This is a good example of the glory days of the drive-ins and the grindhouses. Everything you wanted in those days was included. Beautiful women and nudity and blood. For those days...If you watch it now it is a funny piece to see. Just look at the clothes, mini shorts, f*** me boots in glorious white up to the knees, smoking in bed, hairstyles you can't imagine. It is even stranger that this flick never had a proper release just until a few months ago. A lot of people did search for a copy because there was something funny about it and luckily on the official DVD you can find it also, the "warning bell". each time that there is a killing you will be warned by some kind of horn of an old car. Once the so-called gore is over, you will here a bell, warning you that you ca open your eyes again. sadly, it never becomes gory, you never see the axe going into the flesh. You do see the red stuff flowing as a result. There is also a bit too much of blah blah. But overall, it's a funny piece to watch. Some of the actors still are in the business others just left it after this flick. But it is also worth watching for the fans of the director Ivan Reitman. He became a famous producer in the seventies of horror (Shivers, Death Weekend, Ilsa,...) and of blockbusters like the Ghostbusters trilogy. I guess the fans will be delighted with it's proper release.
34 Reviews
Not Great... But Better Than Some On Offer Today...
P3n-E-W1s329 December 2020
Before I get into the review, here are my ratings for the movie.
The story gets 1.25 out of 2: The Direction a 1: The Pacing receives a 1.25: While the Acting gets 1.25: And my Enjoyment level earns a 1.25 out of 2: This brings the total for Cannibal Girls to 6 out of 10.
The two things I took away from this film was... Eugene Levy totally rocks the afro and 'stach. And I want a Gloria for my girlfriend.
But, all kidding aside, this is a surprisingly good film. The first surprise being, it is a horror movie, and the writers Robert Sandler, Daniel Goldberg, Ivan Reitman, and the cast keep it so. The second surprise was Reitman allowed the cast to develop the dialogue, and it works wonderfully well. Since I'd not heard much about this flick, when I read this, I shook my head in anticipated dismay. But I am happy to be proved wrong.
Cannibal Girls is the story of Clifford Sturges, and his girlfriend Gloria Wellaby, who, while on a road trip find themselves stranded in a little rural township. While the mechanic repairs the car, they decided to stay over at the local motel. The motel owner tells the lovers about the strange tale of the three witches who lived in the area in years past. Unperturbed by this gory tome, the couple request directions to a restaurant. Upon their arrival, Clifford and Gloria are mystified to see the restaurant resembles an old farmhouse. Before they can leave a well-spoken and well-dressed man invites them inside. Their mystery grows he says they're expected, and their table is ready. The trouble is the restaurant only serves one dish... Meat! ...and there's something not quite right with it?
On the whole, the story isn't too bad. There are some moments, though, where it starts to drag or feel irksome. For example, one of the farmhouse guests is unrealistic to the point of stupidity. This style of humour may have worked back in 1973, but today, it falls flat. Then the whole dinner section is too long. It's only by a couple of minutes, though it does seem longer. There are a few places like these dotted throughout the film. But it's worth riding them out.
Reitman does a decent job with the direction. It's not great, but it is better than a lot out there. He tries to infuse the horror and creepy elements into the film though it misses most of the time. The creepiness comes from the actors and actresses portrayals, especially the comedic ones. There are a couple of moments when the characters appear to go insane. These are funny, and I hope it was intentional since this is a horror-comedy. Reitman shoots these segments well.
The acting is not superb, but it is bloody good. The reason it didn't score higher is that some of the lesser actors and actresses aren't so great. But, Levy as Clifford is awesome, and his repartee with Wellaby as Gloria is excellent. It's shown best in the motel scene where Gloria wants him to sing a song. Clifford wants to get a tad more amorous. Though, being a gentleman, he sings a song for her. Watch him try to find a holder for his fag. Then watch what Gloria proceeds to do with it. You aware this is something she would do, and Wellaby carries it off beautifully. And then before the song ends, Gloria's wandered off to the land of nod. And when Clifford moves her, so he can go out for a walk it's carried out in such a realistic fashion. I loved this scene.
Then you have Ronald Ulrich as the Reverend Alex St. John. He is the guy who welcomes our lovers into the restaurant. He has the ideal timbre in his voice, and his accent is so smooth that when he talks, you listen. St. John is the perfect character for him; he's the one who tells the story of the witches and the history of the town.
Cannibal Girls is an enjoyable and watchable film. Hopefully, it will lift your spirits, as it did mine, and while away an hour and a half. I would highly recommend a night in with your beloved, wrapped up in a cosy duvet, with a nice drink... or two... and this movie playing away. Hell, even if you're by yourself, get your feet up, grab a brew, and enjoy the film.
Now, since your car will be a while before it's repaired feel free to visit my Absolute Horror and Just For Laugh lists to see where these Witches landed their broomsticks in my ratings.
Take Care & Stay Well.
The story gets 1.25 out of 2: The Direction a 1: The Pacing receives a 1.25: While the Acting gets 1.25: And my Enjoyment level earns a 1.25 out of 2: This brings the total for Cannibal Girls to 6 out of 10.
The two things I took away from this film was... Eugene Levy totally rocks the afro and 'stach. And I want a Gloria for my girlfriend.
But, all kidding aside, this is a surprisingly good film. The first surprise being, it is a horror movie, and the writers Robert Sandler, Daniel Goldberg, Ivan Reitman, and the cast keep it so. The second surprise was Reitman allowed the cast to develop the dialogue, and it works wonderfully well. Since I'd not heard much about this flick, when I read this, I shook my head in anticipated dismay. But I am happy to be proved wrong.
Cannibal Girls is the story of Clifford Sturges, and his girlfriend Gloria Wellaby, who, while on a road trip find themselves stranded in a little rural township. While the mechanic repairs the car, they decided to stay over at the local motel. The motel owner tells the lovers about the strange tale of the three witches who lived in the area in years past. Unperturbed by this gory tome, the couple request directions to a restaurant. Upon their arrival, Clifford and Gloria are mystified to see the restaurant resembles an old farmhouse. Before they can leave a well-spoken and well-dressed man invites them inside. Their mystery grows he says they're expected, and their table is ready. The trouble is the restaurant only serves one dish... Meat! ...and there's something not quite right with it?
