User Reviews

While on a mission to rescue two servicemen captured by the Viet Cong, "Captain Norman Hopper" (John Saxon) is bitten by one of these men when he attempts to pull him from the pit. Afterward both of the men are committed to a psychiatric hospital while Captain Hopper is allowed to return to civilian life. Unfortunately, it doesn't end there as one of the men named "Charlie Bukowski" (Giovanni Lombardo Radice) is temporarily released and not long afterward suddenly goes berserk which results in the deaths of at least two people. Then upon being returned to the psychiatric hospital he and the other serviceman by the name of "Tom Thompson" (Tony King) manage to escape along with a nurse named "Helen" (May Heatherly) who was bitten by one of them and shares the same craving for human flesh as they do. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this turned out to be a fairly decent type of "zombie film" even though it didn't necessarily fit the technical parameters for that particular sub-genre. The acting was decent and the plot moved along quite well. In any case, for what it's worth I liked the movie and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Vietnam vet Norman Hopper (John Saxon) has suddenly begun to relive the nightmare of war in his dreams. He receives a phone call from an old army friend, Charlie Buckowski, that he rescued in Nam, Buckowski and another man Tom Thompson had been found in a Viet Cong prison with a craving for human flesh and both had since been in a mental hospital for psychological analysis. Hopper turns down the offer of meeting his old mate as he is struggling with demons of his own, he believes his wife may be an adulteress, he is also attracted to the very young girl next door and more importantly he is stressed at his increasing craving for raw meat and blood. Buckowski goes on a shooting rampage and kills a few people and is locked up again, but then escapes along with Thompson and he urges Hopper to help them escape the city. Saxon a fluent Italian speaker and a veteran of many Italian films, jumped at the chance of working with the great Margheriti and was immediately impressed by the directors rapport with actors and his talent behind the camera, Saxon was also attracted by the seemingly novel idea that war might be spread by a virus, he was shocked though when during filming he suddenly realised that the virus was a cannibalistic one and he refused to be in any of the scenes containing such acts. For those who like the adventure aspect of a jungle set Cannibal film, this might disappoint slightly, except for a few flashbacks this is entirely set in Atlanta and plays more like a Nam Vet action film with some gore on the side. Still though, the characters are interesting and time is given to their development, Saxon impresses as the troubled Hopper, which is hardly surprising, but he may have been helped somewhat by his depression at the time, due primarily to financial problems he had after the break-up of his marriage. His fellow actors including John Morghen recount that he was rather aloof and distant and not much fun during filming. Margheriti was renowned for his period set Gothic costume dramas and Cannibal Apocalypse was a big change of style for him, gone are all his trademark stylings and in come the more appropriate washed out colours and a steely grey look of the city. The gore is for the most part pretty tame by genre standards but its still effective. The faux disco score was tacky as hell and at times seemed inappropriate to the visuals, but this is still a fun film, and is recommend to fans of the genre

John Saxon has spoken out against this movie many times and seems ashamed for having been involved in it. The way he goes on about it you would think that he was tricked into making an exploitation movie via some kinda 'Caligula'-esque ruse. But all I can say is a)just look at Saxon's career. I love the guy but c'mon, 'Queen Of Blood', 'Enter The Dragon', 'Mitchell', 'The Bees' and 'Battle Beyond The Stars' aren't exactly Jean Luc Godard, know what I'm saying? And b) I think if you sign up for a movie that involves Vietnam vets infected with a "cannibal virus" you kinda KNOW what you're getting in for, don't you think?

'Cannibal Apocalypse' attempts to cash in on both the 70s Italian cannibal cycle started by Deodato, and the the success of 'The Deerhunter' and 'Apocalypse Now'. It is absolutely stupid in concept, above average in execution, and isn't totally successful because of its timidity in showing disturbing in your face gore. I like the way Saxon and most of the others play the ludicrous material with a straight face, but unfortunately there are too many dull sections and not enough cannibalism! The movie begins well enough in the all too brief Vietnam sequence, but never lives up to the promise shown in the first ten minutes. It's quickly downhill all the way after that, only rescued by one or two blackly humorous scenes. What you end up with is a half-baked Romero rip-off. I say go straight to 'Dawn Of The Dead' or 'The Crazies'.

