot has been said about Anthrophagus' excellent special effects and for good reason. The film comes to life when it's showcasing decapitated heads in buckets or scalps being ripped off. When it's just following around our cardboard characters, it suffers and can't muster any suspense or even decent character drama to keep us invested until the next inevitably gruesome death sequence.
The silly music score doesn't help much in conjuring a mood or sense of dread and, in fact, the U.S. version (under the title The Grim Reaper) has a much more effective score that uses various library cues. I'd recommend on the U.S. cut if it weren't for a lot of the special effects being trimmed (including the infamous fetus eating scene).
If you're only here for the guts, Anthrophagus is worth your time, but if you want a little more substance, look elsewhere.