Anthropophagous – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1980
Director: Joe D’Amato (Aristide Massaccesi)
Writers: George Eastman, Joe D’Amato
Cast: Tisa Farrow, Saverio Vallone, Serena Grandi, Margaret Mazzantini, Mark Bodin, Bob Larson, Rubina Rey, Simone Baker, Mark Logan, George Eastman, Zora Kerova, Joe D’Amato

Release Date: September 29th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 92 Minutes 7 Seconds (Italian Version), 92 Minutes27 Seconds (Extended Italian Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 HDR10 (Both Versions)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian (Both Versions), DTS-HD Mono English (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English (Both Versions), English SDH (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $44.95

"Tisa Farrow (ZOMBIE), Zora Kerova (CANNIBAL FEROX) and co-writer/producer George Eastman/Luigi Montefiori (THE GREAT ALLIGATOR, ABSURD) star in this depraved daddy of cannibal carnage from “Italy’s King of Trash Sinema” (Horrorpedia)." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "scanned in 4K from the original camera negative".

Anthropophagous comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.3 GB

Feature: 58.6 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. Where Severin Films 2018 Blu-ray was a 2K scan, this new release is sourced from a 4K scan. Image clarity and black levels are improved. While some source-related imperfections remain, they are better managed this time around. That said, there are no issues with compression and a healthy, albeit thick, layer of grain remains intact.

Anthropophagous comes on a 50 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.5 GB

Feature: 27 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. These two tracks are comparable quality-wise; they are both in good shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track. It should be noted that the dialog in the opening sequence is in German, and only the English subtitles for the Italian language track translate this dialog.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a video essay by Aaron AuBuchon of Discover The Horror and S.A. Bradley of Hellbent for Horror, titled They Eat Their Own: Antisocial Cannibalism in Italian Cinema of the '70s and '80s (39 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with FX Artist Pietro Tenoglio titled Cannibal Frenzy (6 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with editor Bruno Micheli titled Brother and Sister in Editing (12 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Zora Kerova titled Inside Zora's Mouth (10 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Saverio Vallone titled The Man Who Killed The Anthropophagus (13 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter/actor Luigi Montefiori aka George Eastman titled Don't Fear The Man-Eater (11 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles) and an archival interview with director Joe D'Amato titled Speaking of Man-Eaters (9 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Anthropophagous was directed by Joe D’Amato (Emanuelle in America), a prolific filmmaker who has just under two hundred films attributed to him as a director. Besides his extensive filmography as a director, he also worked extensively as a cinematographer, most notably on films like The Antichrist and What Have You Done to Solange?.

A psychopath who feeds off of human flesh stalks and kills a group of tourists trapped on an island.

It is a shame that Joe D’Amato did not direct more horror films. Although he made his debut as a director with the horror film Death Smiles on a Murderer, instead of exploring further within the horror genre, he made an abrupt detour towards soft-core erotica films like the Black Emanuelle film series.

He eventually returned to the horror film genre with Beyond the Darkness. He would create a new kind of horror film that owed more to the erotic films he directed than Death Smiles on a Murderer. And with his next foray into the horror genre, Anthropophagous, he would venture into the by-the-numbers horror template.

Although Anthropophagous opens with a gruesome double murder, it is thirty-three minutes before the next violent outburst. The bulk of the first act revolves around the tourists planning their trip, traveling to the island, and hanging out in an abandoned house once there. Fortunately, things pick up considerably by the last act. The bulk of the carnage occurs during the last act.

Performance-wise, the cast is best described as serviceable. The most memorable performance is by George Eastman (Rabid Dogs) in the role of a flesh-eating psychopath named Nikos Karamanlis. Other notable cast members include Serena Grandi (Miranda), Zora Kerova (Cannibal Ferox), and Tisa Farrow (Zombie).

Despite his films being hampered by anemic budgets, Joe D’Amato was a gifted filmmaker who often overshadowed his limited resources. Nowhere is Joe D'Amato's ability to overcome limited resources clearer than when it comes to creating memorable set pieces. Standout moments include a scene in the cellar where a cat on a piano foreshadows someone lurking in the shadows with a knife, a flashback sequence that explains how Nikos Karamanlis became Antropophagus, and the scene where Antropophagus rips a fetus from its mother's womb. Ultimately, Anthropophagous is a must-see film if you're a fan of blood-soaked, gut-munching spaghetti nightmares.

Anthropophagous makes its way to 4K UHD via a solid release that ports over the extras from Severin Films 2018 Blu-ray release. Recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer