Apocalypse domani

Plot synopsis:
The film opens with a flashback to the Vietnam War, where Norman Hopper (Saxon) is bitten by a U.S. POW Charlie Bukowski (John Morghen), who is infected with a virus which leaves people with a craving for human flesh. In Atlanta, Georgia, some years later, Hopper wakes up from a nightmare about this incident, and then receives a phone call from Bukowski, who invites his old comrade out for a drink. The call comes in at an inopportune moment, as a young neighbour girl, Mary (Cindy Hamilton), was trying to seduce him, so he turns down the invitation. Hopper falls for her charms and as they are about to engage in oral sex, he bites her. After hearing from his concerned wife that a Vietnam vet barricaded himself in a mall, he gets into his car. Just as he is about to leave, Mary reveals that she enjoyed the bite. After arriving on the scene, he convinces Bukowski to surrender to the police. While being hauled away to the hospital, Bukowski bites a police constable.
After returning home, Hopper instructs his wife to wait for him in the house, and walks in front of Mary's window. Later, he admits to the incident and his wish to bite a fellow-human, to his wife. At the hospital, Bukowski and fellow vet Tommy (Tony King) get into a fight with the guards, and Bukowski bites the leg of nurse Helen (May Heatherly). Dr Mendez (Ray Williams) calls Jane Hopper and tells her that Norman might be experiencing the same symptoms and that she should bring him over to the hospital for a checkup, while he is listening in on the conversation, after which he leaves the house.
The police get the coroner's report on the mall shootout and it contains warnings of cannibalism. At the same time, Jane meets Dr. Mendez, who has been trying to seduce her before. They are at a fancy piano bar, where he explains to her that the virus causes a biological mutation, due to psychic alteration. Norman voluntarily goes to the hospital and talks to a doctor about his symptoms and his well-founded suspicions on Dr. Mendez' intentions with his wife. The doctor also takes a blood sample.
At the police station, the bitten constable shoots a fellow cop, bites another cop and ends up shot by Captain McCoy (Wallace Wilkinson). Norman comes across his sedated fellow vets Charlie and Tommy. He experiences a flashback to the initial incident where he got bit by an infected POW. The doctor gets attacked by Helen while inspecting Hopper's blood sample. First she bites off his tongue and then she bashes his head in with a rock. In an ambulance the bitten cop gets aggressive before she dies. In the hospital, Helen frees Tommy and Charlie. Norman kills a staff member who tries to notify the authorities.
Norman, Helen, Tom and Charlie leave the hospital in an ambulance. Jane returns to an empty house and searches for Norman when the phone rings and Dr. Mendez notifies her that Norman disappeared. The police are on high alert and looking for the escapees. The escapees break into a tire shop and find a gun. Charlie uses an angle grinder to slice up a victim. Tommy steals a station wagon and the infected leave with a pistol and a bag of snacks.
They get confronted by a biker gang that Charlie already fought at the mall, killing one of their members. After defeating the gang, they run away on foot just as the police arrive on the scene and escape into the sewer. The police coordinate a blockade of the sewer exits in order to trap the suspects. At the Hopper residence, Jane is unable to make a telephone call and goes next door to ask Mary's aunt to use the phone. Mary and her brother greet her and let her use the phone to call Dr. Mendez, but the aunt is nowhere to be seen. The children behave suspiciously and ask her how come her phone is not working, but they let her leave.
In the sewer, Helen gets attacked by a rat just as the cannibals are about to slip away from the police. She ends up being shot along with a cop. Charlie is killed by the police, while Norman is wounded. Tom goes berserk, attacks the police and is killed with a flamethrower. Even with a wounded leg, Norman crawls out of the sewer, steals a car and leaves the scene.
Jane tries to leave the house in her car but cannot start it. As she comes back into the house, she hears strange noises and calls for Norman. She finds him in his dress uniform, telling her to stay away. Norman is hurt and dying, and Dr. Mendez walks into the house. Jane runs over to him, but he bites her as Norman shoots him. Jane points his gun at her own head and two shots are heard just as the police arrive on the scene.
The infected children watch as the bodies are being hauled away. The boy asks Mary if they will be looking for their aunt. Her hand is seen inside the fridge.

Tags: insanity, cult, murder, violence, flashback

Review:
"Cannibal Apocalypse" indeed feels, at times, a bit like Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" (1978), but the one movie that kept coming to my mind was David Cronenberg's "Rabid" (1977).
So if you're tired of all those "half naked cannibals eating human flesh and slaughtering animals in the jungle"-flicks, and if Umberto Lenzi's "Nightmare City" (1980) just made you laugh instead of anything else, then go watch Antonio Margheriti's "Cannibal Apocalypse" (aka "Invasion of the Flesh Hunters").
