Des filles cannibales

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.

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.

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.

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...

There is an explanation to the disjointed and jumbled storyline. From what I read, the movie was originally made in 1971 as a cheap quickie by producers Reitman and Goldberg, largely depending on improvisation. On seeing the completed footage, they felt that they could get a good distribution deal if they made some alterations... which took about two years to complete!

So it's no wonder that with all this make-it-up-as-we-go-along for two years that the finished product makes little sense - and moves awfully slow as it tries to figure out what to do with itself. It seems to have been intended as a horror comedy, but it doesn't work as such. The comedy, apart from a couple of moments that induce small smirks, is not only bad in itself, it's delivered with almost no energy. Levy and Martin show nothing of the zaniness they brought out later in their careers.

The horror moments are marginally better; the crudeness of the production does give a few of these moments an effective grittiness. There are some other moments that could have also worked had they not been spoiled by some terrible acting (voice and posing) by the actors.

I suspect you might have guessed already that this is a bad movie, considering how the movie has never received a video release or is readily available on cable or TV (at least in the U.S.) despite its association with Levy, Martin, and Reitman. Don't expect a DVD release of it any time soon - even MGM (which now owns the A.I.P. catalog) isn't *that* desperate!