User reviews

A lot has been said about Anthrophagus' excellent special effects and for good reason. The film comes to life when it's showcasing decapitated heads in buckets or scalps being ripped off. When it's just following around our cardboard characters, it suffers and can't muster any suspense or even decent character drama to keep us invested until the next inevitably gruesome death sequence.

The silly music score doesn't help much in conjuring a mood or sense of dread and, in fact, the U.S. version (under the title The Grim Reaper) has a much more effective score that uses various library cues. I'd recommend on the U.S. cut if it weren't for a lot of the special effects being trimmed (including the infamous fetus eating scene).

If you're only here for the guts, Anthrophagus is worth your time, but if you want a little more substance, look elsewhere.

I tend to shy away from Joe D'Amato's more sleaze & sex orientated efforts. But I don't mind giving his horror outings a watch. Up until now, I thought "Buio Omega" (aka "Beyond The Darkness") was about the only film I found to really live up to its notorious reputation, while still being a reasonably good film. And as far as I'm concerned, after just having watched "Atropophagus", it still is the only one. Plain and simple, "Antropophagus" was a mild disappointment of the boring kind. It couldn't fascinate me the way "Buio Omega" did, mainly because it drags in so many places, it becomes tedious very quick. So, a bunch of characters on a holiday - all good folks, as they don't drink alcohol, they don't smoke, do drugs or have sex either - get stranded on a Greek island. Not ship wrecked, just stranded as they loose their boat. They find an abandoned village, decide to spend the night there, and rather later than sooner, some mysterious killer starts abducting and killing them off one by one. It takes even longer for them to figure out exactly what's going on behind their backs.

Now, D'Amato sure knows how to present us grisly images, creepy settings and at times inject his film with a bit of atmosphere. He also knows how to make gore look good on screen. But building up tension, clearly isn't his strongest skill (he does try, but doesn't really succeed). Also, the man has absolutely no clue how to make a decent film (with an interesting plot or how to construct a proper mystery) nor does he know how to get on with the story. The acting is awful, the dialogues are close to moronic and the movie suffers too often from scenes in which nothing is going on, really, and even senseless & illogical things occur. Like for instance, those two guys deciding to leave the village to go down to the beach to try and look for someone who was still left on the boat. Now, instead of walking down the hill, to the sea, one of them is suddenly seen walking up the mountain for no apparent reason, only to find some ruins of a castle. Him finding them by coincidence, is very convenient to the plot, of course, as it proves to be one of the hideouts of George Eastman, our demented Cannibal Man from the title of this film. And when it comes to his character, I'll admit I was thankful they gave him some sort of background story, as to why he became what he is. Though it was a very thin explanation, with little info and no elaborations, at least there was one. That did put my fear for this being merely a film about an unknown cannibalistic lunatic (of whom we learn nothing) on some island to rest.

On the other hand, the subplot about the mysterious woman in black was severely - shamefully, even - underused. Of course, you suspect from the get-go that she has certain ties with Eastman's character, but all she ever does, is stand behind a couple of windows. Well, actually, she does something else too (later on in the film), her act making up for a fine, short-lived scene. But what she does, doesn't add anything to her character, nor the story. To switch to a positive note again, Eastman's make-up was good. It really succeeds in making him look gruesome and menacing.

Then there was that one scene, earlier in the film, when a couple was investigating a basement. Another highlight, that's at the same time also a low-point. Suddenly and very obviously, some set assistant out of frame, just throws a kitten on a piano. A fantastic fake jump scare, of course. Well done, D'Amato! But then, the real shock-scare comes on, and that one really is priceless. Behind our couple, is a barrel. Suddenly, a woman covered in blood from head to toe, jumps out, screaming, waving a knife. Great shock-moment, I agree. But only if you don't think about it. If you do, for a second, then explain this to me: The barrel was filled to the top with blood - I presume, or was it wine? Inside, was a woman (waiting to jump out). Now all that time our couple was searching the basement, that woman was holding her breath in that barrel of blood? Or was she drinking the wine? This is typically D'Amato throwing logic and plausibility out the window, only to favor presenting us his precious shock-moment. It turns a cool moment, into sheer stupidity.

