The Cannibal Man
| The Cannibal Man | |
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| File:The Cannibal Man VideoCover.jpeg
Blue Underground DVD cover
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| The Cannibal Man | |
| Directed by | Eloy de la Iglesia |
| Produced by | José Truchado |
| Written by | Eloy de la Iglesia Antonio Fos |
| Starring | Vicente Parra Emma Cohen |
| Music by | Fernando García Morcillo |
| Cinematography | Raúl Artigot |
| Distributed by | Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA; DVD, 2003) Blue Underground (USA; DVD, 2007) |
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Release dates
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Running time
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98 min. |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
The Cannibal Man (Spanish La Semana del asesino, literally "Week of the Killer") is a 1972 horror film, directed by Eloy de la Iglesia and written by de la Iglesia and Antonio Fos. Despite the international title, the film contains no scenes of cannibalism.
The film was featured on the British Director of Public Prosecutions' list of "Video Nasties".
Plot
After accidentally killing a taxicab driver, Marcos (Vicente Parra), a young man who works as a butcher, wants to cover up his crime. Marcos's girlfriend, the only witness, wishes to go to the police, so he strangles her. Marcos finds himself killing others, including members of his family, as they become suspicious of his actions, butchering his victims' remains at his workplace in order to dispose of the bodies.
Background
TV Guide opined that "this bloody, politically inflected drama is not at all what the exploitative English-language title suggests. [...] Though the US title suggests a zombie gut-cruncher and the marketing campaign was designed to make Eloy de la Iglesia's film look like a Last House on the Left (1972) knock-off, The Cannibal Man is both a study of an apparently ordinary person spiraling into madness and a slyly satirical evocation of life in Spain under the oppressive Franco regime."[1]
Cast
- Vicente Parra as Marcos
- Emma Cohen as Paula
- Eusebio Poncela as Néstor
- Charly Bravo as Esteban
- Fernando Sánchez Polack as Señor Ambrosio (as Fernando Sanchez Polak)
- Goyo Lebrero as Taxista
- Vicky Lagos as Rosa
- Ismael Merlo as Jefe de personal
- Rafael Hernández as Agustín (as Rafael Hernandez)
- Jose Franco as Tendero
- Valentín Tornos as Obrero (as Valentin Tornos)
- Antonio Orengo as Camarero
- Antonio Corencia as Obrero burlón
- Antonio Fernandez del Real as Obrero burlón
- Felix Jose Montoya
- Angel Blanco as Trabajador fábrica
- Manuel Calvo as Tipo
- Emilio Hortela
- Paca Gabaldón (as Mary Francis)
- Lola Herrera as Carmen
Critical reception
PopMatters called the film "a refreshing forgotten gem".[2] DVD Verdict called it "an extremely well-made Euro thriller with welcome social commentary and subtext. Suspenseful, disturbing and graphically violent, the film succeeds in its depictions of both physical and psychological horror."[3]