This is one of those movies that screams for IMDB to add a ZERO stars rating. Also known (in a cut down version) as Cannibals in the Streets, I really believe this was going to be a zombie film, but they didn't have the budget. Another lame Italian horror movie, this one has Viet Nam vets coming back with a virus that causes cannibalism. I've never seen the uncut version, but this one is boring and silly enough!

Maybe the fact that this particular cannibal movie wasn't directed by one of the usual suspects (Lenzi, Deodato) is what makes it so tolerable. Saxon plays a soldier who goes back to some south Asian country to rescue his POW buddies. He doesn't seem too bothered by the fact that when he finds him, they're eating human flesh, or that one of them bites him, and infects him with some kind of cannibal virus. Fast forward a number of years, and Saxon is gettin a hankerin for some human meat. This all happens about the time that his buddies decide to break out the mental hospital they're in. It all ends up with Saxon and his buddies infecting a bunch of people, and running from the law in the sewers. Cannibal city, baby.

Radice getting his abdomen blown clean out with a shotgun is reason alone to watch this movie (if you can figure out how they did this effect, let me know). The rest is pretty standard, as far as movies go, but it is a lot better than most cannibal movies. At least it takes place in the city and not in some jungle. Worth a look, if you're a cannibal or John Saxon fan.

This is a movie that follows a lot of the conventions of a zombie movie, the main difference being that instead of being dead, these flesh-eaters are alive, just taken over by a virus that turns them into deranged cannibals. It's an interesting concept, and this film features a lot of interesting scenes that you just don't see portrayed too often, such as a bizarre molestation in a film theater, and a long, tense standoff with a crazed gunman in a resale store.

This movie shows the influence of Dawn of the Dead all over it, from the resale store biker rampage and standoff to the final scenes, in which a group of four with the exact same gender/ethnic makeup as in DotD hole up against outside invaders. The interesting twist this time is that THEY are the pursued flesh-eaters, rather than the other way around.

This movie, while having rich and deep cheese deposits, also actually has some quality to it. It sustains a creepy and tense tone tied around John Saxon's growing obsession with consuming human flesh, and his struggle and fear about giving into those impulses. Saxon carries off his 'upright soldier' persona so well that one both empathizes with his struggle, and fears what will happen once his intensity is channeled into being evil. The direction is actually very good, with many shots carefully composed to create and sustain a great deal of tension and menace. And then there's just the story, which covers the first days of a viral outbreak as it begins to spread and people begin to wake up to what is going on, which is also pretty fascinating.

There's also an additional layer of tension to the movie (compared to a traditional zombie movie) in that after someone's been bitten, you aren't sure WHEN they will start turning into a crazed flesh-eater. In a regular zombie movie, they're dead until they wake up again, here they're a normal person until suddenly they just snap, which is cool.

Though this is supposed to be an 'extreme gore classic,' it's pretty tame by today's standards. When your big gore payoff shot has been done to comic effect in Death Becomes Her, the edge is pretty much gone.

Okay, now onto the individually delightful cheese elements: Stock helicopter footage opens the picture. There should be some kind of film festival of movies that incorporate unrelated stock footage, the supreme champion obviously being Hell of the Living Dead.

A guy pets a dog with an obvious explosive around its neck. He explodes—and then the funky disco music begins! What's more, the music was actually pretty good! Please note: potential cannibals should not keep huge slabs of unwrapped bloody meat in their fridge. I mean, obviously everyone does, but if you suffer from cannibalistic tendencies… A young girl comes onto John Saxon (who wouldn't?) by wanting to borrow a hair dryer. Her hair is not wet. She then reveals herself as an unhinged psychotic while blowing him (um, with the dryer) while he's trying to have an important phone conversation (with another unhinged psychotic), which would earn a punch in the mouth from me (but I am not susceptible to nubile vixens). Motorcycle chase in warehouse/resale store! Hard-bitten detective asks about mad gunman: "Is he subversive? Queer? Black? Commie?" Uptight mother advises daughter to stop "acting like a hussy!" They set real rats on fire! That's not nice.