The musical score was at times, uh, both amusing and interesting. The big mansion near the end was a great location. And the film had that typical late 70's/early 80's gritty feel to it. But it takes more than all this to make a good film, doesn't it? The couple of death scenes we do see, are fine and bloody, with decent make-up effects. And the two most notorious gory shock-moments (which only happen near the end), are well worth seeing. But the whole film really isn't worth sitting through just for that. You might just ask a friend who was the film, to show you the nasty bits and be done with it. But make sure it's the complete uncut version.

I understand the cult following this film has (D'Amato, George Eastman and the few gory bits, I imagine), and I am glad I finally saw it myself (it is kind of a must-see, if you are into obscure & vintage Italian exploitation horror). But I can't say I watched a good film here. I would like to flunk it, even, but looking at it from all possible perspectives, I find myself able to conclude that as an exploitive shock horror feature, trying to be sickening & unsettling (and hoping to upset your stomach), well... it does succeed. So there you have it.

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 :)

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.

I first saw this in the mid 80s on a vhs. Revisited it recently on YouTube. The picture quality is good n its the uncut version.

The movie starts with a brutal meat cleaver scene then becomes very slow n downright tedious. After that for almost one hour nothing happens.

The rubber mask head n the intestines r unintentionally funny.

The last twenty mins contains the two nasty scenes coz of which this film earned the video nasty label. The cinematography is good. The island location is able to capture an eerie atmosphere. The abandoned town, the alleys n the cemetery added to it's creepiness but the end product is boring.

The killer's tilted bald head is actually laughable. Eastman in a non dialogue role is a big lol.

In one scene while the killer is munching on the fetus, one character is shown injured but what happens to that character is never explained. In another scene the killer spares the blind girl. Wtf man. In the well scene, a hand suddenly pops up n pulls a girl inside. The well is more than half empty n i cant understand how the killer is able to come up n pull the girl into the well and in the next scene he is in the water which is much further down.

I originally watched this on SKY a few years back and I enjoyed it then as I did this time around.

That's right I said I enjoyed it and judging by low scores on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, I think I'm in the minority.

The worst thing about this film is the soundtrack. To say it's dreadful would be doing an injustice to the term understatement. There are a couple of scenes where the music sets the mood perfectly... but it is only a couple. The rest of the time the audience is assailed with a manic Wurlitzer pianist - I actually had a vision of an old time theatre (back in the silent movie days) and a man, half-crossed between The Phantom Of The Opera and The Joker, going insane of the ebony and ivories... all it lacked was a maniacal laugh.

Apart from that what the writers Joe D'Amato (Director) and George Eastman (Actor) give the audience is a new take on both the Cannibal and Zombie legends, by giving you Nikos Karamanlis, a man turned beast who is something other than alive and with a penchant for human flesh. He acquired this evil and unnatural taste after he and his family were shipwrecked... when you're miles from anywhere and starving you have to eat.

This is so much better than his follow on movie Absurd, which also fell foul of the dreaded Video Nasty title and banning.

The acting is above average. Tisa Farrow (Mia Farrow's sister) who gave a well-disposed portrayal of Julie, a student on her way to a Greek island and summer job. Along with Saverio Vallone who gives an affable portrayal of Andy, the unheralded leader of the group, these two hold the film together. Even the mostly silent Eastman as The Beast does a decent job of being menacing and actually uses his size and facial features to add power and unease (wish he'd done the same in Absurd)

For the time the effects are more than passable, the only let down is Eastman's "Beast" face as it looks like somebody has spilt cold porridge over him. Most of the dead look nasty enough, with decaying skin and maggots writhing in eye sockets. The scene with the rats would have looked more realistic had they not covered a skeleton in spam... they could have added more blood to disguise the fact - go Herschell-Lewis on them.

