Gloria and Clifford are on a romantic holiday, settling into a quaint bed-and-breakfast in a small town which has been haunted by stories of cannibals. Thinking nothing of it at first, the couple begin to realize they are in fact among these cannibals, who fancy them for tomorrow's dinner. Ivan Reitman's debut feature, "Cannibal Girls', begins as a rather conventional horror flick, but due to an inventive narrative structure and a great command of balancing the comedy and horror elements, the film becomes quite a low-budget treat. From the opening frame, Cannibal Girls, announces to the audience that a large warning bell will sound whenever onscreen violence is about to occur. Like clockwork, the bell chimes moments later as we witness the grizzly death of a young couple, making it clear from the onset that this is a film that is both self-aware yet assured in its genre conventions and manipulations. As we follow the young couple, we are shown routine flashbacks of past victims falling prey to these young, beautiful cannibal girls. The mixture of eroticism and violence in these sequences reminded me of something out of a Jean Rollin film, though that comparison is probably a little too generous. These sequences are unannounced and come out of nowhere, really creating this blurred reality for the viewer. Later in the film when we begin to question what is real and what is imaginary, particularly through the character of Gloria, because of this approach. This is a very low-budget film, the acting is ham-fisted, we witness the boom mic falling into the frame a few times, yet it's ability to be a pseudo-spoof of the genre while still delivering on some rather horrific moments and an ominous tone is commendable. As random as it may seem that this film as directed by Ivan Reitman, the film does features some of his signature smart dialogue that is both sharp and hilariously deadpan at times. Essentially, if a Cannibalistic horror film by first-time director Ivan Reitman, starring a 24-year old thick mustached, goofy haired, Eugene Levy is appealing to you, this is your film. 7.5/10
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
|