Anthropophagous

After “Beyond the Darkness” (1979), Aristide Massaccessi (known professionally as Joe D’Amato) acquired a taste for controversy, leading him to make another gory horror film that was quickly banned by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which added it to their list of “video nasties”.

The interesting thing is that other than the slow pacing of several critical scenes (a typical gimmick used by directors to extend a film’s running time), the film works fairly well, managing to deliver a steady rhythm of anxiety, revulsion, and out-and-out terror. Given an extraordinary Luigi Montefiori (aka “George Eastman”) in the role of the monster with the deranged eyes (his first appearance in the dark room is truly frightening), it hardly matters that a good portion of the cast turns in a shoddy performance.

The practical special effects are far from impeccable – just think of the doll-like head in the bucket – but particularly towards the end, they manage to be incredibly disturbing. Violent deaths abound: Zora Kerova “merely” gets her throat slit (not bad compared to what Umberto Lenzi has in store for her soon after in 1981’s “Cannibal Ferox”), but it’s the horrific fate of newcomer Serena Grandi that remains violently imprinted in the viewer’s memory. Very atmospheric locations (exteriors in Athens, Greece, as well as Sperlonga and Sutri, Italy), grainy but extremely effective cinematography, musical sound track with electronic touches (rearranged version).

Top scene: the self-eating cannibal.