One thing that did impress me is most of the scenes are shot in daylight and D'Amato still builds a sense of tension and unease. The scene where Arnold is looking for his pregnant wife Maggie and stumbles into a clearing by a ruinated abbey sent a shiver down my spine. You can actually feel something watching him.

There is more to this film than I originally thought and I would recommend it to all horror fans who haven't seen it yet. And I will be watching this again in the future.

This Italian/German made horror tells the tale of a group of characters so dull and personality less I don't think I ever even acknowledged their names. They arrive on an island and come under attack from a cannibal, each being picked off one by one.

As you can imagine you'll have seen it all before but the film does have a couple of notable features.

Radiating that 70's vibe you'll be right at home with the ridiculously red "Blood", over the top blips and blops within the soundtrack and all the usual tropes.

Antropophagus was one of those banned video nasties which you watch now and you simply cannot understand why. This one however does have one particularly unpleasant scene but even that is done in such a laughable manner it loses credibility.

The Good:

One great death scene

Interesting killer

The Bad:

Awful 70's score

"That" baby scene

Lifeless characters

Looking back these days at the movies on the list of Video Nasties drawn up in the early 80s by the UK's Director of Public Prosecutions, one is often left wondering what all the fuss was about. In the case of "Antrophagus: The Beast" AKA "Antrophagus: The Grim Reaper", with its infamous ripping-out-a-fetus-and-chomping-on-it scene, it is easy to see. However, fetus grimness aside, 'Antrophagus' is a disappointing horror which neither lives upto the hype of its infamous set-piece or the promising first act of the movie.

The film begins with the slaughter of a young couple on a pleasant beach on a remote Greek Island by something which emerges from the sea. Sometime later a young group of holidaying tourists (friends of the slain couple) arrive and find the island deserted Mary Celeste style. They begin to investigate, catching glimpses of a mysterious woman before they finally stumble upon a hysterical blind girl who tells them of a monster whose presence she can smell from the odor of blood it carries. From there the members of the group are gradually picked off by something which is eventually revealed to us to be a disfigured and insane George Eastman.

Unfortunately, while the first third establishes a convincingly uncomfortable atmosphere courtesy of the island and the house, and the build up to the monster's reveal is quite well done… after this the film deflates quite quickly. For all its hype there is actually very little in the way of action/gore and after the plot has revealed itself we still have to suffer a lot of shots of people walking around like they have done for the whole of the film upto that point. However, it should be noted that the film does attempt some modicum of character development and has some only-just-sub-par acting in order to carry the viewer through the boredom…even though it falls short of the mark. And then, the fetus eating scene (in fact a skinned rabbit)! Sure, this is a gruesome and repugnant idea, but to be honest the scene isn't shot that well, doesn't really make sense, fails to repulse, and so ultimately disappoints.

It's a shame really as every now and then you catch glimpses of what could be a great movie, but the editing, the acting, and (to be honest) the monster, let it down and (while it's much, much better than the follow up 'Absurd') still bores where it should scare, and elicits yawns where there should be screams.

I have already seen this classic formula in horror films, in which a group of young friends go on vacation to a far-away land, only to find their trip cut short by a series of fortuitous and gory events, followed by an imminent death. "Antropophagus" manages to stand out in its own way, by offering a genuinely frightening villain, extreme gruesome deaths and a perfect setting for the story. I have always thought that the locations of a horror film sometimes have a greater role than the central characters of the story. In this case, the scenario in which the action takes place in a European island, which is actually a beautiful place, but also a devastating scenario that creates a feeling of isolation and vulnerability.

In "Antropophagus", a group of travelers go on a trip to Greece and are joined by a young woman named Julie, who asks them for a ride to an island because she wants to meet some friends.

While the group explores the seemingly deserted island, they come across a rotten dead body, which obviously prompts them to rush back to the boat, only to find it adrift. Julie suggests taking shelter at her friends' house, and when they get there, they find the family's blind daughter in an utter state of panic. The teenage girl, named Henerietta, explains them that her family was killed some days ago by a lunatic. Later, the friends find out that most of the island residents were murdered by the same insane killer, a man named Nikos, who feasts on human flesh and is now out to get them.

