Italian director Joe D'Amato enjoyed a colorful career, to say the very least what one could say about Joe D'Amato whilst still mentioning his career. Following stints as writer, actor, producer and any number of miscellaneous set-bound occupations, D'Amato went on to helm a dizzying number of exploitation delights, from mid-70's oddities like mondo / porn hybrid Emmanuel And The Last Cannibals, eighties curiosities like Porno Holocaust and Erotic Nights Of The Living Dead, and 90's straight to video efforts like Robin Hood - Thief Of Wives and the seminal, critically-lauded House Of Anal Perversions.
D'Amato's one undisputed classic, though, featured very little in the way of the sexing, but found time for folks getting a meat-cleaver in the head, and also a bit of the old fetus-eating.
I mean come on, Joe D'Amato, folks been utilizing that old chestnut since, I believe, Gone With The Wind. As if the fetus-eating was anything new in cinema.
Anthropophagus The Beast, also known as The Grim Reaper, probably on account of no-one knew how to spell Anthropophagus, was one of a select number of flicks banned in Britain under the Video Recordings Act in the early eighties. The thought of British citizens sitting around watching a fella eat a fetus was too much to bear for the ever-conscientious BBFC, unlike those debauched Singapore lot, who slapped a PG rating on the film about a man eats a fetus without a second thought.
As far as anyone can tell, there are only two uncut versions of Anthropophagus available on DVD anywhere in the world, both released by German distributors. One was issued as part of a limited Box Set, the other is cursed with an abominable transfer, so most folks make do with the 82 minute version, released as The Grim Reaper both in the USA Of America and The UK.
Alas, this version features not one ounce of fetus-eating, so anyone expecting such atrocities should they part with the requisite five quid for to pick up the Region 2 edition on Hollywood DVD, will be sorely disappointed. Not a fetus to be seen, they'll spit.
So, no fetus-eating, then, (a fetus what was actually a skinned rabbit, don't you know), but if you do indeed pick up this flick what concerns itself with the demented motherfucker of the title, then what, pray tell, might a man be in line for?
Anthro opens with some pleasing images of a picturesque Greek ruin. The music, far from being the mournful lament we might expect to accompany such visuals, is in fact akin to the Colombo theme. Colombo, as scholars will point out, rarely dined on unborn children as part of his procedural, although episode #9878 famously featured a scene wherein the frustrated gumshoe lost patience with a tax-cheat and beat him to death with a brick.
Article comments
1 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
time check
2 - HW Saxton Jr.
The Grim Reaper is great drive-in trash.
No pesky story to get in the way of the
plot!!! As usual, a fine review is what this is Sir D'Mondo.
3 - Chris Kent
When reading about the opening scene, am reminded of the classic Shock Waves, the greatest B film no one has ever heard of. Though can't recall if there was any fetus-eating to speak of. But don't think Peter Cushing ever starred in a fetus-eating film....
And am I the only one sick and tired of filmmakers stealing from Kingdom of the Spiders?!
4 - Brady
Hey Duke,
I'm glad you picked up on this film; you're probably the only one twisted enough to do so. I have yet to see it although I've read alot about it. "Emmanuelle in America" is the oddest D'Amato film I've seen - although I know there are a few others that are hard to find. His weird blending of hardcore sex and violence is certainly repellant but ultimately hypnotising. Not for the kids or grandma but a release for the times in our lives when bombs striking innocent people daily seem to be just a little too gruesome and real. Peace, Brady.
5 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
hey folks!
Thanks for the kind words and so on. HW, i missed ya buddy, where you been skiving off to?
Chris, is shock waves the number with the zombie nazis? theres a film coming out soon from good ol brian yuzna what also has zombie nazis. The trailer can be found by clicking on trailers on www.mondoirlando.com It looks interesting, and i'm gonan make it my lifes work to find a scene featuring peter cushing eating a fetus. I guess we could digitally alter curse of frankenstien to have a biscuit replaced with one, but id rather take the ethical route if possible.
Brady, i agree. Stuff liek this seems awful jolly and tame when you flick on the evening news of a night. Sometimes a man needs to unwind with a spot of the old meat-cleaving.
6 - HW Saxton Jr.
Duke De Mondo, Nice to hear from ya man.
I needed a break from the site.Too many
boneheads acting like, well, boneheads.
Too much arguing & fighting for no good
reason gets depressing even when it does
not directly involve oneself personally
ya know? Nice to see that some of those
offending parties have been given the
proverbial bums rush out the back door.
Then, I went on vacation(train trip from
So.California to Chicago and back again)
in June for a few weeks.That's about it.
As usual,the Duke De Mondo review of the
"Grim Reaper" was nearly as entertaining
as the flick itself.It's been some years
since I've seen it,now I may have to get
the DVD. The brain does crave junk food
now and again.
Have you seen the new Jarmusch film yet?
It's called "Coffee & Cigarettes" if you
didn't already know. It's a very uneven
film but entertaining in spots.Where the
subjects are interesting(Iggy Pop,Bill
Murray,etc.)so is the film & vice versa.
Worth seeing, but I'd wait for the DVD
as opposed to dropping $10 on a ticket.
One mo'thing:You used the term "scarper"
in an article you did a few months back.
Is this an exclusively Irish slang term?
I ask because, I read "Borstal Boy"(for
the first time embarassingly)while I was
taking the train back east and he(Behan)
uses the word frequently. Just curious.
7 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
HW, Havent saw C&C yet, but look forward to doing so. Jim is always interesting, if a tad lacking in focus occasionally.
As to scarper, its a word i've always used, and not being the most travelled of fellas, i didn't really think about it as being a specifically irish term. Yeah, now that you mention it, though, i believe it may be, at least gaelic in origin, probably scots would use it too.
it means "skidaddle" or "go away" basically, in case some folks are pertrubed as to this scarpering malarky.
Behan does use it quite a lot. Incidentally, have you read the semi-sequel to Borstal Boy, Confessions Of An Irish Rebel? fairly poor, but interesting in parts. It was mostly dictated onto a machine, and finished off by another fella posthumously. Some more jail stories and so on, plus a few songs to be singing.
Goodness, imagine. The Duke discussing Behan on this, the loyalist holiday of 12th July. If the parlimilitaries found out!
8 - Jim Carruthers
Wow, you do go on, don't ya? I haven't seen this particular film, but, I guess I should kip round to Suspect Video where they would have such a thing (it's not Honest Eds, but it's damn close!)
9 - HW Saxton J.r
Duke, I haven't read "Confessions..." as
of yet.I'm looking for it but it's hard
to find.Out of print stateside. Fully &
thoroughly enjoyed "B.B" though...