Cannibal Apocalypse 1980 ***

There’s no shortage of odd entries in the Italian Eurotrash genre, but Antonio Margheriti’s 1980 thriller Cannibal Apocalypse has some unique selling points. The central one is John Saxon, always a strong performer, and doing great work as a Vietnam veteran who develops a desire to bite women. He’s not alone; there’s a plague of cannibalism brought back to urban USA by returning soldiers, and one of the men under his command has the virus. Margheriti’s film was somewhat ahead of its time with the Vietnam angle, but there’s no pretentions here, as Cannibal Apocalypse develops a somewhat rabid style through motorcycle chases, shoot-outs and occasional gore. While not exactly a cinema classic, it’s a tasty little B movie that managed to do something original in a moribund genre; the shotgun and flamethrower action scenes are to be commended to hardened horror and action veterans.