There are EXTENSIVE background materials on the DVD, one of which tells two interesting stories: 1) That John Saxon couldn't understand enough of the script (badly translated from Italian) to know that he was in an extreme gore flick, and 2) Radice tells an incredible story about refusing to kill a real pig, leading to his "accidentally" almost severing an assistant's hand with a meat cleaver. Oops. But the docs get boring pretty quickly.

Hey, there are lot of other reviews of bad and cheesy movies (plus a lot of good movies) on my website, Cinema de Merde, which you can find through the URL in my email address.

On a rescue mission in Vietnam, Norman Hopper (John Saxon) is bitten by two of his old drinking buddies Charlie (Giovanni Lombardo Radice) and Tom (Tony King) who are trapped in a pit and are feasting on the flesh of a charred Vietnamese woman when they are discovered. Back home, Norman is haunted by his memories, and has a strange urge to bite people. Charlie calls Norman after recently being released from hospital and wants to meet up, but before Norman can act, Charlie manages to kill some people and finds himself cornered and barricaded in a mall. Soon enough, more people are infected with this strange virus that seems to cause cannibalistic urges.

Another cannibal/zombie cash-in that was riding the wave caused by Lucio Fulci's Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979) and George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978), Cannibal Apocalypse attempts to blend the two horror sub- genre's but ends up being a bit of a mess. I never thought I would say this, but there is too little cannibalism, and certainly no apocalypse. There are brief moments of horror surrounded by long moments of police procedural and our flesh-hungry heroes running through sewers. The one saving grace is John Saxon, recognisable from many B-movie turd-fests, he provides a welcome familiar American face in this mainly Italian production from horror and western 'legend' Antonio Margheriti. Yet the film is entertaining enough to waste 90 minutes of your life on, and thankfully avoids being as unpleasant as other cannibal entries such as Cannibal Ferox (1981 - also starring Radice).

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A cannibal-movie that actually tries and succeeds to be different. This movie transcends the cannibal genre and becomes something else. You'll have to get past the silly & inept Vietnam opening-scene, but then this movie turns into an urban tale of virus-outbreak. A cannibal-virus, that is. There's some violence, there's some drama, there's some nudity, there's some very nice gore and there are four cannibal-fugitives on the run. Awesome mixture that works! Add to that a satisfying ending, and we've got a hit! A hit with John Saxon in it, no less. "Cannibal Apocalypse" indeed feels, at times, a bit like Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" (1978), but the one movie that kept coming to my mind was David Cronenberg's "Rabid" (1977). So if you're tired of all those "half naked cannibals eating human flesh and slaughtering animals in the jungle"-flicks, and if Umberto Lenzi's "Nightmare City" (1980) just made you laugh instead of anything else, then go watch Antonio Margheriti's "Cannibal Apocalypse" (aka "Invasion of the Flesh Hunters"). And make 100% sure you get a hold of the uncut version.

I have not seen all that many cannibal films, in fact, the only other one I have seen is the zombie/cannibal mash up, "Zombie Holocaust". I have seen previews from some of the other cannibal films and from what I have seen, I just am not all that keen on seeing them. The reason I wanted to see this one is because it sounded more interesting than those films in that it does not take place within the jungles and cannibalism in this film is transferred much like rabies. It also starred John Saxon and he does a rather good job here which is funny in that he really did not like making this film. Of course, the director was not all that happy about this one either. Nor was the one actor who played, Bob in City of the Living Dead, basically saying that this is the worst film he played in. So apparently, the way to make a good cannibal film is to bring a bunch of people together who do not want to make the film and force them too and the result ends up being a very nice Italian splatter film.

The story has a Vietnam veteran who is trying to cope with nightmares he is having about the time he saved his buddies in Nam. Apparently, one of them, chomped his arm and now he has started to have cravings for meat. One of his friends goes on a rampage during what is sort of a weekend pass out of a mental institution and soon he and his buddy still locked up begin to melt down and revert to the flesh eating that they ended up turning to when in Vietnam. Turns out they also transfer this condition to others and soon the police are having to try and stop the three Nam buddies and a nurse, before they can infect the entire city with this strange virus.