I have seen hundreds of horror films and while I can see that certain horror villains, such as Michael Myers, are frightening and creepy looking, that's basically it; I can acknowledge their creepiness, while not necessarily being afraid of them. With this film, I was genuinely afraid of the antropophagus (performed by the surprisingly good-looking Luigi Montefiori). The cannibalistic villain appears as a gruesome beast-like creature with hideous scars all over his face, shredded clothes, a sinister smile and deranged eyes that give the impression that he is some kind of ravenous wild animal that is out to catch his prey. The antropophagus is definitely one of the most intimidating villains I have seen and his image is haunting. "Antropophagus" features some very effective chase sequences full of suspense, in which the killer goes after his human prey with ferociousness in his eyes and a very disturbing smile.

The gore is plentiful and intense, which made my stomach turn once or twice, while not necessarily making this film a torture show. I admit I am easily impressed by gore and I tend to dislike extreme brutality, even when it looks ridiculously fake. However, sometimes gore serves a purpose, when is not just there for the sake of seeing guts scattered all over the place. In some cases, like it happens with this film, the crudeness of the gore help to convey a feeling of vulnerability and even anxiety.

The lead actress is Tisa Farrow (Mia's less known sister) who gave her last performance in this film, in which she accurately provided all the basics that the audience normally expect on a lead girl from a classic horror movie: she's beautiful, but also angelic and innocent. Her character is likable and nice, but also capable of becoming a warrior towards the end and facing that horrible man that is out to get her. And speaking of the devil, the antropophagus himself is played by Italian actor Luigi Montefiori (who goes by the name of George Eastman in this film). I have never seen Montefiori in anything else, except "Antropophagus", but I honestly have to say that this is one of the scariest horror villains I have seen in basically 20 years as a horror fan. He was amazing as the beast-like killer.

To this day, "Antropophagus" remains as one of my favorite horror films, although in all honestly, I don't see it very often, because I actually find it scary and even depressing for moments (that's a good thing, since horror films are not supposed to cheer us up)

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.

Antropophagus(1980) packs inexplicable disturbing occurrences , shocks, thrills , suspense , chills , hair-rising events and extremely gory final . Stars Tisa Farrow , Mia Farrow's sister , she's one of a group of American students (Tisa Farrow , Saverio Vallone , Serena Grandi , Zora Kerova , among others) vacationing on a Greek island . Farrow learns of the twisted cannibalistic murderer who methodically kills tourists and locals at the creepy island . ...He's coming for you . They rip out your fear and feed on it ! (The Zombies' Rage) . Death awaits those who trespass in the realm of the living dead . It's not fear that tears you apart...it's him!

This scary movie is filled with some genuine fright , horror and doom. A sinister and unsettling flick that goes on growing more and more and developing little by little until the unexpected finale . A familiar -but dull at times- script full of shocks, screams and surprises by writer/producer/actor Luigi Montefiori or George Eastman , giving a remarkable presence as the giant ghastly-looking dead man who rises from the tomb, as he enhanced everything he was in and especially this role as a disfigured cannibalistic serial killer . Passable special effects , with special mention for the known and really disturbing scenes of the pregnant woman comes up and as she's being strangled by the killer and her fetus is ripped out of her . Regularly made by Aristide Massaccesi who does a cameo as a bearded man exiting the cable car , now referring to himself as Joe D'Amato, he entered the "gore" genere films with Buio Omega (1979), which remains his most successful horror film, shot in four weeks on a low budget entirely at a villa near Bressanone and which had an excellent music soundtrack by the rock group Goblin. This Antropophagus (1980) was his next horror film, musicalized by Marcello Giombini , but less successful than the previous one, was Gomia, terror en el Mar Egeo (1980), directed as "Peter Newton". The film starred Tisa Farrow, sister of Mia Farrow and the star of Island of the living dead or Zombi 2 (1979), another gore genre flick . Being last onscreen appearance for Tisa Farrow, as she retired from acting after this , previously she played some decent movies such as : Search and destroy , Winter kills, The last hunter , Manhattan , Fingers , Imitation of Sarah , Strange shadows in a empty room, Some call it loving and Hope to die .