That's not nice.There are EXTENSIVE background materials on the DVD, one of which tells two interesting stories: 1) That John Saxon couldn't understand enough of the script (badly translated from Italian) to know that he was in an extreme gore flick, and 2) Radice tells an incredible story about refusing to kill a real pig, leading to his "accidentally" almost severing an assistant's hand with a meat cleaver.
Saxon a fluent Italian speaker and a veteran of many Italian films, jumped at the chance of working with the great Margheriti and was immediately impressed by the directors rapport with actors and his talent behind the camera, Saxon was also attracted by the seemingly novel idea that war might be spread by a virus, he was shocked though when during filming he suddenly realised that the virus was a cannibalistic one and he refused to be in any of the scenes containing such acts.
Cannibal Apocalypse features a lot of gore and violence in the fashion of Margheriti's older horror films FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN and BLOOD FOR DRACULA.
Antonio Margheriti's Cannibal Apocalypse' (1980), starring B movie staple John Saxon and the appropriately cast Giovanni Lombardo Radice (`John Morghen'), is a unique entry in a subgenre known for its grade Z brand of filmmaking.
Radice speaks of his regrets making Lenzi's sick Cannibal Ferox'; Saxon claims that he's never seen Cannibal Apocalypse'; and Margheriti mentions that, among his own films, Cannibal' is Quentin Tarantino's favorite.Radice, a Shakespearean/stage actor, comes across as rather appealing.
It's a boring movie which has a long stretch of boredom taking place in a sewer, as John Saxon and other "cannibals" try to escape from cops.
It has a very American feel for it, unlike other cannibals-running-around-the-jungle-eating-innocent-victim's adventures.Perhaps it is the presence of John Saxon or the Atlanta GA American location (as  opposed to the usual gritty casting in New York City 1980).
Renting this movie I thought it would be the usual cannibal carnage only set in the city and it was but with a surprising difference it had a zombie type virus in it as well.Two of my favourite genre's in one and I thoroughly enjoyed it.Its about a group of vietnam vets who return to America with a cannibal virus and anyone they attack also become cannibals.It stars John Saxon,Tony King and Giovanni Lombardo Radice(my favourite actor)as the vietnam vets.
"Cannibal Apocalypse" is somewhere between a cheesy '70s action flick, a gritty violent thriller and a b-grade horror film, and doesn't quite work.
However, it does have its moments and overall is a decent film for fans of horror.The plot is about Vietnam veterans who were forced into cannibalism in the war and can't quite let it go back in the USA.
In particular, the tongue-biting scene with the nurse is extremely well shot and with better music could've been very powerful.Overall, "Cannibal Apocalypse" is a decent film with alot of potential but is let down by a lack of direction and a poor soundtrack.
Turkey film veteran John Saxon infects his neighbour's horny teenage daughter when he bites her inner thigh and the rest of the film seems to be taken up with endless shots of police cars racing around at sunset looking for these fruitcakes who not only dig human flesh but seem to want to eat ALL THE TIME!
With some deliciously juicy gore FX, a great turn by lead John Saxon, and a funky score by Alexander Blonksteiner, this Italian splatter pic tells of a group of Vietnam vets (Saxon, John Morghen and Tony King) who have contracted a virus which turns them into cannibals.
Highlights include a bloody tongue-biting and the infamous 'shotgun-blast to the belly' effect which is well worth the wait.If you love the classic Italian zombie and cannibal movies of the 70s and 80s, then be sure to catch Cannibal Apocalypse (but make sure to see the uncut version!!!).7.5 out of 10 (rounded up to 8 for IMDb)..
A little different take on the whole "cannibal" genre - this one plays out more like a zombie film, except the "monsters" aren't dead - they're just humans with a kind of "cannibal rabies"...Two men are brought back from Vietnam and are kept in a mental institution due to their unhealthy appetite for human flesh.
He still sometimes has painful memories of his times in Vietnam involving slaughtering some enemies and seeing cannibalism there, his friend Charlie Bukowski ( John Morghen a.k.a. Giovanni Lombardo) has been to a mental hospital for long and has been released.
Charlie does have some kind of curse or virus within him from Vietnam that makes him crave human flesh as he unexpectedly takes a bite out of a person, now he is running on the lam from the authorities but suddenly the cannibalistic curse or virus also hits Hopper and another Vietnam buddy named Tom are now on a campaign to spread the disease in the city and eat some people.Interesting and disgusting mix of action and horror from the director of "Castle of Blood" Antonio Margherti.