On the whole, the story isn't too bad. There are some moments, though, where it starts to drag or feel irksome. For example, one of the farmhouse guests is unrealistic to the point of stupidity. This style of humour may have worked back in 1973, but today, it falls flat. Then the whole dinner section is too long. It's only by a couple of minutes, though it does seem longer. There are a few places like these dotted throughout the film. But it's worth riding them out.
Reitman does a decent job with the direction. It's not great, but it is better than a lot out there. He tries to infuse the horror and creepy elements into the film though it misses most of the time. The creepiness comes from the actors and actresses portrayals, especially the comedic ones. There are a couple of moments when the characters appear to go insane. These are funny, and I hope it was intentional since this is a horror-comedy. Reitman shoots these segments well.
The acting is not superb, but it is bloody good. The reason it didn't score higher is that some of the lesser actors and actresses aren't so great. But, Levy as Clifford is awesome, and his repartee with Wellaby as Gloria is excellent. It's shown best in the motel scene where Gloria wants him to sing a song. Clifford wants to get a tad more amorous. Though, being a gentleman, he sings a song for her. Watch him try to find a holder for his fag. Then watch what Gloria proceeds to do with it. You aware this is something she would do, and Wellaby carries it off beautifully. And then before the song ends, Gloria's wandered off to the land of nod. And when Clifford moves her, so he can go out for a walk it's carried out in such a realistic fashion. I loved this scene.
Then you have Ronald Ulrich as the Reverend Alex St. John. He is the guy who welcomes our lovers into the restaurant. He has the ideal timbre in his voice, and his accent is so smooth that when he talks, you listen. St. John is the perfect character for him; he's the one who tells the story of the witches and the history of the town.
Cannibal Girls is an enjoyable and watchable film. Hopefully, it will lift your spirits, as it did mine, and while away an hour and a half. I would highly recommend a night in with your beloved, wrapped up in a cosy duvet, with a nice drink... or two... and this movie playing away. Hell, even if you're by yourself, get your feet up, grab a brew, and enjoy the film.
Now, since your car will be a while before it's repaired feel free to visit my Absolute Horror and Just For Laugh lists to see where these Witches landed their broomsticks in my ratings.
Take Care & Stay Well.
70s Drive-In Movie Classic
upword6 November 2009
I saw this movie on it's original release at the Ypsi-Ann drive-in theater, now long gone, replaced by a strip mall on Washtenaw Avenue in the vacuous semi-urban wasteland betwixt Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Michigan.
When I saw the title on the marquee cruising by in my rusted black '56 Buick Super I just knew we had to see it and WE HAD TO SEE IT STONED.
I wasn't disappointed - except I thought there would be more gory sex... of course I don't remember much, and it's no wonder, given the steamy windows and righteous clouds of smoke and gropes and throbs of randy teens in crowded car. I do remember thinking it was made by hippie freaks, just like us. This was before VCRs and DVDs and once it was gone you figured it was gone forever - no way this could make it back to broadcast TV, even on the late-late show. And to think technology exists to drag this out of it's crypt to yank our psychic triggers...
When I saw the title on the marquee cruising by in my rusted black '56 Buick Super I just knew we had to see it and WE HAD TO SEE IT STONED.
I wasn't disappointed - except I thought there would be more gory sex... of course I don't remember much, and it's no wonder, given the steamy windows and righteous clouds of smoke and gropes and throbs of randy teens in crowded car. I do remember thinking it was made by hippie freaks, just like us. This was before VCRs and DVDs and once it was gone you figured it was gone forever - no way this could make it back to broadcast TV, even on the late-late show. And to think technology exists to drag this out of it's crypt to yank our psychic triggers...
Canadian Cannibals
BaronBl00d22 December 1999
The film is about a couple, played by young Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin in their pre-SCTV days, that rent a room in a small town called Farnhamville. It is here in this rather desolated, out-of-the-way town that the two hear about an old legend about three cannibal girls and their atrocious murdering. It turns out, of course, that the legend is in fact reality and not so old as explained. The film has some bright spots including some humorous touches added by the performances of the two leads. Reitman, yes that is right...Reitman the director of such blockbusters as Ghostbusters, creates a pretty good atmosphere of bleakness especially in the town scenes.
Considering the budget used, this is a pretty good cheap thriller high on atmosphere and low on plot. The story is weird...to put it bluntly. There is a goodly amount of gore and red blood as well to contribute to the atmosphere. The sets are cheap, the film quality is cheap, the acting unknown even to this day aside from the two leads, and the story is inane. Nonetheless I can think of worse ways to waste 90 minutes, so if you get the chance...take a peek and see if your curiosity is peaked.
Considering the budget used, this is a pretty good cheap thriller high on atmosphere and low on plot. The story is weird...to put it bluntly. There is a goodly amount of gore and red blood as well to contribute to the atmosphere. The sets are cheap, the film quality is cheap, the acting unknown even to this day aside from the two leads, and the story is inane. Nonetheless I can think of worse ways to waste 90 minutes, so if you get the chance...take a peek and see if your curiosity is peaked.
This film doesn't make any sense
Maciste_Brother8 May 2003
I finally saw CANNIBAL GIRLS and was surprised by how tame it was and how little of it made sense. The producers probably didn't have a script when they started shooting the movie because the story is incoherent. It starts with a couple, played by Eugene Levy (sporting a huge Afro and mustache) and Andrea Martin (who talks like Marilyn Monroe), who meet this woman who relates a story from the town's past. We see a flashback of these three cannibal women and how they kill their male guests. Back to the future, Eugene and Andrea visit a museum of sorts where some of the cannibal women are still living there (and looking the same) and who are controlled by this man (sorta like Charles Manson). Eugene and Andrea stay at the man's house, something happens during their sleep. Andrea has a nightmare with this ugly, burly man running after her. Next day, Eugene and Andrea go on main street. Eugene wants to stay but Andrea wants to leave. There's a huge pointless scene spent on main street. Eventually, the two end up back at the weird man's house, and more things happen during the ending that don't make much sense whatsoever. The movie ends up looking like a weird blend of Twilight Zone and Charles Manson and SCTV.
The film is unfunny, dark, boring and very confused. But it IS an interesting time capsule of 1970s Canadian cinema. Just don't expect to be laughing, or be grossed out or to make any sense of it.
