Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Antropophagus (1980) > IMDb user comments

IMDb user comments for
Antropophagus (1980) More at IMDb Pro »

Filter: Hide Spoilers:
Page 1 of 7:[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [Next]
Index 67 comments in total 

10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Generally despised and loathed "video nasty". I liked it., 17 September 2002
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

Well, I FINALLY got to see this infamous shocker after hearing about it for years. 'Antropophagus' a.k.a. 'The Grim Reaper' is one of the most despised and loathed of all the so-called "video nasties", and director Joe D'Amato seems to be regarded as little more than a figure of fun for many. The people who hate this movie usually call it "boring", "dull", "too slow", and so on for the most part, and then complain about the bad taste of the two infamous gore scenes towards the end. One involving a pregnant woman, the other the killer. I won't go into any detail regarding either scene so as to not lessen their shock value. Now, the strange thing is I inadvertently watched the DVD of 'The Grim Reaper' which cut both of these scenes out, and while I was sorely disappointed not seeing them, I didn't find the rest of the movie dull at all. In fact I thought the movie managed to create quite an effective feeling of dread and suspense throughout. While I don't think the movie is as strong as Fulci's 'Zombie' (which also starred Tisa Farrow), I enjoyed it a lot more than say, 'Zombie Holocaust', which is generally rated higher by many hard core horror fans. So make of that what you will. My advice though is try and see the original uncut 'Antropophagus' for maximum effect.

Was the above comment useful to you?

15 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
For the fans of truly sick stuff...., 30 April 2005
6/10
Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls

This is a pretty cool movie, although I do reckon that you need to be a little sick in the head in order to truly enjoy Joe D'Amato's wicked imagination. "Antropophagus" (LOVE the title!!) is a notorious video-nasty because it contains shock-sequences that ...well...aren't exactly for the squeamish! The pivot figure is a savage and bloodthirsty man that prowls a Greek island (Greek islands are dangerous tourist places apparently...anyone remember 'Island of Death'?) and devours pretty much everything and everyone that crosses his path. The film focuses on the encounter between this maniac and a group of young tourists that coincidentally strand on the island. Apart from the downright nauseating gore (he eats a fetus, for Christ's sake!), this is a rather suspenseful and atmospheric Italian horror film that surely ranks among D'Amato's best work, alongside "Beyond the Darkness" and "Death Smiles at Murder". In case you're a fellow Italian horror fanatic, you'll love the cast that includes George Eastman, Tisa Farrow and Serena Grandi. True, there are some really tedious moments to sit through but the gore is rewarding and the music is terrific. There equally is some gratuitous sleaze to enjoy, as well as some nice photography. Due to its violent and raw nature, "Antropophagus" is one of the most cut films ever. Avoid any version that says "Grim Reaper" on the cover because that's the version that leaves out all the sweet nastiness you're so desperately looking for :)

Was the above comment useful to you?

7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Sick, Ultra-Violent, Disturbing And Extremely Scary, 15 June 2007
8/10
Author: Benjamin Gauss from Salzburg, Austria

Immediately banned in many countries after its release, Joe D'Amato's Italian Gore Classic "Antropophagus" of 1980 is a truly disturbing and immensely scary video nasty, and fans of ultra-violent and nasty Horror should not be disappointed. Potential viewers have to be warned, however: You need a strong stomach for this! The uncut version of "Antropophagus" features some of the most graphic and disturbing and goriest acts of violence you will ever see in a movie, and if there was a ranking of the most disturbing gore scenes ever brought to screen, this sick little flick would easily make it in the top 10! I don't want to give the most shocking scenes away, but I assure that anyone about to watch this flick can prepare for extremely horrid gore scenes.

A couple of tourists travel to a Greek island which they find deserted at their arrival. It quickly becomes clear that something evil is haunting the place. Something with an appetite for human flesh...

Whether you like it or not, "Antropophagus" is a movie that you will not forget quickly! In case you don't like gore this is not your type of film, but in case you do, avoid any censored version and watch this extremely scary Cult-sicko uncut. There is simply no point in watching cut versions of Exploitation-King Joe D'Amato's movies, and "Antropophagus" in particular is a movie that is intended to shock, so the uncut version is essential. Apart from its shocking violence, "Antropophagus" maintains a very scary atmosphere, and its cast includes many familiar faces for Italian Horror fans, such as Tisa Farrow and George Eastman (whom Spaghetti Western fans might also know).

