In the annals of exploitation cinema, one country that has produced some of the most notorious films is Italy. Some of the most prominent filmmakers of this period included Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Ruggero Deodato, and Umberto Lenzi. These and many others specialized in different types of films, including giallos, spaghetti westerns, crime thrillers, knock-offs, and splatter films. One of the most notorious of these was Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust, which became a major controversy since its 1980 release. Deodato was actually brought before a judge to prove he didn’t kills his actors, though he did kill many animals. While not the first, this started a trend of cannibal movies, including Cannibal Ferox, Eaten Alive, Cannibal Apocalypse, etc. Enter filmmaker Joe D’Amato, born Aristide Massaccesi, who, with frequent collaborator Luigi Montefiori aka George Eastman, made a cannibal film. That film was the notorious 1980 film, The Grim Reaper aka Antropophagus.
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A group of tourists are planning a trip to the Greek islands and bring along Julie (Tisa Farrow). She’s joining them to meet up with friends living on one of the islands, though Carol (Zora Kerova) has reservations. Despite her objections, the group sails to the islands anyway, and upon arrival, pregnant Maggie (Serena Grandi) sprains her ankle. The others go off exploring the island while Maggie stays behind, only to be abducted by a mysterious figure. While exploring the island, they find it deserted save for a woman in black living in an old house. They make their way to a house owned by Julie’s friends, finding a young blind girl named Henriette (Margaret Mazzantini). Soon, the titular Antropophagus (George Eastman) makes his presence known and starts eating and killing the group one by one. Who will survive, and who will fall victim to the cannibalistic killer?
As with many Italian horror films of the time, this one clearly lacks the budget of a major studio production. However, what the film lacks in budget, it more than makes up for in its atmosphere and some shocking moments. D’Amato is similar to another infamous exploitation director, Jess Franco, where when he’s on, it’s great, but otherwise is poor. He’s usually known for his knock-offs of more popular films, such as The Blade Master, or his more hardcore films. However, Antropophagus is definitely one of his better films, where even in slower scenes, there’s a very foreboding atmosphere present. The film makes great use of shadows and darkness that gives it a very eerie feeling, like exploring a cave. Of course, there’s the occasional day-for-night sequence that’s painfully obvious, but that’s pretty common in most low budget films. Otherwise, the filmmaking on display is quite impressive given the limitations.
Acting-wise, the performances are fairly decent, though it’s hard to judge given that everyone was dubbed like most Italian films. Tisa Farrow, in what ended up being her final role before retiring, gives a very expressive performance that works here. Zora Kerova and Margaret Mazzantini also do a good job, and the rest of the cast does what they can. However, the real star is George Eastman, who despite having no dialogue, is intense and terrifying as the cannibalistic killer. It’s a shame that he said he was ashamed of this film in a recent interview because he is fantastic. When it was released, the film was labeled a “Video Nasty” in the UK, and it’s easy to see why. While not as graphic by today’s standards, there are some shocking moments that are not for the faint of heart. But those with strong stomachs, Antropophagus is worth a look.