The film is unfunny, dark, boring and very confused. But it IS an interesting time capsule of 1970s Canadian cinema. Just don't expect to be laughing, or be grossed out or to make any sense of it.
So bad you'll lose your appetite.
Coventry28 November 2008
Ever wondered what the first ventures into the movie making industry of the director of "Ghostbusters" and "Evolution" look like? Well, here's your chance but don't be too startled. Like so many other acclaimed directors (Brian DePalma, Oliver Stone, Francis Ford Coppola
), Ivan Reitman began his career as the young and enthusiast creator of grainy, amateurish and zero-budgeted horror movies that he presumably doesn't like to get remembered of nowadays. However, the name of the director (and possibly that of lead star Eugene Levy) is likely to be the sole reason why "Cannibal Girls" still enjoys some sort of modest cult reputation even to this day, as the film itself is unimaginably bad. Somewhat entertaining, maybe, but bad nevertheless. A young couple Levy posing as a nearly unrecognizable hippie pass through a remote and snowy Canadian region and naturally their car breaks down. They decide to spend the weekend and listen to the locals' stories about the old town restaurant that used to be run by a trio of cannibalistic girls. But that was a long time ago and now the restaurant allegedly became a fancy tourist attraction where all visitors simply must pay a visit. Needless to say the owners still cherish their appetite for human flesh and seemingly the rest of the town developed the taste as well. "Cannibal Girls" truly is a horribly inept movie from every viewpoint. The screenplay is as incoherent as can be, the stupid dialogs quickly begin to work on your nerves, the intentional funny parts are embarrassingly NOT funny, the acting (particularly Andrea Martin as this whiny girl Gloria) is infuriating and the few gory massacres are so damn tacky they wouldn't even upset a squeamish granny. There are some really bizarre and confusing plot twists near the end that'll make you lose interest entirely. At barely 80 minutes of running time, "Cannibal Girls" is a short and insignificant film but I must admit I was glad it was over.
So this is what it takes to make it in Hollywood
bbagnall1 February 2005
I watched this film because of some SCTV skits featuring Bruno the Hunchback that were based on Eugene Levy's experience with this film. The Bruno character is called Bunker for some reason here.
The acting through this film is horrible, including Andrea Martin and Eugene Levy, but it's their early work so it's understandable. The film-making is often inept, such as when the three victims are playing Monopoly and the microphone is visible at the top of the screen for about three minutes. The males in the film, including Levy, are some of the dorkiest guys I have ever seen in my life. That Levy is the leading man indicates how bad some of the others must be. One guy even has fur on his arms, I swear.
Anyway, it's a laughable film that gets very tedious after the first 45 minutes or so once you realize it's going nowhere.
The acting through this film is horrible, including Andrea Martin and Eugene Levy, but it's their early work so it's understandable. The film-making is often inept, such as when the three victims are playing Monopoly and the microphone is visible at the top of the screen for about three minutes. The males in the film, including Levy, are some of the dorkiest guys I have ever seen in my life. That Levy is the leading man indicates how bad some of the others must be. One guy even has fur on his arms, I swear.
Anyway, it's a laughable film that gets very tedious after the first 45 minutes or so once you realize it's going nowhere.
"They do EXACTLY what you think they do"
alanmora16 January 2007
I am BEGGING someone to release this hard to find little horror/cult gem on DVD. I would love to hear what Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin think now about having done this fun little schlocker. This film is very hard to find but it is definitely worth the search. It's a strange little film but if you can look past the bad acting, the holes in the storyline, and the inexplicable lack of gore that you would expect from any movie with the word Cannibal in the title it's actually a fun little flick. The 'gimmick' in this one is the "warning bell" which warns the viewer that a 'disturbing' scene is approaching (very William Castle like!). Still, there is just something intriguing about this cute little horror flick...check it out for yourself and you'll see what I mean!
A very dull and draggy wash-out
Woodyanders12 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Dippy hippie hairball Clifford Sturges (Eugene Levy sporting a ghastly wild'n'woolly Gene Shalit-like white guy 'fro) and his whiny girlfriend Gloria Wellaby (an insufferably shrill Andrea Martin) spend a romantic holiday at a remote rural bed and breakfast inn run by a trio of beautiful young women who are really cannibals. Guess what happens next? Director Ivan Reitman, working from an extremely talky and meandering script by Robert Sandler (a majority of the terrible dialogue was reportedly improvised by the cast, which means this film frequently gets bogged down in extraneous drawn-out conversations that refuse to end), relates the slow and uneventful story at a painfully plodding pace, and fails to deliver much in the way of either scares or laughs. Moreover, the attempts at obvious humor are both clumsy and unfunny, the main characters are annoying and unlikable, the droning score is beyond obnoxious, and the grindingly predictable narrative for the most part follows a familiar path with the notable exception of a mildly startling surprise bummer ending. On the plus side, ravishing redhead Bonnie Nelson, yummy blonde Randall Carpenter, and foxy brunette Mira Pawluk are all quite lovely as the titular flesh-eating ladies, Robert Sand's fairly polished cinematography astutely captures the bleakness of the desolate wintry Canadian backwoods locations, and the generous sprinkling of bloody violence and nice gratuitous female nudity alleviates the general tedium to a moderate degree. But overall this hopelessly stiff and pedestrian flick is far too dreary and inert to provide much in the way of entertainment. A real disappointment.
Drop your standards and enjoy, it's 1973, man.
eldiabloesq13 May 2005
It's not big budget, it's goofy - but I liked it. A lot of great horror movies (and I use the term "horror" loosely with this film) were low budget, starred nobodies, and shot with a sort of your-hometown look.
Cannibal Girls holds a bit of a Manson feel, as it was the buzz of the time. It was shot in rural parts of Toronto, areas which no not exist as rural any more. And it holds two big Canadian actors, who were nobody at the time - but do a great job of what they would become known for a few years later, great character actors. This is what makes it an alright film, but you have got to drop your standards of horror movies a bit to see this.
