Apocalypse domani (1980)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Antonio Margheriti

Writers:

Antonio Margheriti (screenplay)
Dardano Sacchetti (screenplay)

Release Date:

August 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

POW's in Vietnam...starved in captivity...released with a taste for human flesh.

Plot:

Giovanni Lambardo Radice and John Saxon are Vietman vets that bring back contagious virus that turn people into cannibals when bitten.

Plot Keywords:

Cannibal Movie | Grindhouse | Person On Fire | Cannibalism | Vietnam

Cast

John Saxon	...	Norman Hopper
Elizabeth Turner	...	Jane Hopper
Giovanni Lombardo Radice	...	Charlie Bukowski (as John Morghen)
Cinzia De Carolis	...	Mary (as Cindy Hamilton)
Tony King	...	Tom Thompson
Wallace Wilkinson	...	Captain McCoy
Ramiro Oliveros	...	Dr. Phil Mendez (as Ray Williams)
John Geroson
May Heatherly	...	Helen
Ronnie Sanders
Vic Perkins
Jere Beery	...	Biker Leader
Joan Riordan	...	Aunt Tina
Laura Dean
Lonnie R. Smith	...	Biker

Also Known As:

Apocalipse Cannibal
Apocalipsis caníbal (Spain)
Apocalisse domani (Italy)
Cannibal Apocalipsis
Cannibal Apocalypse
Cannibal Massacre
Cannibals in the City
Cannibals in the Street
Invasion of the Fleshhunters
Savage Apocalypse
Savage Slaughterers
The Cannibals Are in the Streets
The Slaughterers
Virus (Spain)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:18 (re-rating) (2005) | Norway:(Banned) (original rating) | USA:R | Australia:R | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | South Korea:18 | UK:(Banned) (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (2005) | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Edmondo Amati presents

Goofs:

Continuity: The blood on Charlie Bukowski's lips during the flea market shootout scene.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Fair

Cannibal Apocalypse (1980)

** (out of 4)

Italian mixture of horror and action has John Saxon playing a Vietnam vet still suffering from memories of a mission, which sent him back to the jungles to rescue two of his men who had been turned into cannibals. Years later back in Atlanta one of the rescued men (John Morghen) bites down on a woman and soon the cannibal virus is running wild. If you're expecting non-stop gore then you're going to get some but this film isn't as wild or over the top as you might expect since it does have a social message about vets. Overall the film isn't too bad but it's certainly not as entertaining as some of the genre's better movies. One big plus is the performance of Saxon who's really, really strong here. Morghen, best known for his role in Cannibal Ferox, is also fun in the over the top way that only he can do. The rest of the cast members are rather lame and don't add too much to the film. The biggest problem with the film is that at 96-minutes it runs too long and at times gets very slow and boring. I'm not sure what the point was of going for a social message in this type of movie especially when it was sold as exploitation but it wasn't needed. The action scenes are all cheap looking but they do have that certain charm that only an Italian B movie can have.