A Semana do Assassino

The alternative title "Cannibal Man" is very misleading, because this film is not a gory splatterfest about the sick mind of a serial killer, it is more a drama about a man whose life falls apart aroused by a chain reaction of unhappy circumstances. You might compare this film to similar movies like "Henry" for example, but this one is more a portrait of the situation in the early 70s when the dictatorship of Franco ruled the Spanish nation. "La semana del asesino" is full of macabre minor details and polished dialogue sequences. Not like the typical horror mass productions, more an unusual outsider cinema...

I saw this for the first time recently.

I think Abel Ferrara's The Driller Killer borrowed idea from this movie n improved on the idea of an ordinary fella slowly descending into madness.

Coincidentally both the movies landed in the "video nasties" list.

I found both the movies darkly comical n at times poignant too.

The stress list n reasons for going bonkers were too many for the lead character in Driller Killer, whereas in this movie Marcos was just trying to hide his crime.

Most commentary I have seen on Cannibal Man focuses on the psychological horror, but the political side of the story seems more important to me. The film seems to place more blame on the society of Spain under Franco than even on the killer, the ultra cool swimming pool sequence is very reminiscent of Chaplin's "the Great Dictator".

"Cannibal Man" by Eloy de la Iglesia is a notorious Spanish shocker about slaughterhouse worker named Marcos.He works in a canning plant attached to the local slaughterhouse.One night,he kills a taxi driver in self defense and then strangles his girlfriend,the only witness to the crime.Desperate with fear,he murders several other people."Cannibal Man" is a slow-paced Spanish shocker that contains some graphic gore.The film is also extremely stylish and the atmosphere of decay and frustration is simply overwhelming.It certainly gained some notoriety as a former video nasty in the UK,but it's nowhere nearly as explicit as for example Lucio Fulci's gorefests.However the most interesting fact is that Eloy de la Iglesia was one of the major directors to push Spanish censorship boundaries with this film and a number of powerful gay-oriented films like "El Diputado" or "Los Placeres Ocultos".So if you are a fan of Spanish horror give it a try.8 out of 10.

I would have to agree with the previous comment regarding THE CANNIBAL MAN. It's an excellent film in the vein of DERANGED (1974), HENRY and CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KILLER, though it predates all three.

THE CANNIBAL MAN took a couple viewings to really come together and I think part of the problem was the English dubbing. Anchor Bay's recent release has superb picture quality, but unfortunately they didn't include the original language track with subs as they did with TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD.

Regardless, the acting is well-done - Vincente Parra plays a particularly relatable man, one with whom the viewer can sympathize. In accordance with the film's original title, WEEK OF THE KILLER, Parra takes the part of the titular role, slowly spiraling downward into insanity while dispatching one victim for each day of the week. Along the way, there are some interesting twists and turns as well as some restrained, well-used scenes of violence and gore.

There are also some truly surreal scenes, such as the swimming pool sequence and the tense denouement. And, as with any Spanish horror film, nearly all the women are gorgeous. All in all, this is a must-see for genre fans, but be warned, THE CANNIBAL MAN is a subtle film, not one that will immediately jump out at you.