What makes it work is that there are some nasty gore scenes like the shotgun wound scene and the flesh eating, a cool if cheesy funky score with a war theme that sounds kind of like the theme to "G.I. Joe", a grisly twist in the end and the film is kind of a metaphor on how the horrors of Vietnam can affect a soldier, the film is one of Quentin Tarantino's personal favorite movies.Also recommended: "Cannibal Ferox", " Ichi The Killer", " The Untold Story", " Jungle Holocaust", " Eaten Alive!
It is far similar to the films produced in the wake of Romero's social comment filled classic than the cannibal subgenre suggested in its title that animated after the success of Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust.Opening with an American attack on a Vietnam camp where two POWs, Charlie (Giovanni Lombardo Radice, of Cannibal Ferox, House on the Edge of the Park and City of the Living Dead) and Tommy (Tony King of The Last Hunter & Sharkey's Machine) are found feasting on a young native girl.
The leader of the US squad, Hopper (ex-male model and great regular genre actor, John Saxon) is bitten by one of these madmen, driven to cannibalism by Vietnam horror.
Disappointed with his friend he falls of the wagon and chomps down on a pretty girl in the local cinema.To cut a long story short, Hopper eventually teams up with his old Nam mates and they go a cannibal spree around the city, infecting all those with a rabies-like virus.Gore highlights, courtesy of FX wizard, Giannetto De Rossi (Zombie, The Beyond, Living Dead at Manchester Morgue) include - a girl having her breast torn away and eaten, a doctor having his tongue bitten out then spat next to his dying body, a garage mechanic having his thigh sliced like a slab of beef and, the best of all, Charlie has his stomach blown through and the camera lingers on the large football sized hole in his midriff.
Another lame Italian horror movie, this one has Viet Nam vets coming back with a virus that causes cannibalism.
So apparently, the way to make a good cannibal film is to bring a bunch of people together who do not want to make the film and force them too and the result ends up being a very nice Italian splatter film.The story has a Vietnam veteran who is trying to cope with nightmares he is having about the time he saved his buddies in Nam. Apparently, one of them, chomped his arm and now he has started to have cravings for meat.
Turns out they also transfer this condition to others and soon the police are having to try and stop the three Nam buddies and a nurse, before they can infect the entire city with this strange virus.The film was good and fast paced as it never lingered to long on pointless plot points to pad out the film like so many lower budget horror films tend to do.
On a rescue mission in Vietnam, Norman Hopper (John Saxon) is bitten by two of his old drinking buddies Charlie (Giovanni Lombardo Radice) and Tom (Tony King) who are trapped in a pit and are feasting on the flesh of a charred Vietnamese woman when they are discovered.
The one saving grace is John Saxon, recognisable from many B-movie turd-fests, he provides a welcome familiar American face in this mainly Italian production from horror and western 'legend' Antonio Margheriti.
John Saxon, one of the best B-movie stars from the 70s and 80s, stars in this freaky film about Vietnam vets infected with a virus that turns them into psychotic, bloodthirsty cannibals.
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.
It analyses it's points with a sly grin on it's face, however, and it's clear that none of the points are being made with any real conviction; but Antonio Margheriti has shown with previous movies (Dance Macabre, The Virgin of Nuremberg) that he's too clever for merely making a movie about cannibals - and that's the main reason why Cannibal Apocalypse offers more.The film benefits massively from the presence of John Saxon.
One of them bites his Captain's (John Saxon) arm when being rescued and he has the dormant virus that will come to haunt him in later years.For some reason, the two soldiers never fully recover and they go on a rampage that is tame by cannibal standards.
The basic story follows Norman Hopper (John Saxon) a Vietnam vet who has recurring nightmares about his time in Vietnam, in particular being bitten by one of two POWs who have turned to human flesh for a food source.
Back in Atlanta, Charlie Bukowski (video nasty regular Giovanni Lombardo Radice) has been released from a psychiatric clinic after intense therapy, but soon resorts to his old ways, which leads Norman, Charlie and Tom (Tony King) on a trek through the city infecting people along the way.I actually think this is a really good story, and seems to touch on how the Vietnam war affected all those involved; unfortunately director and writer Antonio Margheriti never expands upon this (nor did I really expect him to, but it would have been nice) leaving a story of cannibals on the loose.
Maybe I'm hardened from all the other horror films I've seen, but I found this one fairly un-nasty.Cannibal Apocalypse is not a terrible movie by any stretch of the imagination, the acting and direction are all fine (the department store and sewer scenes are two stand-outs) and the special effects are effective when present.
no cannibals, really - just John Saxon and Vietnam ex-POW's gaining an uncontrollable urge to bite people in Atlanta.
Never seen a DVD that had that much extra playing time before, so be prepared.The plot consists of Vietnam vets coming back from the war carrying a virus that turns whoever they bite into a cannibal.