The story has a bit of an urban legend idea to it I suppose. The movie also contains something I think any true horror movie buff would think about when entering upon an odd out-of-the-way situation - don't you sometimes wonder if that hamburger, with the funky taste, you are eating at the diner in Tuckedawaytown, pop. 35, is really cow? When the film was first shown, it supposedly had a warning bell to let the "squeamish" know of impending grossness. Seeing it the first time 16 years after its original release, I didn't see any reason for bells' and whistles. I'm sure some people would have wanted that bell more with films like Zombie. However, I still wonder if cannibal girl #2 was eating a man sausage, or a MAN sausage.
Hey man, loosen up, Cannibal Girls is a cheap pseudohorror mouthful any horror buff should sample once.
Cannibal Girls holds a bit of a Manson feel, as it was the buzz of the time. It was shot in rural parts of Toronto, areas which no not exist as rural any more. And it holds two big Canadian actors, who were nobody at the time - but do a great job of what they would become known for a few years later, great character actors. This is what makes it an alright film, but you have got to drop your standards of horror movies a bit to see this.
The story has a bit of an urban legend idea to it I suppose. The movie also contains something I think any true horror movie buff would think about when entering upon an odd out-of-the-way situation - don't you sometimes wonder if that hamburger, with the funky taste, you are eating at the diner in Tuckedawaytown, pop. 35, is really cow? When the film was first shown, it supposedly had a warning bell to let the "squeamish" know of impending grossness. Seeing it the first time 16 years after its original release, I didn't see any reason for bells' and whistles. I'm sure some people would have wanted that bell more with films like Zombie. However, I still wonder if cannibal girl #2 was eating a man sausage, or a MAN sausage.
Hey man, loosen up, Cannibal Girls is a cheap pseudohorror mouthful any horror buff should sample once.
Oh My Gawd!
arfdawg-118 October 2019
Campy cult classic
baobabbooi23 January 2013
Loved this film: a campy modern fairytale and quirky melodrama with dark undertones. There is some mostly awful acting, a lot of it clearly improvised, but interspersed with moments of sheer brilliance. Eugene Levy is awesome, with little glints of the talent evident in his later more memorable roles. The Reverend Alex St. John has a Jim Jones aura about him and holds the town in thrall, although Jonestown was still 5 years in the future. (I guess this movie was way ahead of its time in several ways?). The wintry Ontario scenes and stark minimalistic directing deliver a sustained sense of foreboding and unease that something is very, very wrong in the town of Farnhamville. The degree of gratuitous violence and gore is quite surprising for its time. The femme fatales are deliciously sensual and alluring, and their victims appropriately chauvinistic (and hairy!). Yet there are also some delightful subtle touches, like when the mechanic at the local gas station places a for sale sign on Clifford's car that is in for repair: the message is simple- once you arrive, you can never leave. The atmosphere is relentless and for me, genuinely scary.
Twilight, eat your heart out!
Twilight, eat your heart out!
May The Cult Live Forever
Tweetienator29 April 2019
Guess Charles Manson and his "cult" inspired the movie. What you get is some "reverend" and his cult craving for some blood and flesh, all shot in nice B-movie trash style of the 70s. The story: a young couple (like two years later Brand and Janet in Rocky Horror Picture Show) get in trouble with a lunatic master and his adepts.
What we get are a few "gore" (tame for today's hardened eyes and souls) effects here and there and some beautiful nude 70s ladies who could all be hired from some Boney M or ABBA performance dance group, and some poor guys and gals getting themselves killed and served for food.
Tasty for the lover of bad taste. Everyone else - avoid.
What we get are a few "gore" (tame for today's hardened eyes and souls) effects here and there and some beautiful nude 70s ladies who could all be hired from some Boney M or ABBA performance dance group, and some poor guys and gals getting themselves killed and served for food.
Tasty for the lover of bad taste. Everyone else - avoid.
If You Define "Cult Classic" As "Really Bad" Then This Fits
sddavis634 August 2016
Some people call this a cult classic. Usually that means cheap and bad, and in that sense this movie is what you'd expect. For me, this was a curiosity - a movie filmed in the small town in which I now live. And while the town has changed a lot since 1973, there are still parts of it I recognized. But aside from satisfying that little bit of local-pride curiosity, there was nothing about this to get very excited about.
We discover from the start that the fictional town of Farnhamville has a problem. There's a weird Reverend who seems to control three pretty young girls, and they have a thing for cannibalism. Into the town for some time away stumble a young couple (played by Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin) who get caught up in the "horror."
As you'd expect from a movie starring Levy and Martin, this movie often tries (mostly unsuccessfully) to get some laughs out of viewers, and when it's failing to do that it's not really that frightening. It does have a fair bit of gore, and several totally unnecessary topless scenes featuring those three pretty young girls. It also has a story that never really makes much sense, and with acting that was - even from Levy and Martin - mostly atrocious, it was painful and at times impossible to stick with this.
Cult classic? Yup, if by that you mean it's so bad that it's hard to figure out why anyone would want to take the time to watch it. (2/10)
We discover from the start that the fictional town of Farnhamville has a problem. There's a weird Reverend who seems to control three pretty young girls, and they have a thing for cannibalism. Into the town for some time away stumble a young couple (played by Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin) who get caught up in the "horror."
As you'd expect from a movie starring Levy and Martin, this movie often tries (mostly unsuccessfully) to get some laughs out of viewers, and when it's failing to do that it's not really that frightening. It does have a fair bit of gore, and several totally unnecessary topless scenes featuring those three pretty young girls. It also has a story that never really makes much sense, and with acting that was - even from Levy and Martin - mostly atrocious, it was painful and at times impossible to stick with this.
Cult classic? Yup, if by that you mean it's so bad that it's hard to figure out why anyone would want to take the time to watch it. (2/10)
Door bell will ring with no shock or comedy.
Serpent-511 May 1999
David Cronenberg said he was the first man to make a horror film in Canada, but I think this was made first. (unless it wasn't considered a horror film). SCTV's Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin star as couple who goes to a small town filled with strange people who turns out to be cannibals. The film is low on horror and dead on comedy. American International Pictures didn't know what to do with this film, so they tacked in a door bell sound to warn the viewers of all the shock scenes. (would be shock scenes is more like it). Siskel & Ebert gave this film "The Dog of the Week" back in 1980. Reitman second directional effort is a misfire to horror fans, but it's an intresting film looking back at it now.
