Cannibal Apocalypse

 Cannibal Apocalypse (Apocalypse Domani) (1980)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Antonio Margheriti

Starring: John Saxon, Elizabeth Turner, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Cinzia De Carolis, Tony King

From: A few companies from Italy and Spain

A movie I saw for free after I did a short survey for Kino Now; earlier in the month I received an e-mail to do such a thing and that was the unexpected reward. As Kino Now rentals are 5 bucks and change after tax, it’s a resource I’ll only use once in awhile. This movie is otherwise not available to (legally) stream so that is why I selected this piece of trash last night-Cannibal Apocalypse is what the print I saw called the movie while here on Letterboxd it is Invasion of the Flesh Hunters and on IMDb it is Cannibals in the Streets.

No matter its title, the plot is not as outrageous as you would suspect. Instead, it is… an allegory about PTSD in Vietnam vets! The opening is John Saxon as the leader of a squad in Nam and two of his soldiers-one named, no kidding, CHARLES BUKOWSKI-engage in cannibalism. It is stated to be a (rather slow-acting) virus that comes and goes but when it isn’t so literal the movie actually does present the viewpoint that veterans of that war are ostracized by others at home, that they are haunted by their time in Southeast Asia and that they will inevitably get turned on by the underaged teen living next door… okay that likely won’t happen but it was an actual plot point here. That was for sure an “only in Italian movies” moment.

There wasn’t as many graphic moments as you’d expect although when it’s present it is effective. The presence of a funky score that has more than one disco-riffic moment: longtime readers of mine should not be surprised that this is something I would love. It was amusing to see this set and filmed in the Atlanta, Georgia area (visiting locations like a TV studio and huge indoor flea market) long before the state courted motion picture and television productions. The movie was more thoughtful than I expected yet had enough entertainment value I’d expect from an Antonio Margheriti production to make me glad I finally saw something I’ve known of for years now.