The film was good and fast paced as it never lingered to long on pointless plot points to pad out the film like so many lower budget horror films tend to do. There is ample gore, but never does it go overboard like other cannibal films. Granted, I have never seen ones such as Cannibal Holocaust, but I have seen the trailer and it is quite bad. I also felt sympathy for the John Saxon character and that helped the film too. The man has struggled and kept this strange urge to eat human flesh controlled, but due to a lapse of good judgment by mental health officials his buddy got to him causing him to spiral downward quickly. The film is not perfect as they could have explained the virus better, but overall it was a nice film that passed time quite well.

With a title like CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE, one might go into this movie expecting an all-out war between humanity and roving bands of flesh-eaters, seeking out human snacks. Well, that would have been great. Instead, we get a few hungry people chomping on a few necks.

John Saxon is serviceable as the Vietnam vet plagued by anthropophagic flashbacks about his former military comrades. Also, the idea of a viral, cannibalistic epidemic is a good one, hearkening back to Cronenberg's RABID. So, the story isn't bad, as long as you don't expect it to live up to it's overblown title...

This video nastie was eventually released in Britain with 2 seconds cut. Those two seconds must have had all of the action because there was really nothing left in this movie that would qualify it as a nasty.

Some Vietnam soldiers are trapped in a cage and they get an opportunity to gnaw on some flesh. That is the only nudity you see in the film - 2 seconds. One of them bites his Captain's (John Saxon) arm when being rescued and he has the dormant virus that will come to haunt him in later years.

For some reason, the two soldiers never fully recover and they go on a rampage that is tame by cannibal standards. The police end up chasing them all in a sewer, but our hero escapes and puts on his uniform for an honorable death.

You can be sure they did not get them all, but I don't know if there was an Apocalypse II.

Norman Hopper ( John Saxton) is a former Vietnam vet living a normal life in Atlanta Georgia with a wife. He still sometimes has painful memories of his times in Vietnam involving slaughtering some enemies and seeing cannibalism there, his friend Charlie Bukowski ( John Morghen a.k.a. Giovanni Lombardo) has been to a mental hospital for long and has been released. Charlie does have some kind of curse or virus within him from Vietnam that makes him crave human flesh as he unexpectedly takes a bite out of a person, now he is running on the lam from the authorities but suddenly the cannibalistic curse or virus also hits Hopper and another Vietnam buddy named Tom are now on a campaign to spread the disease in the city and eat some people.

Interesting and disgusting mix of action and horror from the director of "Castle of Blood" Antonio Margherti. What makes it work is that there are some nasty gore scenes like the shotgun wound scene and the flesh eating, a cool if cheesy funky score with a war theme that sounds kind of like the theme to "G.I. Joe", a grisly twist in the end and the film is kind of a metaphor on how the horrors of Vietnam can affect a soldier, the film is one of Quentin Tarantino's personal favorite movies.

Also recommended: "Cannibal Ferox", " Ichi The Killer", " The Untold Story", " Jungle Holocaust", " Eaten Alive! ( 1980)", " Mountain of the Cannibal God", " Cannibal Holocaust", "Riki-Oh: the Story of Ricky", " Man from Deep River", " Caligula", " Robocop", " Nightmare City ( a.k.a. City of the Walking Dead)", "Hell of the Living Dead ( a.k.a. Night of the Zombies)", " Pieces", " Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 2", " Hostel", " High Tension", " Rambo Trilogy", " Maniac ( 1980)", " Dawn of the Dead ( 1978 and 2004)", " 28 Days Later", "Day of the Dead", "The Crazies", " Battle Royale", " Men Behind The Sun", "Rabid Grannies", "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie", "The Toxic Avenger", " Black Hawk Down", " Saving Private Ryan", " Cemetery Man", " City of the Living Dead ( a.k.a. The Gates of Hell)", " Basket Case", "Re-Animator", " Scanners", "Videodrome", " Die Hard Trilogy", " Outbreak", "Stephen King's The Stand", "Demons", " The New York Ripper", " Resident Evil", "Resident Evil Apocalypse", " House By The Cemetery", " Leon" ( a.k.a. The Professional), "Sin City", "C.H.U.D.", "Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III", " Bad Boys 1 & 2", " Apocalypse Now" and "The Beyond" ( a.k.a. 7 Doors of Death).

What the writers Antonio Margheriti, who also directed, and Dardano Sacchetti give the viewers of Cannibal Apocalypse is a cannibalistic thriller with a twist of zombie fetish... and it works.