Meh
venusboys312 March 2016
This is a pretty damn bland... not particularly scary, gory, sexy or funny (which you might expect because of the leads and the director). Like a good bit of low-budget horror it pads out its running time with slooooooow scenes that are both pointless and boring. Not that I've got a problem with slow moving films... when there is some point to that pacing beyond just taking up film stock to get to feature length.
Blame it on the writing. There's not really much going on with the plot or the characters... a couple wander into small town full of cannibals waylays travelers in order to eat them. No real attempt to explain the how and why this got started. There is some sort of magic ceremony involved but never gone into.
There's nowhere near the gore you'd expect after seeing other 'cannibal' or zombie movies. No dismemberment or disembowelment is shown. Just splashes of blood here and there. What limited violence there is was staged very poorly.
There is nudity, as kind of promised by the title and cover art... limited to the breasts of a few of the female cast and a couple of the males. It's neither titillating in a soft-core porn sort of way or strangely alienating as it is in Jean Rollin's better movies. It's just there.
Despite the presence of Martin and Levy there is little or no attempt at humor. They play it straight.
There's also a bit of what I call 'Porn Fancy' going on... where a movie tries to sell some element as fancy or sophisticated well past its budget and the capabilities of the cast. This film does that in places with unintentionally ridiculous results. Why pretend that it's a fancy dinner in a mansion when you don't have a mansion or the wardrobe or anyone who can play that convincingly? Just say it's a backwoods barbecue place and it won't be nearly as daft.
Really, not a good movie. No reason at all to watch it unless you're a rabid fan of the two leads and/or the director.
Blame it on the writing. There's not really much going on with the plot or the characters... a couple wander into small town full of cannibals waylays travelers in order to eat them. No real attempt to explain the how and why this got started. There is some sort of magic ceremony involved but never gone into.
There's nowhere near the gore you'd expect after seeing other 'cannibal' or zombie movies. No dismemberment or disembowelment is shown. Just splashes of blood here and there. What limited violence there is was staged very poorly.
There is nudity, as kind of promised by the title and cover art... limited to the breasts of a few of the female cast and a couple of the males. It's neither titillating in a soft-core porn sort of way or strangely alienating as it is in Jean Rollin's better movies. It's just there.
Despite the presence of Martin and Levy there is little or no attempt at humor. They play it straight.
There's also a bit of what I call 'Porn Fancy' going on... where a movie tries to sell some element as fancy or sophisticated well past its budget and the capabilities of the cast. This film does that in places with unintentionally ridiculous results. Why pretend that it's a fancy dinner in a mansion when you don't have a mansion or the wardrobe or anyone who can play that convincingly? Just say it's a backwoods barbecue place and it won't be nearly as daft.
Really, not a good movie. No reason at all to watch it unless you're a rabid fan of the two leads and/or the director.
The Warning Bell.
morrison-dylan-fan5 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Talking to my dad about DVDs that he had recently picked up,I was surprised to learn that he had gotten hold of a forgotten Horror Comedy by the director of Ghostbusters,which led to me getting ready to meet the Cannibal Girls.
The plot:
Wanting to spend some quality time with each other, Clifford Sturges & Gloria Wellaby decide to visit a small town for a romantic weekend.Booking in the sole motel in the village,Sturges and Wellaby are told about an old town legend,which says that a major restaurant in the town is cursed,and that 3 cannibal women used to live there.Being curious about this myth,the couple decide to pay a visit to the place.Being welcomed in by restaurant owner Rev. Alex St. John,Sturges and Wellaby soon discover that a special meal has been prepared for them.
View on the film:
Taking just 9 days to film, (with an extra day being used for pick- ups!)co-story writer/(along with Robert Sandler & Daniel Goldberg)director Ivan Reitman matches the films splashes of blood with stylish fade ins/fade outs which create a startling dream atmosphere.For what was only his second film,Reitman impressively shows that he is already starting to pick up one of the major themes of his future work,with each of the stunning,naked cannibal girls being counted by she & nervous geeky men.
Using the story by Reitman/Sandler and Goldberg as a bare outline,the cast show a good level of improve skills which keep the title away from every drying out,with Andrea Martin and Eugene Levy (who says that he spent most of the shooting time thinking about the free food & drink that he would get at the hotel later that night!) giving Sturges and Wellaby a real sweet charm,as they both find out that dinner is about to be served.
The plot:
Wanting to spend some quality time with each other, Clifford Sturges & Gloria Wellaby decide to visit a small town for a romantic weekend.Booking in the sole motel in the village,Sturges and Wellaby are told about an old town legend,which says that a major restaurant in the town is cursed,and that 3 cannibal women used to live there.Being curious about this myth,the couple decide to pay a visit to the place.Being welcomed in by restaurant owner Rev. Alex St. John,Sturges and Wellaby soon discover that a special meal has been prepared for them.
View on the film:
Taking just 9 days to film, (with an extra day being used for pick- ups!)co-story writer/(along with Robert Sandler & Daniel Goldberg)director Ivan Reitman matches the films splashes of blood with stylish fade ins/fade outs which create a startling dream atmosphere.For what was only his second film,Reitman impressively shows that he is already starting to pick up one of the major themes of his future work,with each of the stunning,naked cannibal girls being counted by she & nervous geeky men.
Using the story by Reitman/Sandler and Goldberg as a bare outline,the cast show a good level of improve skills which keep the title away from every drying out,with Andrea Martin and Eugene Levy (who says that he spent most of the shooting time thinking about the free food & drink that he would get at the hotel later that night!) giving Sturges and Wellaby a real sweet charm,as they both find out that dinner is about to be served.
Not good!
BandSAboutMovies19 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Shot in 1971 and 1972 in the towns surrounding Toronto - Beaverton, Aurora, and Oak Ridges - this low budget, mostly improvised Canadian horror film would be unremarkable if it wasn't some of the first work of Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy and Ivan Reitman.
Levy stars as Clifford Sturges, a traveling guitar player, while Martin is his new girlfriend Gloria Wellaby. When their car breaks down in a small town called Farnhamville, they soon learn that not many visitors make it out of town.
After finding Mrs. Wainwright's small motel, the owner tells them about the Cannibal Girls - Anthea, Clarissa, and Leona - sirens who lure men to their doom, only to eat them while they're still alive.