In case you are easily offended, avoid this movie! But if you're a fan of Italian Gore films and Exploitation, you should certainly not miss this one! I advise my fellow Horror-fans to get a beer, lean back and start to enjoy the sick imagination of Joe D'Amato... When the movie reaches its climax, you will only be using the edge of your chair! 8/10

Was the above comment useful to you?

6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent Eurohorror in the Aegean Sea, 16 February 2005
10/10
Author: Jay Bethke from South Dakota, U.S.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The ideas and atmosphere of this film come from great, universal horror themes: a secluded and creepy Greek island, lost tourists, the tragic-horror story of a man who had to eat his wife and child in order to survive while lost at sea, a scary old mansion ...all wonderful horror (and with a genuinely tragic monster, the backbone of all great horror). The scene in which Tisa Farrow is hanging in the well and George Eastman (the cannibal monster) is reaching out to grab her is masterful suspense, and the scenes of Eastman eating the fetus and his own entrails remain shocking today, 25 years later. I've found myself comparing many different secluded-island horror movies to this one, most recently Stuart Gordon's "Dagon," but also "Shockwaves," both great but neither quite evoking the atmosphere and classic horror that Antropophagus does. The Greek folk music piece early in the film draws me back, whenever I hear it, to the dark side of the seclusion of the little islands in the Aegean Sea (the only other film in which I have heard this song is "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" ...needless to say, the use of the song in MBFGW came off as terribly irritating to this gorehound). Though the cuts I have seen of Antropophagus could stand to be cleaned up (and converted into one language throughout the film), these cosmetic problems should not be translated into "slow" and "dull" to modern eyes. This film is spirited and delightful, with all of the suspense and grue of its era packed into 90 minutes. Absolutely essential viewing for the Eurohorror fan.

Was the above comment useful to you?

2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
* out of 4, 21 December 2007
Author: Classics_And_Horror from Review Land

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Julie, (Tisa Farrow) manages to get herself along on a trip with a group of friends, including Andy, (Saverio Vallone) Daniel, (Mark Bodin) Maggie, (Serena Grandi) Arnold, (Bob Larsen) and Carol, (Zora Kerova) that will take them on a trip to a small island in the Greek Sea. When they arrive, they find it completely empty and almost abandoned. Forced to spend the night in the town, Julie takes a walk through the house and finds her friend Henriette, (Margaret Mazzantini) who's blind and stricken with paranoia about the disappearances on the island. As tensions start to mount and they begin to turn on each other, they realize that a vicious killer is after them. However, it's not just kill them that he wants to do.

Tedious, slow paced flick with little logic, no surprises and no brains. It fails to even create a spooky atmosphere nor does it build up any kind of suspense.

Unrated for Extreme Graphic Violence, Profanity and Brief Nudity.

Was the above comment useful to you?

6 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Probably One of My All Time Favorites, 19 October 2006
10/10
Author: PCyst from The Base of Your Spine

I first watched this movie under the title of The Grim Reaper. Most of us fans of the movie probably have as well. Surprisingly, I had never heard about this movie until a few years ago. I remember watching it and think that there was something about this movie that was above most of its competition. Of course, I hadn't seen the uncut version of the film yet so I was just going off of the atmosphere. When I was told what I was missing in the uncut version I had to find it. Obviously, I did. And it wasn't through Shriek Shows new DVD.

A group of people, including Tisa Farrow of Zombi 2 fame, set sail to a secluded island. Upon setting shore, they notice that no one is in site and begin to find dead mummified bodies throughout the town. They don't realize that an extremely impending figure has murdered everyone on the island and they are next.

Sounds simple and it is. George Eastman who plays The Monster even says in an interview that this movie was only made to make money. There was nothing artistic about it. But, nevertheless, the movie is great. Obviously, this movie is not for everyone as some find it boring and over-hyped. I happen to love this film. The sense of impending doom covers this movie from top to bottom. And the 2 particular controversial scenes are great. Sure, the special effects are terrible but it is the thought of what is happening that makes you realize how sick this really is.

I am not a huge fan of D'amato's works but this movie is excellent. For any real collector of horror, this is a must have. By the way, I did end up picking up The Shiek Show release of the movie. It is well worth having. But, if you can find the original American version of the movie I would get it also, under the title of The Grim Reaper. The music selection in certain scenes are different. 10/10

Was the above comment useful to you?

