Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Anthropophagous Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 26, 2017

Joe D'Amato's "Anthropophagous" a.k.a. "The Savage Island" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; restored deleted scene; featurette with actor/writer Luigi Montefiori/Geroge Eastman; interview with film historian and writer Alessio di Rocco; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the Italian track. Region-Free.

The doomed

This film became very popular for one simple reason: it was so graphic that a lot of official entities that were involved with film rating either demanded that footage from it was removed in order for the film to get their stamp of approval, or simply refused to let it in the distribution system. (In the United Kingdom, it appeared on the notorious ‘video nasty’ list and that’s where it gathered a lot of attention, but it was also denied access to some other European markets). It was directed by the prolific Italian helmer Joe D’Amato in the early 1980s, which was right around the time when he started realizing that there is quite a bit of money to be made from a very different type of explicit genre films and slowly began moving away from horror/exploitation projects.

The plot is not only disappointingly straightforward but also quite silly, which is almost certainly why the graphic footage was added up. Without it, the entire film instantly loses its ‘charm’ and becomes an amateurish mess that even distributors that had previously invested in D’Amato’s work most likely would have ignored. It follows a group of close friends on vacation in Greece and a local girl that joins them who decide to visit a remote island known for its beautiful beaches and great authentic food. Along the way, a stack of cards ‘accidentally’ reveals that their trip may turn out to be very dangerous, but they ignore the warning and soon after reach their destination. Almost immediately, they are attacked by some flesh-eating maniac -- it is the guy that you see on the original poster art for the film -- who then drives them insane while they try to stay alive. Of course, the only way to contact anyone from the nearby islands that could potentially help them is by sending a telegram, but it just so happens that the only telegraph has been destroyed by the maniac. So the entire trip very quickly evolves into a prolonged but quite predictable game of survival.

The original concept for the film apparently came from George Eastman, who plays the maniac, and D’Amato, but it is rather difficult to believe that they actually spent a lot of time developing it. Frankly, it is sort of a hybrid that blends elements from Island of Lost Souls and Shock Waves but adds a cannibal that can do all the crazy things that apparently shocked censors back in the 1980s. The end product not only lacks the important ambience that these types of films desperately need to be effective, but more often than not, it also looks disappointingly cheap.

It is probably worth mentioning that after this film the sexy Italian actress Serena Grandi gradually started receiving a lot of job offers. Here, she plays a pregnant girl who remains on the yacht after the travelers reach the island, but quickly dies after the maniac beheads her friend.

*This recent release of Anthropophagous is sourced from a new restoration which was completed after a 2K scan of the original camera negative. More importantly, however, the film is presented fully uncut and uncensored. Keep in mind that there is an earlier release, again from 88 Films, which is sourced from an older master.

Anthropophagous Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Joe D'Amato's Anthropophagous arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The release is sourced from a brand new and very strong 2K master, and there are only two minor issues that I wish to highlight. First, early into the film, I spotted a couple of tiny white specks and a few blemishes. The latter I honestly don't have a problem with and a lot of times unless there is a very skillful technician that knows what he does it is much better to leave them as they appear on the original elements. The white specks are also practically irrelevant, though with proper tools they are a lot easier to remove. Second, there are a few darker/indoor sequences that could have used some minor optimizations to make sure that the grain appears a little 'tighter', but there are no serious anomalies that will affect your viewing experience. The rest of the film has a very convincing and consistent organic appearance, and to be honest, I wish that every other 88 Films release looked as good as this film does. Obviously, there are some minor density fluctuations, but they are part of the original cinematography and actually have all the native characteristics that 16mm content does. The color palette is also quite nice. There are nice and solid primaries and plenty of healthy nuances. Image stability is very good. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Anthropophagous Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and Italian LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Italian track. (They do not match the dubbing on the English track).

I viewed the film with the original English track. My immediate impression was that the film was shot with a very modest budget, and the more time passed by, the clearer it became that this was indeed the case. So expect a basic sound design with only a couple of areas where dynamic intensity has some sort of noticeable impact on the desired atmosphere. The ambient score has a few really nice themes, but is far from impressive. The entire English track was overdubbed and as a result there is some unevenness that pops up here and there, but this is how the final mix exited the sound room.

Anthropophagous Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scene - presented here is a fully restored deleted scene. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (1 min).

• Trailers - original Italian, international and U.S. trailers for Anthropophagous. Music only. (10 min).

• Italian Opening and Closing Credits - music only. (3 min).

• Alessio di Rocco Featurette - in this short video piece, Italian film historian and writer Alessio di Rocco quickly discusses the history of Anthropophagous and its placement in Joe D'Amato's body of work. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• The Eastman Chronicles - in this featurette, actor/writer Luigi Montefiori/Geroge Eastman recalls how the original idea for Anthropophagous came to exist and discusses his work on the film with Joe D'Amato and their professional relationship. There are also some very funny comments about actor Mark Shannon, who appeared in some of Joe D'Amato's hardcore films. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (32 min).

• Sleeve - reversible cover art.

Anthropophagous Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I remember seeing this film many years ago while going through Serena Grandi's filmography on what I believe was an old VHS release that was dubbed in Polish. I had no idea what was said but I thought that it was a pretty awful film back then, and to be honest, I still believe that it received as much attention as it did only because it popped up on that famous 'video nasty' list. There is quite a bit of really repulsive graphic footage in it, and that is basically it. Even the soundtrack is underwhelming. Now, while I dislike the film, I have to give 88 Films a lot of credit for preparing a new 2K master and producing a new release for its fans. So, if you collect these types of controversial films and wanted a proper release of Anthropophagous, this is the one you want to have in your collection (not the old release). RECOMMENDED, but only to folks who know what they are getting into or have been looking for a convincing upgrade of a previous home video release of the film.