Along with another stranger looking for his missing sister, our heroes are taken to the home of Reverend Alex St. John, who commands most of the town. They don't even realize it, but they're now in the presence of the titular villains.
Cannibal Girls aspires to the strange town aesthetic that movies like Messiah of Evil excel at. It doesn't get there, sadly. But the idea that this family of human-eating femme fatales continues to add to their number is a good one.
Weirdly enough, when this played in the UK, it had a loud siren that announced when a scene with gore in it was about to be played, then a bell when that scene was over. This kind of feature would play well at my in-laws, where my wife's mother often enters the room eyes and ears covered whenever a horror movie is on the TV.
While an interesting curiousity, this feels like the kind of film that Count Floyd would struggle to get through and instead replace it with another showing of Dr. Tongue's Evil House of Pancakes. These sketches have special relevance for those born in Pittsburgh, as SCTV's late night movie host turned werewolf howling vampire is pretty much a comedy version of "Chilly" Billy Cardille, a Pittsburgh broadcaster who was as comfortable doing the news as he was hosting Studio Wrestling, Jackpot Bingo or radio shows as he was showing horror movies late into Saturday night.
There was also another Pittsburgh horror host who influenced Count Floyd, KDKA's E-Gor, who hosted the show The 13th Hour from 1958 to 1959. He was played by announcer George Eisenhauer, who from the 1950's to the 1980's was the familiar smooth voice who'd intone, "This is KDKA, Pittsburgh." He also the host of the religious program Not Just Sunday. Yes, only in Pittsburgh could someone show you a horror film on Friday and discuss theology on Sunday.
Levy stars as Clifford Sturges, a traveling guitar player, while Martin is his new girlfriend Gloria Wellaby. When their car breaks down in a small town called Farnhamville, they soon learn that not many visitors make it out of town.
After finding Mrs. Wainwright's small motel, the owner tells them about the Cannibal Girls - Anthea, Clarissa, and Leona - sirens who lure men to their doom, only to eat them while they're still alive.
Along with another stranger looking for his missing sister, our heroes are taken to the home of Reverend Alex St. John, who commands most of the town. They don't even realize it, but they're now in the presence of the titular villains.
Cannibal Girls aspires to the strange town aesthetic that movies like Messiah of Evil excel at. It doesn't get there, sadly. But the idea that this family of human-eating femme fatales continues to add to their number is a good one.
Weirdly enough, when this played in the UK, it had a loud siren that announced when a scene with gore in it was about to be played, then a bell when that scene was over. This kind of feature would play well at my in-laws, where my wife's mother often enters the room eyes and ears covered whenever a horror movie is on the TV.
While an interesting curiousity, this feels like the kind of film that Count Floyd would struggle to get through and instead replace it with another showing of Dr. Tongue's Evil House of Pancakes. These sketches have special relevance for those born in Pittsburgh, as SCTV's late night movie host turned werewolf howling vampire is pretty much a comedy version of "Chilly" Billy Cardille, a Pittsburgh broadcaster who was as comfortable doing the news as he was hosting Studio Wrestling, Jackpot Bingo or radio shows as he was showing horror movies late into Saturday night.
There was also another Pittsburgh horror host who influenced Count Floyd, KDKA's E-Gor, who hosted the show The 13th Hour from 1958 to 1959. He was played by announcer George Eisenhauer, who from the 1950's to the 1980's was the familiar smooth voice who'd intone, "This is KDKA, Pittsburgh." He also the host of the religious program Not Just Sunday. Yes, only in Pittsburgh could someone show you a horror film on Friday and discuss theology on Sunday.
Attack of the Canadian Cannibals.
BA_Harrison8 April 2017
Directed by Ivan Reitman of Stripes and Ghostbusters fame, Cannibal Girls is, rather unsurprisingly, as comical as it is ghoulish. Eugene 'Jim's Dad' Levy and Andrea Martin play Cliff and Gloria, a young couple who travel to the isolated, snow-bound town of Farnhamville for a weekend away, where they discover that the place is home to a cannibal cult headed by weirdo 'Svengali' Rev. Alex St. John (Ronald Ulrich), whose three beautiful acolytes (Randall Carpenter, Bonnie Neilson and Mira Pawluk) do his every bidding.
Clearly shot on a low budget, with competent direction from Reitman and improvised dialogue from the cast of unknowns (Levy having not yet achieved fame), this darkly humorous tale of the macabre is, going by the majority of reviews here on IMDb, clearly not everyone's cup of tea. I wouldn't call it great, but I certainly wasn't bored by the film as many seem to be. There's an unsettling, bizarre, dreamlike quality to proceedings, some subtly amusing moments, just a smidgen of gore, and the three cannibal girls all take their tops off. Oh, and Eugene Levy's hair and 'tache have to be seen to be believed.
6/10. The ending is a tad confusing, but the film is still worth a look for fans of cult '70s oddities.
Clearly shot on a low budget, with competent direction from Reitman and improvised dialogue from the cast of unknowns (Levy having not yet achieved fame), this darkly humorous tale of the macabre is, going by the majority of reviews here on IMDb, clearly not everyone's cup of tea. I wouldn't call it great, but I certainly wasn't bored by the film as many seem to be. There's an unsettling, bizarre, dreamlike quality to proceedings, some subtly amusing moments, just a smidgen of gore, and the three cannibal girls all take their tops off. Oh, and Eugene Levy's hair and 'tache have to be seen to be believed.
6/10. The ending is a tad confusing, but the film is still worth a look for fans of cult '70s oddities.
horror or spoof
SnoopyStyle12 December 2017
New couple Clifford Sturges (Eugene Levy) and Gloria Wellaby (Andrea Martin) are driving their troublesome car when it breaks down near the small town of Farnhamville. They are told about the legend of 3 cannibal women luring men to their deaths. They stay at the house in the urban legend hosted by the Reverend and his three female followers.
With Levy and Martin, I assumed that this is a spoof or at least a horror comedy. I'm not sure if there is any comedic intent and I don't know what is suppose to be funny. There is actually a very effective section as the old woman recounts the cannibal girls legend. I love these beautiful women luring the two nerds especially. It's effective horror and works great as a story. There are interesting ways to go with that dynamic. Levy and Martin don't really fit and they aren't going with their strengths anyways. After a certain point, the movie left me scratching my head.
