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| Will we ever
get a decent uncut Anthro? |
| WRITTEN BY: |
The Chelsea Ripper |
| JOE D'AMATO
has been responsible for countless interminable
movies over the decades, many reviled
by critics and ratings boards alike, though few create such a level
of revulsion as his 1980 horror opus
Anthropophagous The Beast - also known
as The Grim Reaper in the US, and simply
"Anthro" by it's fans. |
This gut-munching, low-budget
horror movie chronicles the misadventures of a group of teens
who pause a boat trip at a seemingly deserted
island only find themselves hunted down by a flesh-eating
monster version of Robinson Crusoe.
Anthro is most famous for a scene that
most people have never even seen - usually shorn from just about
every print - in which the titular cannibal creature traps and kills
a pregnant woman, before eating the
foetus... It's a shocking scene
though extremely dark in most available prints. |
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As is usual in D'Amato films: Anthro's
production values (not to mention script
and dialogue) are risible, though there's a prevailing
atmosphere and manner of intent that transcends these relatively
minor oversights.
It's not an easy film to get through,
all told. Anthro features a lot of chat
and people not doing a great deal,
or just running around aimlessly, but when the action does happen
it's usually worth the wait because
the resulting scenes are just so unbelieveable.
It's worth sticking around to see the hilarious
closing sequence where the monster eats
it's own entrails, if nothing. |
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Finding Anthro uncut
on DVD, at the time of writing, is
still a problem however. Of the six
versions currently available only some
are uncut though not all have England soundtracks, and some
of the transfers are apalling.
Germany's Laser Paradise released an
uncut PAL version, though no-one's
seen it because it's available only in German language as an extra
in a very limited edition box set of Andreas Schnaas movies.
Another German company - Astro - not
so long ago released an uncut English languagewidescreen
version of Anthro, but the transfer was so poor that it was
hard to recommend. |
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Both the US Liberty
International release, and the UK Hollywood
DVD release (both choosing the less-of-a-mouthful "The
Grim Reaper" as the film's title) are heavily
cut and are simply not worth buying unless you like wasting
your money.
There's an uncut Italian print available
that's supposed to feature an English soundtrack, though we have
not yet been able to verify the quality of the contents and check
it's status as uncut. There's also a Japanese
DVD that has an uncut Italian print, but doesn't have an
English soundtrack or subtitles. We haven't seen a copy of that
yet either, so can't vouch for it's quality.
Finally, US distributor Shriek Show
is about to release a supposedly uncut two-disc
version of Anthro (entitled Anthropophageous: The Grim Reaper)
in America. Fans are hoping that this
will become the definitive version
of Anthro on DVD. They have been waiting
far too long for a proper
restoration, so come on Shriek Show!
We'll have updates on the Shriek Show
disc and the other Anthro DVDs soon. |
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Anthro DVDs currently
on the market :
Grim Reaper, The
: Liberty International Entertainment (USA) : more...
All region : NTSC : 81 mins : heavily CUT
: English language
Grim Reaper, The
- Special Edition : Astro (Germany)
All region : PAL : Widescreen : 90 mins
: UNCUT : English & German language
Anthropophagous:
The Beast : Laser Paradise (Germany)
Region 2 : PAL : 90 mins : UNCUT : Only
available in box set with "Anthro 2000" : German language
Grim Reaper, The
: Hollywood DVD (United Kingdom) : more...
Region 2 : PAL : 81 mins (claims 92 mins,
but that’s BS – it’s the same heavily cut version
as the US) : English language
Anthropophagus: The Grim Reaper -
2 Disc Edition : Shriek Show (USA)
: more...
Region 1 : NTSC : 90 mins : English language
: out 13th Dec 2005 : contents not yet confirmed
Antropophagus - Uncut 2 Disc Ltd. Edition : BR
(Italy) : more...
Region 2 : PAL : 90 mins : Italian UNCUT
print with optional English language : contents
not yet confirmed
Antropophagus : SPO
Entertainment (Japan)
Region 2 : NTSC : 90 mins : Italian audio
with Japanese subtitles : UNCUT but no English
audio |
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