While fighting in the Vietnam war Charlie Buckowski and Tom Thompson are captured and imprisoned in a pit with very little to eat. During a rescue by Norman Hopper a Vietcong falls into the pit; unfortunately for her, the prisoners are ravenous and start to tear her apart with their teeth as they feast. Once back in the USA all of the team are subject to psychological tests. Though it's only when Charlie is released that things start to take a darker turn. As he's trying to kill time by going to the cinema he has the urge to devour the woman in the seat in front of him. As she and her amorous boyfriend start to make out Charlie leans forward and takes a bite... Meanwhile, Hopper who was bitten by Charlie during the rescue is starting to feel the hunger too... Can the apocalypse be stopped before everybody become infected?

However, it's the rest of the pieces which deter from the film. The acting, on the whole, is above average, even Giovanni Lombardo Radice (Charlie) performs better than he did in Cannibal Ferox. John Saxon does a more than passable portrayal as Hopper, a man trying to help his friend while trying to resolve the mystery. There's even a shining light in the shape of Cinzia De Carolis who is brilliant as the blossoming teenager Mary who has a crush on Hopper. Even Luca Venantini as Bobby (Mary's younger brother) gives a few good creepy kid scares. However, it's Tony King's over-the-top acting as Thompson that hinders the film, as well as the actors representing the bike gang, and most of the extra's.

The direction, though above average could have been helped by adding a little more action as well as tension to the atmosphere of the film as the pace of the story is pretty regular throughout, another drawback to this type of movie. A few iconic shots and differing camera angles wouldn't have gone amiss either. However, the bad lines in the film actually help to keep the audience unintentionally entertained. I loved the scene where the cop transforms into a Cannibal and when his superior officer confronts him, while he's devouring a colleagues hand, he says in a caring tone, "My God son, put it down." Awesome scene.

This is an enjoyable film and I would definitely recommend it to everyone especially if you like Zombies or Cannibals. This is, in fact, storywise, one of the strongest Cannibal movies made. Since it doesn't feel like a horror film, as there's not enough eeriness (which is harder to create due to it being shot mainly in daylight) you can enjoy it in the full daylight - no need to watch at night or in the darkness behind closed curtains. Well worth one viewing, though you may just find yourself coming back to it again... and again...

This is one of those movie where it doesn't matter whether you treat it seriously or not its still horrible. The acting is atrocious, the soundtrack is probably one of the worst soundtrack I've ever heard in movies. The plot and the story is really stupid and pointless. The camerawork is so bad it actually gave me nausea and this is the only movie that ever gave me that.

The worst scene in the movie is probably the sewer scene near the ending, it's dark and vague I didn't understand where they were going or what was going on half the time and why does the police have a flamethrower, I mean WHAT?. Nothing in this movie makes any sense, don't waste your time on this.

Imagine the movies Rambo and Cobra, but with Cannibals.

This is not a fantastic movie/but also not bad. It has a very American feel for it, unlike other cannibals-running-around-the-jungle-eating-innocent-victim's adventures.

Perhaps it is the presence of John Saxon or the Atlanta GA American location (as opposed to the usual gritty casting in New York City 1980).

This feature is rather watchable and has a plot - somewhat unusual for this type of film. If you can find it cheap, rent it? If not, head for the jungle and a usual gorefest!

In this Italian horror classic, the war in 'Nam drove some people so mad they turn into cannibals. Like rabies, cannibalism is contracted through a bite and spread to others. This is a great premise for a horror film I think, but sold somewhat short due to inconsistent storytelling and a low budget. Even so director Antonio Marghetiti made an interesting and entertaining horror flick. Mostly a horrific post war cannibal movie, there is a good deal of action here also. John Saxon is the lead and gives a very, grim, somber performance. Frequent Italian horror actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice is cool here also as crazed vet ''Charles Bukowski". Although very controversial for the time for gore and violence other cannibal movies like Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox are way more nasty then this. I would say this has much more in common with Dawn Of The Dead and Rabid, but with less money and less talent than George Romero and David Cronenberg. In summary Cannibal Apocalpse is a flawed ,but original war/horror flick. Cool movie in my opinion.