Antropophagus (1980)

A group of tourists become stranded on an uninhabited island where they are stalked by an insane, violent, and grotesque killer that slaughtered the town's former residents.

Director:

Joe D'Amato

Writers:

George Eastman (story) (as Luigi Montefiori), Joe D'Amato (story) (as Aristide Massaccesi)

Stars:

Tisa Farrow, Saverio Vallone, Serena Grandi

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tisa Farrow	...	Julie
Saverio Vallone	...	Andy
Serena Grandi	...	Maggie (as Vanessa Steiger)
Margaret Mazzantini	...	Henriette 'Rita' (as Margaret Donnelly)
Mark Bodin	...	Daniel
Bob Larson	...	Arnold
Rubina Rey	...	Ruth Wortmann
Simone Baker	...	First Victim
Mark Logan	...	Second Victim
George Eastman	...	Nikos Karamanlis (Klaus Wortmann) / Antropophagus
Zora Kerova	...	Carol

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

grindhouse film | video nasty | serial killer | drive in classic | psychotronic film | 

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Taglines:

DEATH AWAITS THOSE WHO TRESPASS IN THE REALM OF THE LIVING DEAD (The Zombies' Rage)

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian German

Release Date:

9 October 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Zombie's Rage

Filming Locations:

Athens, Greece

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmirage, Produzioni Cinematografiche Massaccesi (PCM) International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 87 min (R-rated)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

German Import DVD has a Super-8mm Version (German language only), as a special feature on the disc.

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Quotes

Carol: There's evil on this island. An evil that won't let us get away. An evil that sends out an inhuman, diabolic power. I sense its vibrations now. The vibrations are an intense horror. It will destroy us! The very same way it did all the others!
Andy: Shut up, Carol!

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Alternate Versions

The American region 0 version (aka "The Grim Reaper") replaces the original music with the soundtrack used in Kingdom of the Spiders. In addition to that, two scenes of extreme gore were cut; the first is where the maniac pulls out and eats a woman's unborn baby. The other is the final scene which after the maniac is stabbed by a pickaxe in the abdomen, he pulls out and starts to eat his own entrails in a futile attempt to keep them inside him which completely alters the ending of the film. This version in total appears to be around 10 mins shorter than the full 91 minute Italian version, though some of the edits are also dialogue scenes. The U.S Special Edition on the Media Blasters/Shriek Show label is the original version and fully uncut.

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Connections

Referenced in I'm an Actress! (2009)

User Reviews

Another Reason to Avoid Greek Islands

A group of young adults go to a Greek island, where things go from bad to worse when they find that everyone on the island -- with the exception of a blind girl -- has been killed. Clearly, they didn't see the exploitation film "Island of Death" to learn why Greek islands are bad. What they encounter is a man who is more beast than anything, with an insatiable thirst for human blood and flesh.

This film has floated around under various names -- "Grim Repaer", "Man Eater" and the misspelled "Antropophagus" to name a few -- for quite some time, gaining notoriety for its banned status in England and two scenes which had to be cut when it was finally released (one involving a man eating his own intestines and the other with a baby being ripped from a womb and devoured). The hype is more than enough to get people to see the film, though it's tame by today's standards. (I hate to reference "Island of Death" yet again... but if you want to be shocked, the goat scene in that one easily outdoes anything shown here).

I enjoyed this one. There's something about older horror films, even those with poor film quality, that have a value to them modern films lack. And the cannibal, played by George Eastman, is a disgusting creature in his own right. Even without the publicity or the previously cut scenes (now restored in many versions) Eastman is convincing and works well. (For what it's worth, the blind girl is also pretty cool -- on par with the blind girl in "Castle Freak" -- and I'm very glad they scripted her in to this one.) Decent plot, decent characters, decent blood and gore. Unless you're impatient with older films, this is one that is worth your time and I can see myself seeing it again and again if the opportunity presents itself. Make sure you get an uncut copy. You don't need those extra scenes to enjoy this film, but if you're going to view it, you may as well get the full effect and see what lead to the banning in the first place. You'd be surprised what gets people riled up.