Editorials
[Butcher Block] Italian Cannibal Gore Classic ‘Anthropophagus’
Butcher Block is a weekly series celebrating horror’s most extreme films and the minds behind them. Dedicated to graphic gore and splatter, each week will explore the dark, the disturbed, and the depraved in horror, and the blood and guts involved. For the films that use special effects of gore as an art form, and the fans that revel in the carnage, this series is for you.
Sometimes you revisit movies from the infamous Video Nasty list and find them pretty tame, especially by today’s standards for extreme horror. Granted, some horror movies that were prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act were targeted solely because of their title and VHS cover art, but some featured just enough gore that it drew the ire of the censors. Then there were the movies that flat out tested the boundaries of taste. The movies that definitively earned their spot on the list. The title of Joe D’Amato’s gory cult horror movie gives a hint of the madness within; anthropophagus is a synonym cannibal, after all. But still, if you were to go in blind, you’d probably start to wonder if maybe this was another tame horror movie undeserving of its Video Nasty status. Don’t worry. It belongs on the list.
The movie opens with a pair of German tourists enjoying a day together on a remote beach with their dog (don’t worry, the dog is smart enough to hightail it out of there when it notices something is off). They’re brutally murdered by an unseen foe. With that bloody opening kill out of the way, the movie introduces us to our core group of characters. They’re a group of friends touring the Greek islands by boat and find themselves intrigued by a remote island that seems inhabited, but upon further investigation find it to be completely empty of people save for one or two unhinged women. While there, the boat leaves them behind, and they soon discover why the island has been abandoned.
All of this takes time. D’Amato is trying to create an eerie atmosphere. We don’t see the killer for a long time, and at least a third of the film is the characters wandering the empty streets in search of answers. There’s one decapitation and a kidnapping of a pregnant woman, but again, we never see the killer and it’s fairly bloodless. But things to pick up, and the final act of the film delivers on the gore and then some; there are two particularly grisly, taboo-breaking scenes that earned this film its reputation (and Video Nasty status no doubt).
The group of friends start getting killed one by one in violent ways, and the anthropophagus finally makes his appearance known. They piece together that he’s the reason the island is empty; he’s eaten just about every living thing on it. He’s fond of gnawing on throats, eviscerating the flesh and gushing blood everywhere. But it’s nothing compared to the infamous scene that sees him tear out the pregnant woman’s fetus and devour it- umbilical cord and all. Yes, this scene was the one that no doubt turned the censors green, then red with rage. The anthropophagus’ final moments are also pretty extreme, but still doesn’t manage to revolt quite in the same way.
The anthropophagus is played by George Eastman, who also produced and wrote the screenplay based on the story idea he and D’Amato came up with. Makeup was handled by Pietro Tenoglio, an artist with a lengthy list of credits to his name, but StageFright and Castle Freak are the most recognizable titles for genre fans. D’Amato was a director that dabbled in all sorts of genres, but he was best known for his work in porn and horror. He approached shooting his horror films the same way he did his erotic films; simple and straightforward with a focus on the titillating bits. In this case, it meant a hyper-focus on slurping, munching, stabbing, and gruesome moments of gore.
Anthropophagus is a movie that’s been released under various titles; Anthropophagous: The Beast, The Grim Reaper, Man Beast, Man-Eater, and The Savage Island. That’s an important distinction here, as they indicate different cuts. For example, in the U.S., the film was initially released as The Grim Reaper, which was an abridged version of the original. As for Anthropophagus’ Video Nasty status, it finally passed uncut in 2015.
Whereas most of the notable Italian cannibal horror offerings took place in the jungle and presented a no holds barred frenzy of visceral violence, Anthropophagus takes a quieter, slasher approach to its man-eater. Like Cannibal Holocaust, many people believed it to be a snuff film at time of release. It’s not nearly as brutal, but it does offer some truly jaw-dropping moments.
Despite ancient humans having already overcome several potential doomsday scenarios in real life, post-apocalyptic fiction used to be relatively rare until the invention of the atomic bomb convinced us that the end of the world could be just around the proverbial corner.
Since then, we’ve seen many different stories about the collapse of civilization and the strange societies that might emerge from the rubble, but I’d argue that one of the most interesting of these apocalyptic visions is the post-nuclear America of the iconic Fallout games. A witty satire of American jingoism and cold war shenanigans, it’s honestly baffling that it so long for us to finally see a live-action adaptation of this memorable setting.