With Levy and Martin, I assumed that this is a spoof or at least a horror comedy. I'm not sure if there is any comedic intent and I don't know what is suppose to be funny. There is actually a very effective section as the old woman recounts the cannibal girls legend. I love these beautiful women luring the two nerds especially. It's effective horror and works great as a story. There are interesting ways to go with that dynamic. Levy and Martin don't really fit and they aren't going with their strengths anyways. After a certain point, the movie left me scratching my head.
this movie is no comedy
johntoremember200018 October 2005
its a horror thriller type with some character comedy but its not a comedy its creepy bloody and the girls are not dead they are possessed...The story which might kindly be described as "loose" tells of Cliff and Gloria a couple who've only been dating for two weeks but are already taking winter road trips together to strange, snowy Southern town. Arriving in one such place they run across an old lady who tells them the strange legend of the three beautiful girls who once lived in a nearby farmhouse and who regularly lured guests to the house, kept them waiting around for a few days, and then cooked them up for dinner.
One of the worst movies ever made
jacobjohntaylor128 April 2018
This is an awful movie. It not funny. It is not scary. It just gross. The ending is awful. The story line is awful. If you to want see a good movie see The Texas Chainsaw massacre. Do not see this movie it is awful. And not scary. I did not even know this was comedy when I watched. Seriously were is the hummer. This is sick garbage. Do not see it. It is one of the worst horror movies ever. And it not a comedy. If is meat to funny it is not. It no funnier then The Texas chainsaw massacre. The Texas chainsaw massacre is scary. This not scary at all.
This classic Canadian cult film is highly underrated
clay-113 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Where to start...Well, this film had a very profound effect on me as a young teenager when I first saw it late at night around 1985. The effect is still the same to this day. I was so overwhelmed by the feel of this movie that I became obsessed with finding all the filming locations after I saw it again in 1988. I am also astonished at how under-rated this gem is.
I'm a big fan of classic 1970's Canadian cult films and this tops my list. Yes it even beats out other Canadian 1970's horrors gems like: Deranged, Black Christmas, Death Weekend and Rituals. There is just so much going on here: including the complex and eerie soundtrack which adds to the overall feel. This piece of music is an unknown masterpiece, that goes through minor and major chord sequences and changes key with each round. The camera used brings out that 1970's feel to its extreme. There is comedy interchanged within the dialogue and the horror, and the actor choices were spot on.
Eugene Levy (Clifford) and Andrea Martin (Gloria) of SCTV fame were cast well as the main characters. They start out driving in the snowy wilds of Ontario looking for a place to stay. The two come to Farnhamville (Beaverton) and are mystically controlled into staying there by the townsfolk. They end up staying at the old Oak Inn (Oak Ridges) and the hotel owner, May Jarvis, takes them back in time when she tells them a story of a legend involving three girls who methodically lure unsuspecting men to their century farm house (Aurora), in which each is systematically murdered and chopped up for feasting on. These feasts give the girls everlasting life. The scene involving one of the men being tied seductively to the bed by the girls is very effective (he is eaten alive after all). We soon learn who is really in control, however.
Enter Ronald Ulrich-- one must experience the work done by this consummate stage professional, who plays the Reverend Alex St. John. This was his second foray into the movie business (and sadly his last). This guy nails the character to a T. His look and his voice bring this character to life. He still terrifies me. Not only was he naturally mesmerizing, but also had a very comedic sense which he brought to the table (literally). His lines delivered to Clifford are priceless--humour done with a slight smirk. His power over the 3 girls is also intoxicating. They will do anything for him, including singing an eerie song in unison when he recites lines from Shakespeare. Had any other actor played this part it just would not have worked.
Eventually things become more and more confusing and horrific for the couple. Much has been said on the dream sequence and I personally don't buy it. Other films offer more confusing dream sequences (Nightmare on Elm Street for example) but no one seemed to ever complain about those. For me, the dream sequence adds to the overall mind game the Reverend is able to play. In fact, the Reverend has one more thing up his sleeve. He is going to make Gloria the 4th Cannibal Girl and he is going to get her to murder her own partner in the process. How does the Rev get her to do this and how does Gloria finish Clifford off? Watch the movie to find out. The girls will live forever on human flesh and its implied that the townsfolk of Farnhamville will too. Soon Gloria will be dining with her new family. The family table is covered in Clifford's flesh and organs- her initial moral judgment against such acts are overcome as she partakes at the feast.
Lastly, May Jarvis is seen back at her hotel where she welcomes a new couple with the same story she told Clifford and Gloria, confirming the assumption that the whole town is in on the Reverend's scheme.
Ps- I was quite upset at the cover art on the DVD. The Reverend and all three girls looked nothing like those pictured. The Reverend on the cover doesn't even suit the part.
Ivan Reitman would go on do another classic called Meatballs, the best and earliest of the camp genre. His most famed production was one I find unbearable, Ghostbusters.
I'm a big fan of classic 1970's Canadian cult films and this tops my list. Yes it even beats out other Canadian 1970's horrors gems like: Deranged, Black Christmas, Death Weekend and Rituals. There is just so much going on here: including the complex and eerie soundtrack which adds to the overall feel. This piece of music is an unknown masterpiece, that goes through minor and major chord sequences and changes key with each round. The camera used brings out that 1970's feel to its extreme. There is comedy interchanged within the dialogue and the horror, and the actor choices were spot on.
Eugene Levy (Clifford) and Andrea Martin (Gloria) of SCTV fame were cast well as the main characters. They start out driving in the snowy wilds of Ontario looking for a place to stay. The two come to Farnhamville (Beaverton) and are mystically controlled into staying there by the townsfolk. They end up staying at the old Oak Inn (Oak Ridges) and the hotel owner, May Jarvis, takes them back in time when she tells them a story of a legend involving three girls who methodically lure unsuspecting men to their century farm house (Aurora), in which each is systematically murdered and chopped up for feasting on. These feasts give the girls everlasting life. The scene involving one of the men being tied seductively to the bed by the girls is very effective (he is eaten alive after all). We soon learn who is really in control, however.