The motion picture was middilngly directed by hack director Joe D'Amato or Aristide Massaccessi . This artisan was a prolific cameraman/writer/producer/director who made all kinds of genres . His first directing work was in 1972's low-budget Scansati... a Trinità arriva Eldorado (1972), co-directed by Diego Spataro, under the pseudonym Dick Spitfire, but it was a commercial failure. As he directed hardcore , soft-core, erotic films starring Laura Gemser, such as Emmanuel and francois (1975), Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (1977), Emanuelle in América (1977), Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade (1978), Erotic Nights of the Living dead , L'alcova (1985) . Gialli and Terror movies : Gomia , Hitcher in the dark , Death Smiles on a Murderer , Buio Omega . Scifi and Sword-witchery : Ator , Ator l'invincibile, Ator 3 , 2020 Texas Rangers , Bronx Endgame, and many others. Rating : 4/10 . Below average terror movie , it isn't apt for squeamish.

Going into Antropophagus aka Man-Eater (man i have a tough time, pronouncing that) I knew a couple things about it. I knew it was a classic of euro horror and I knew that it was supposed to be pretty gory. And I would say both are true. While watching the opening credits I also found out that it was directed by Joe D'Amato, big time sleaze/horror director. After seeing Buio Omega and this one really gets to know his style of directing.

Antrophoghagahasus....Man-Eater is about a few wealthy people taking a vacation and visiting an island. What they don't know is that the island people have all vanished, thanks to one of the coolest villains in horror history. No joke. So obviously they arrive to the island, and bad things start to happen. Simple but fun.

I hear people find this movie dull, and I can totally see where they're coming from. In the beginning especially there were a few instances I caught myself not even paying attention. But these day-dream episodes didn't happen again and I was pretty happy with the following results. The movie (uncut) isn't full of gore, but it has it's fair share, especially the ending which was funny as hell. It's one of those moments where you're telling yourself - He's not gonna...he's not...Awesome! - Actually there are two moments in this film that gage that type of reaction.

If you're into euro horror, you've most likely already checked this out, but if you're just a horror fan looking for something different, this is one flick I would definitely recommend. It has D'Amato directing, pretty girls, cool gore, some nice suspense and a pretty badass villain. 8 outta 10

How anyone can say this is better than its sequal "Absurd" goes beyond me. I saw this film (uncut) straight after Absurd and kept wondering when it was actually going to start - there is one initial scene where a guy on a beach gets a meat cleaver through his head (extremely unrealistic effects) and then the next "excuse of gore" is a head in a bucket which is so pathetically unreal I nearly split my sides with laughter !!!! The so called famous fetus eating scene is about the only thing that could atract anyone to watch this film and even that is poorly done. The whole concept behind the idea is definatly sick if you sit there and think about it but the effects really are poor and as for everyone talking about suspense and quality music - oh dear, I don't think you watched the same film as me. There is far too much cheesy greek "plate smashing" music, too many scenes done in the dark - to the extent where you can't actually see half of the film - and just no need to watch it - not even out of curiosity !!!! Trust me, do not waste 90 mins of your life watching this one - it is dire !!!!

Five friends are travelling and planning on touring the islands. They bump into Tisa Farrow who plays Julie and she joins them. They are going to drop Julie off on an island where she is going to meet her weird friend Henriette (Margaret Mazzatini). Once they get to the island things are amiss including a cannibal (George Eastman) who has a bit of a hunger issue.

To me this is an extremely mixed bag. I find that I am not a fan of how director Joe D'Amato and cinematographer Enrico Biribicchi shot this. It seems too close up at times when I think a wider shot would be more effective. Is also filled with some cheap jump scares that do not work.