Thankfully, Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet’s Fallout TV show isn’t just a great adaptation – it’s also an incredibly fun standalone story that makes the most of its post-apocalyptic worldbuilding. And since fans are going to have to wait a while to see the much-anticipated second season, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six post-apocalyptic thrillers to watch if you’re still craving more Fallout!
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own apocalyptic favorites if you think we missed a particularly fun one. And while it’s not on the list, I’d also like to give a shout-out to The Hughes Brothers’ underrated post-apocalyptic action flick The Book of Eli – which I recently covered in its own article.
With that out of the way, onto the list…
6. The Divide (2011)
Xavier Gens may be best known for his memorable contribution to the New French Extremity movement – with the eerily prescient Frontière(s) – but the filmmaker is also responsible for a handful of underrated thrillers that flew under the radar despite being legitimately solid films. One of the most interesting of these flicks is 2011’s The Divide, a single-location exercise in claustrophobic tension.
Telling the story of a group of New Yorkers who find themselves trapped in a bomb shelter after a surprise nuclear attack, this dark thriller is more interested in the ensuing social chaos than effects-heavy physical destruction. And while critics at the time were horrified by the bleak story and cynical characters, I think this mean streak is precisely what makes The Divide worth watching.
5. The Day After (1983)
One of the highest-rated TV films of all time, ABC’s The Day After is one of the scariest movies ever made despite being more of a speculative docu-drama than an actual genre flick. Following an ensemble of families, doctors and scientists as they deal with the horrific aftermath of all-out nuclear war, this radioactive cautionary tale was vital in convincing real-world politicians to review their policies about nuclear deterrence.
In fact, the film is even credited with scaring President Ronald Reagan into changing his mind about expanding the United States’ nuclear arsenal, with this new stance eventually leading to a treaty with the Soviet Union. With a story this powerful, I think it’s safe to say that The Day After is a must watch for Fallout fans interested in the more down-to-earth elements of the apocalypse.
4. The Postman (1997)
If I had a nickel for each unfairly maligned post-apocalyptic epic starring Kevin Costner that was released in the 90s, I’d have two nickels – which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. And while Waterworld has since seen a resurgence in popularity with fans defending it as a bizarrely expensive B-movie, I haven’t seen a lot of discussion surrounding 1997’s more serious vision of a fallen America, The Postman.
Following Costner (who also directed the flick) as a post-apocalyptic nomad who begins to rebuild America by pretending to be a member of the newly reformed postal service, this David Brin adaptation is consistently fascinating – especially if you view the story as a cynical fairy-tale, which was Costner’s original intention.
And while the flick suffers from some goofy dialogue and a bloated runtime, it makes up for this by having directly inspired Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.
3. Turbo Kid (2015)
Turbo Kid may have been billed as an indie Mad Max with bicycles instead of cars, but François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell’s comedic throwback to the post-apocalyptic future of 1997 is much more than meets the eye. From quirky characters to madly creative designs, the flick rises above nostalgia bait by being a legitimately fun time even if you don’t get the copious amounts of ’80s and ’90s references.
And despite the horror-inspired ultraviolence that colors the frequent action scenes as we follow a young comic-book fan deluding himself into thinking that he’s a superhero, it’s the childlike sense of wonder that really makes this a treat for cinephiles. It’s just a shame that we’re still waiting on the sequel that was announced back in 2016…
2. Six-String Samurai (1998)
A lo-fi homage to spaghetti westerns and classic samurai films – not to mention the golden age of rock ‘n roll – Six-String Samurai is a must-watch for those who appreciate weird cinema. While I’ve already written about the madly creative vibes that make this such an entertaining flick, I think it’s worth repeating just in case some of you have yet to give this musical fever dream a try.
And appropriately enough for this list, the film was also a source of inspiration for the 3D Fallout games – especially Obsidian’s fan favorite New Vegas. The game even includes a New Vegas Samurai achievement (unlocked by killing enemies with a katana) with a vault-boy illustration modeled after the film’s rendition of Buddy Holly.
1. A Boy and His Dog (1975)
The grisly post-apocalyptic comedy that inspired the original Fallout games, L.Q. Jones’ adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s novella is just as shocking today as it was back in ’75. Telling the story of a teenage scavenger who travels the wastelands of 2024 America alongside his telepathic canine companion, A Boy and His Dog feels like a Heavy Metal comic brought to life.
While the film’s rampant misogyny and brutal violence make it tough to revisit under modern sensibilities, it’s still a landmark in post-apocalyptic cinema and one hell of a memorable ride. Not only that, but the flick also inspired the creation of Fallout’s most beloved NPC, the ever-loyal Dogmeat.
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