Enter Ronald Ulrich-- one must experience the work done by this consummate stage professional, who plays the Reverend Alex St. John. This was his second foray into the movie business (and sadly his last). This guy nails the character to a T. His look and his voice bring this character to life. He still terrifies me. Not only was he naturally mesmerizing, but also had a very comedic sense which he brought to the table (literally). His lines delivered to Clifford are priceless--humour done with a slight smirk. His power over the 3 girls is also intoxicating. They will do anything for him, including singing an eerie song in unison when he recites lines from Shakespeare. Had any other actor played this part it just would not have worked.
Eventually things become more and more confusing and horrific for the couple. Much has been said on the dream sequence and I personally don't buy it. Other films offer more confusing dream sequences (Nightmare on Elm Street for example) but no one seemed to ever complain about those. For me, the dream sequence adds to the overall mind game the Reverend is able to play. In fact, the Reverend has one more thing up his sleeve. He is going to make Gloria the 4th Cannibal Girl and he is going to get her to murder her own partner in the process. How does the Rev get her to do this and how does Gloria finish Clifford off? Watch the movie to find out. The girls will live forever on human flesh and its implied that the townsfolk of Farnhamville will too. Soon Gloria will be dining with her new family. The family table is covered in Clifford's flesh and organs- her initial moral judgment against such acts are overcome as she partakes at the feast.
Lastly, May Jarvis is seen back at her hotel where she welcomes a new couple with the same story she told Clifford and Gloria, confirming the assumption that the whole town is in on the Reverend's scheme.
Ps- I was quite upset at the cover art on the DVD. The Reverend and all three girls looked nothing like those pictured. The Reverend on the cover doesn't even suit the part.
Ivan Reitman would go on do another classic called Meatballs, the best and earliest of the camp genre. His most famed production was one I find unbearable, Ghostbusters.
Slow burn....
abduktionsphanomen14 August 2022
Cannibal Girls - 1973
(This Film Rates a C )
The film opens in winter with a man being killed with a pickaxe, the blood squirting onto his girlfriend's face and mouth. Her shirt is ripped open to show some T's but is spared death. Fast forward, Clifford and Gloria have been driving for 14 hours and the car starts to have some trouble. The vehicle manages to get to the small town of Farnhamville. They learn about the legend of three cannibal girls who lured men to their deaths. From a pair of scissors, an axe and of course being eaten alive with a side of gravy. The house is now owned by the Reverend Alex Saint John. He is all too funny and creepy. There are still cannibals in the house, plus Bunker the mute animal like servant. Clifford and Gloria try to escape but fumble their attempt and wind up spending the night. Gloria has a very vivid and graphic nightmare. The dream sequences are long and sometimes catch you off guard as to what is real as does the crazy and twisted ending which now features a legend involving four cannibals. The gore is minimal and not overly exciting. The acting and soundtrack are decent for the most part. The story is a bit slow without a punch of action. The winter scenery is beautiful and well photographed from the forest to the small townscape. There are some T's and Eugene Levy's epic mustache!
What a mess from the early days of Eugene Levy's and Ivan Reitman's career.
Boba_Fett113818 June 2008
It's amazing how many trash Eugene Levy starred in during his early career. He is now a well known comedy actors, mostly thanks to his role in the American Pie movies but it's quite amazing that he ever became a big actor once you see the stuff he starred in at the beginning of his career.
It's also even more amazing to think that this movie is directed by Ivan Reitman, the man who later brought us the movies "Stripes", "Ghostbusters", "Dave" and the more recent comedy "My Super Ex-Girlfriend". Only his trademark comedy style can be seen back in this movie. Furthermore this movie doesn't show much of Reitman's talent, which is also do of course to the movie its really bad script (also partly written by Ivan Reitman himself) and its obvious very limited money and resources. The movie lacks some good editing cuts and camera position among many other things. The movie looks like a bad '70's porn, without all of the sex (but with the nudity). It's a real amateur like looking movie.
Despite having comedy elements in it, this movie above all is a serious horror attempt from Ivan Reitman. Luckily he soon discovered his talent more lays at the comedy genre, or else we wouldn't had ever had the fine and classic comedies he made later in his career. But how can you even really regard this movie as an horror film, when it has so little gore (well, at least for a cannibal flick) in it and no scares at all.
The movie basically has a non-existent story that is hard to follow because it just doesn't make an awful lot of sense all. You'll have a hard time understanding when the movie is in flashback mode and when it's set in real time and what's real and what's not. It's the sort of script that makes you wonder why they even decided to shoot it in the first place. It's a confusingly bad made movie, that often makes you go; 'What's going on here?!'. This movie is not at all what you could and should expect from a cannibal flick.
It's just not an awfully interesting movie to watch, since too little interesting is ever happening in it. It's not even interesting as a study of an early Ivan Reitman movie. There is really no reason why you should ever watch this bad '70's flick.
3/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
It's also even more amazing to think that this movie is directed by Ivan Reitman, the man who later brought us the movies "Stripes", "Ghostbusters", "Dave" and the more recent comedy "My Super Ex-Girlfriend". Only his trademark comedy style can be seen back in this movie. Furthermore this movie doesn't show much of Reitman's talent, which is also do of course to the movie its really bad script (also partly written by Ivan Reitman himself) and its obvious very limited money and resources. The movie lacks some good editing cuts and camera position among many other things. The movie looks like a bad '70's porn, without all of the sex (but with the nudity). It's a real amateur like looking movie.
Despite having comedy elements in it, this movie above all is a serious horror attempt from Ivan Reitman. Luckily he soon discovered his talent more lays at the comedy genre, or else we wouldn't had ever had the fine and classic comedies he made later in his career. But how can you even really regard this movie as an horror film, when it has so little gore (well, at least for a cannibal flick) in it and no scares at all.
The movie basically has a non-existent story that is hard to follow because it just doesn't make an awful lot of sense all. You'll have a hard time understanding when the movie is in flashback mode and when it's set in real time and what's real and what's not. It's the sort of script that makes you wonder why they even decided to shoot it in the first place. It's a confusingly bad made movie, that often makes you go; 'What's going on here?!'. This movie is not at all what you could and should expect from a cannibal flick.
It's just not an awfully interesting movie to watch, since too little interesting is ever happening in it. It's not even interesting as a study of an early Ivan Reitman movie. There is really no reason why you should ever watch this bad '70's flick.
3/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
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