The two things that do work in the film are the gore is top-notch and for that was added to the infamous "video nasties" in the UK. One scene in particular involving a pregnant victim stapled this title to that list. Another thing that works is George Eastman. In a film filled with 0 performances worth mentioning in almost the first hour of the film Eastman shows up in the 3rd act and is huge, menacing and creepy. He is quite effective in this role. Problem is the gore and Eastman do not make up enough of a difference to make this a fully worthwhile film. Without them this film's rating would be dropped at least a couple points. I understand the concept of not seeing the monster to begin with. It adds tension. Yet in this film it is a snoozefest when Eastman is not on screen. So the film would have worked better in my opinion if he was shown right from the start. Story by D'Amato and Eastman who then penned the screenplay. Both also acted as producers.

Well where do I start, it's 2006 and that is the only excuse this film has. O.k it is more than 20 years old now but I watched this film last night and it was absolutely rubbish, garbage, pants! Nothing looks real, most things can be expected, the killer is rubbish! you would actually expect him to be some kind of sea monster from the start but that would of been hilarious if it was!

The dead bodies looked tatty, grotty, not scary and un-human like.

the setting was nice but not used to good effect, the lighting in the house at night was ridiculous! You couldn't see the characters half the time and the sound was poor quality.

The music used sounded like a comedy show, it was appalling!

The worst part of the film is th ending, Oh my God what a terrible ending!!! The man kills it with a pick axe and it says 'the end' It makes you think why you had to watch this pile of trash just for that! The worst horror I have ever seen, it doesn't even get you scared at all! I laughed at it because it was all expected and no horror techniques were used to good effect at all. A shocker to watch overall, my rating 2 out of 10. I hope many other modern day horror lovers agree with this!

Gory Italian horror movie set on a Greek island about a crazed, cannibalistic killer who preys on tourists. This brings back memories of having to hunt down pirate VHS copies of movies such as this in the late 1980's/90's beacuse they had been banned in Britain and labelled as Video Nasties. Many of these films were just plain awful and while this is no classic it is one of the better ones, and I certainly enjoy revisiting it from time to time. It has its faults. The dubbing is very bad in places. There are obvious day for night scenes (but hey, Hammer did that). The story is set in the Summer yet people are wearing thick clothing and many trees are bare of their leaves. Thankfully these faults are outweighed by positives. The score is good, mixing traditional Greek music with dark, scary tunes. George Eastman makes a very imposing monster. Nice locations. And plenty of gore, including the infamous baby foetus eating scene. AKA Savage Island and The Grim Reaper (avoid, as this version is heavily censored).

I remember seeing this movie in theatres back in the 80s. But I don't remember it being this lame. The Media Blasters/Shriek Show is a heavily edited version. Most infuriating is the fact that the trailers provided on the DVD show some of the gore that has been edited out.

A group of friends decide to take a vacation on a Greek island. But first there's the a long intro kill. A couple goes to the beach. The girl goes swimming and sees a boat, swims to the boat looks in it and sees something that makes her scream. Whatever she sees we don't get to see. Then we see blood appearing in the ocean. The guy is listening to music on the beach and his head will meet an axe.

Back in Greece, our group goes to the posh house at which they stay, but there something wrong. Some ghostly woman appears but hides from them. In the basement they find a hysterical woman covered in blood, who warns them of someone. Finally, in minute 52 (!) we finally meet our flesh eater who spends time in some real underground catacombs associated with some church. There we get to see one of the two decent gore scene in the movie.

Our villain dispatches a couple of our friends but eventually meets meets a cruel and ironic death.

This movie in its rated version is painfully slow, with very little worth seeing. One can't care about any of the characters. One good things is that we get to see why the anthropophagus became an anthropophagus. Presumable there's some connection to the opening scene, but since we don't see that in its entirety, as it is, part of that intro is pointless. The scenery is great, being filmed on beautiful and fascinating locations.

I can't recommend the rated version.