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
A gruesome, interesting and very enjoyable giallo with some minor problems which never ruin the enjoyability of the film., 6 September 2008
7/10
Author: Horror Master, horreviews.blogspot.com from Australia

'Anthropophagus' is a whole lot better than I ever expected it to be. While it's quite flawed at times, it's still a very enjoyable horror-giallo film. I'll start with the bad. Some of the special effects. I know they didn't have much to work with, it's a low budget early-eighties film - I understand this. But regardless, paper mache heads are, dare I say it, not quite as convincing as the real thing. The acting is very adequate and I didn't notice any bad acting at all, just bad dubbing, which plagues almost every Italian horror film.

Now onto the good. There is indeed art in 'Anthropophagus'. Not a 'Suspiria' level of art, but much more art than say, 'Friday the 13th'. It is not quite a purely-for-profit film where all that matters is showing people being mutilated in the most horrible way possible, it is a film with effort put into it and it has more meaning than you would expect. The visuals are quite stunning, the music is great. It's keyboard-based, but there are no repetitive two-note tunes to be heard, the music is catchy and inventive.

Was the above comment useful to you?

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Seriously creepy and pretty dang grisly, if kinda slow exploitation favorite, 25 July 2008
9/10
Author: t-birkhead from United Kingdom

I finally got to see this gem, my first taste of Joe d'Amato's work. I was struck quickly by two things. One, that the film is quite slow moving, as many have criticised it for. It is probably a tad too slow, which is why I can't give it the highest score, since if it had been say, five to seven minutes faster I wouldn't have had to check my watch a couple times to see how long was left. However despite the slow pace, the film, for me had a vice like unnerving grip at many points, with its flashes of grue, desolate island locale and of course the promise of some legendary gore to come. With Tisa Farrow (Zombie Flesh Eaters) and Zora Kerova (Cannibal Ferox) among the tourists present, somewhat unfortunately on this doom laden place the film is a feast for Italian horror fans, even without George Eastman lurking. Eastman, when he gets to really shine towards the end makes for a truly vicious and maniacal adversary but ingeniously, is slightly more shaded a character than your average murderous terror, giving a whole lot more interest and even an odd sort of sympathy. Sure he's evil, but one gets the sad feeling things could have been better for him. Nothing to complex, but it does go a little beyond generic yar boo hiss the evil monster territory and George Eastman conveys it brilliantly. As to the two real famous bits, well, if the principle sounds really gross to you than the scenes probably will be, though if jaded like me, they'll most likely just make you grin. I can't right now recall if there was nudity, but it doesn't matter, this is less sleaze and more a spooky horror piece. Some will no doubt find this boring, overrated, silly, etc, all the usual criticisms of this sort of thing. Personally, though not quite my top Italian horror outing, I thought this was really rather awesome stuff. At the very least, give it a whirl (uncut only).

Was the above comment useful to you?

2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Sugahpoportna, 8 September 2003
6/10
Author: Semih from Seattle, WA

I saw the american -cut- version. Too bad, because i missed the two notorious scenes that people have been talking about. Still it was a very well made film. It takes its time and manages to built tension and cinematic progression. I was really impressed with the musical score, but only to realize that the version i saw used pre-existing music from a film called "kingdom of spiders". It was orchestral (quite an unusual sound for Italian horror) and took me by surprise. The story has a wonderful creepy feel to it, nice use of a Greek "ghost town" and traditionally creepy scenes (like the use of catacombs with human bones). Very impressive, but i still want to see the 2 notorious scenes i missed because of lousy censorship rules, or editing. Whichever caused me to miss out on Massaccesi's (aka D'amato)original vision.

Was the above comment useful to you?

3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Contains two legendary scenes..., 12 August 2001
Author: Daywalker

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Also known as "Man-Eater" or "The Grim Reaper". This film is a definitive must-see for all lovers of those 70s Euro horror trash flicks!!! Nearly the whole time there is nothing happening, the actors behave as if they were in a soft porn and the special F/X are pretty cheesy! But "Antropophagus" has his very own charm that makes him so enjoyable: the last 15 minutes are a real splatterfest and main actor George Eastman is giving an immortal horror film performance with playing the insane man-eater. Two notorious scenes made this movie being legendary:

- in one scene George Eastman tears out the embryo out of the stomach of a pregnant woman.

- at the end a heavy wounded man-eater starts to eat his own guts...

Not to forget that trash mastermind Joe D´Amato was really able to create a pretty creepy atmosphere! If you liked "Antropophagus" check out his great "Erotic Nights of the living dead" - a semi-porn zombie shocker that also stars the outstanding George Eastman!!!

Euro horror trash at its best!!!!!!

Was the above comment useful to you?
Page 1 of 7:[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [Next]

Add another comment

Related Links

Plot summary Ratings External reviews
Parents Guide Plot keywords Main details
Your user comments Your vote history