Cannibal Girls Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Cannibal Girls Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 29, 2025

Filmmakers have to start somewhere, and for Ivan Reitman, horror was a chance to get his name out there, hoping to launch his career with a surefire hit. His second directorial effort, 1973’s “Cannibal Girls” finds Reitman hoping to make something spooky and a little gross, joined by screenwriter Daniel Goldberg for a semi-improvised examination of slow-burn evil and human consumption starring two future comedy hall-of-famers, Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin. “Cannibal Girls” is a strange little movie, and Reitman has an overall idea to reach a certain level of creepiness with the picture. Sadly, he can’t snap the endeavor out of its slumber, as nothing really happens in the feature, leaving the cast with dead-end scenes and very mild gore to manage as the offering struggles to locate any signs of suspense.

Rock musician Cliff (Eugene Levy) and his girlfriend, Gloria (Andrea Martin), are driving across Canada. However, car troubles are forcing them to make a stop in Farnhamville, a small town with a motel run by Mrs. Wainwright (May Jarvis). The owner shares a tale of a cult that once existed in a nearby home, with The Reverend (Ronald Urich) commanding the lives of three cannibal women, Anthea (Randall Carpenter), Clarissa (Bonnie Neilson), and Leona (Mira Pawluk), who devour travelers after seducing them. Pushed into visiting the home for a special dinner, Cliff and Gloria are welcomed by The Reverend, and while the host offers comfort, he’s mostly interested in adding to his harem.

Violence isn’t entirely prioritized by Reitman in “Cannibal Girls.” It’s reserved for a few scenes, finding most of the movie devoted to Cliff and Gloria as they deal with travel stops, car trouble, and romantic moments as they try to get through their road trip. There’s an introductory murder to help set the mood of the feature, but the picture isn’t very insistent when it comes to screen tension. It’s debatable if there’s any suspense at all in the offering, which finally gets around to something awful happening when Mrs. Wainwright shares the story of The Reverend, detailing how his women capture the attention of men before ripping them apart for future meal time offerings. There’s cannibalism in “Cannibal Girls,” but the endeavor is oddly restrained when it comes time to deliver ugliness.

Instead of grisly encounters, there’s a lot of conversation in “Cannibal Girls,” especially when Cliff and Gloria make their dinner visit. The Reverend is a magician-adjacent figure trying to charm his dinner guests with talk of life and love, luring the strangers into a sense of peace. And there’s more going on in town as the locals are also interested in new additions to the menu. Reitman offers a blood cult, and he pays attention to exploitation demands as women occasionally parade around topless, but he’s oddly reluctant to make a truly disturbing film, clearly struggling with pace and airlessness as meandering scenes start to multiply as the feature carries on.

Cannibal Girls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Cannibal Girls" is listed as "Scanned in 2K with a new color grade and extensive dirt and damage repairs." It's a softer viewing experience for the movie, with grain slightly chunkier at times, but mostly acceptable. Detail is passable, examining heavy outfits, including furs, and bushy hair on the actors. Skin particulars are decent, and attention to wet food is acceptably textured. Color is compelling, handling snowy whites and hair color with confidence. Blue skies are defined, along with tomato-y reds for blood. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in good condition.

Cannibal Girls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides a straightforward listening event for "Cannibal Girls." Dialogue exchanges aren't always crystal clear, but intelligibility isn't threatened, handling some elements of age. Scoring is also acceptable, delivering spare support. Sound effects are appreciable. An alternate "Warning Bell" mix is also provided to replicate the theatrical experience, as special sounds alert viewers that something horrible about to happen on- screen. Of course, very little horribleness is actually found in "Cannibal Girls."

Cannibal Girls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features film historians Paul Croupe and Jason Pichonsky.

• Commentary #2 features an episode of "2 Guys and a Chainsaw."

• "Cannibal Guys" (26:48, HD) is a 2010 interview with writer Daniel Goldberg and director Ivan Reitman, who were struggling filmmakers in the early 1970s, laboring to scrounge up $12,000 for a budget on "Cannibal Girls," completing production in just nine days. Only managing to complete a 65-minute-long movie, additional shooting was required to help beef up the comedy and horror elements of the picture, sending the filmmakers into debt. Putting their hopes into a screening at the Cannes Film Festival, Reitman and Goldberg were desperate to finish the effort and create a print. With Reitman in France, Goldberg fought to make a screening happen, ultimately making the moment work for buyers, connecting to American International Pictures and Samuel Z. Arkoff.

• "Meat Eugene" (19:41, HD) is a 2010 interview (recorded inside a butcher shop) with actor Eugene Levy, who recalls his educational days in Canada, going to school alongside Martin Short and Dave Thomas, working in theater with Andrea Martin. Offered a shot at a leading part in "Cannibal Girls," Levy details the experience of making the movie, settling on a strange look and worried about inexperience as he embarked on a life-changing opportunity. The improvisational nature of the shoot is detailed, with Levy pointing out professional choices and long days. The interviewee also reflects on Ivan Reitman's career potential and the legacy of "Cannibal Girls," wowed that people are still viewing the movie decades after it was made. Co-stars are assessed as well.

• "More Meat" (20:32, HD) returns to actor Eugene Levy for "interview outtakes," initially reflecting on his early days in college, making friends with future stars and finding gigs in strange productions as a burgeoning thespian, including a part in "Frankenstein: The Musical." Career momentum began with a role in a famous staging of "Godspell," which helped to launch many careers. The interviewee briefly discusses early employment on Ivan Reitman's debut film, "Foxy Lady," and praises his "Cannibal Girls" co-star, Andrea Martin, in awe of her gifts. Additional memories are offered from the "Cannibal Girls" experience, which Levy describes as "fun," though he remains a bit regretful he didn't take the part "more seriously."

• "Reitman the Frightman" (20:20, SD) is an appreciation piece by Chris Alexander.

• "The Horror Horn" (5:20, SD) returns to Chris Alexander, who discusses the gimmick accompanying the release of "Cannibal Girls."

• French Opening Credits (3:24, SD) are offered.

• TV Spots (1:31, SD) provides two commercials for "Cannibal Girls."

• Radio Spots (1:25) supply two audio ads.

• Image Gallery #1 (:25) includes pressbook pages.

• Image Gallery #2 (:23) offers lobby cards, film stills, and marketing art.

• "Orientation" (25:27, HD) is a 1968 short film directed by Ivan Reitman, with P.A. work from Eugene Levy.

• Commentary for "Orientation" features Stephen Broomer.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:15, HD) is included.

Cannibal Girls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Weirdly, "Cannibal Girls" is often described as a comedy. Outside of one broad moment (the women seductively pour gravy on a male prisoner before eating him), there's actually very little humor in the feature. Reitman wants to deliver something disturbing instead, but he doesn't have the seasoning or the vision to make horror happen, generating a movie that's half-baked at best, missing key components of shock value typically associated with this kind of drive-in offering.