They are both extremely exploitive and violent and also both written by Dardano Sacchetti who wrote most of the Fulci masterpieces like Zombie (1979), The Gates of Hell (aka: City of the Living Dead, 1980), The Beyond (1981) among films for other directors like Lamberto Bava and his Demoni (1985) and Demoni 2 (1986).Cannibal Apocalypse stars the b movies favourite John Saxon and Giovanni Lombardo Radice who is a small legend in the field of Italian exploitation cinema.
Saxon and Radice (the latter known also as John Morghen) are Vietnam veterans that suffer from a strange virus originating from the war field: cannibalism and the need for human flesh and some gut munching.
Lenzi did his Ferox and Eaten Alive (1980) and they are nothing but mindless gore and some laughable attempts to give the film some kind of a meaning and importance which means lines and bits of dialogue taken straightly from Deodato's film, especially in the case of Ferox.Cannibal Apocalypse has a little different setting as it takes place in urban jungle and in the big city, not in the jungle with wild animals and natives.
Unfortunately, since the infected aim to kill and eat their victims, opportunities to spread the disease are rare, and the outbreak burns itself out quicker than you can say "Ebola." No, what saves this movie from being just an also-ran in the field of Italian zombie flicks is the presence of John Saxon, the face you've grown to love from about a zillion other cheesy 70's action flicks.
Rugged Vietnam veteran Norman Hopper (an excellent and convincing performance by the almighty John Saxon) gets reunited with his maladjusted war buddies Charlie Bukowski (ably played with fierce sweaty intensity by Giovanni Lombardo Radice) and Tom Thompson (a hysterically manic portrayal by Tony King).
Exposed to cannibalism back in 'Nam, the trio embark on a bloodthirsty rampage in Atlanta, Georgia.Director Antonio Margheriti keeps the absorbing and enjoyable story moving along at a snappy pace, does a good job of creating and sustaining a bleak tone that stays grimly true to itself to the literal bitter end, stages several action set pieces with skill and flair, and delivers a few potent moments of high impact splatter (said hardcore gore includes a tongue being bitten off, some splashy gunshot wounds, and, in the undeniable gruesome highlight, Charlie has a massive hole blown in his torso by a shotgun-toting police officer).
The film now looks pretty good (earlier versions were very murky looking), there is some strong and effective anti-war content and the story has held together pretty well over the years, but viewers should be forewarned that it's a lot tamer than most other Italian CANNIBAL shock-horror titles.Also here, pretty surprisingly, is one of star John Saxon's strongest lead performances.
He's army sergeant Norman Hopper, who, while serving a tour of duty in the Vietnam war, stumbles across a POW camp where two friends; Charlie Bukowski (John Morghen/Giovanni Lombardo Radice, who earned his title "Italy's pin cushion" for roles like this) and Tom (blaxploitation star Tony King), are being held captive in an underground pit.
Before long, Norman is finding himself biting a seductive teen neighbor (Cinzia de Carolis as "Cindy Hamilton") in a naughty spot and, climatically, on the run from the police with his two former military pals, plus a nurse, in the sewers underneath the city.Well, I hated the music and there's more ho-hum action scenes than horror, but Morghen (though badly dubbed) is very good as the sweaty, frantic Charlie, Saxon is excellent in a rare lead role with some actual substance, there's a very downbeat ending and several standout gore scenes, the most memorable being when Morghen's stomach is blown away by shotgun blasts.
That footage, plus the good picture quality and all the extra content on the excellent DVD, earn this a few extra points (the FLESH HUNTERS VHS I'd only rate as 3/10).The DVD includes long, excellent, in-depth interviews with director/writer Margheriti and stars Saxon and Morghen, that not only cover this film, but also their careers and their feelings on their careers.
Sure, there are half a dozen moments of graphic bloodshed which made this film a nasty, but don't be fooled: this is just as much an action flick as it is a horror.Margheriti has long been one of my favourite directors and once again he creates an above-average, always interesting, genre picture.
As well as loads of people getting shot, bitten and the like, "highlights" include tongue and eyeball violence and the oft-remembered shotgun blast to Radice's stomach in the sewers at the end of a film, leaving a gaping hole which Margheriti is quick to zoom in on.
The greatest aspect of "Cannibal Apocalypse" is arguably the brilliant casting of John Saxon and Giovanni Lombardo Radice.
Giovanni Lombardo Radice enjoys a deserved cult-status among fans of Italian Horror/Gore films and his role here perfectly illustrates why - his character (of the name Charles Bukowski!) is one of the first infected with the cannibal virus, and Radice excellently portrays the Vietnam veteran's blood-lust and insanity.
John Saxon is pretty good as well, as a Vietnam veteran who experiences life with cannibals and finds when he returns home that he can't resist a taste for flesh.Italian favourite John Morghem turns up as worthy support and although he comes off no worse in this than he did in HOUSE ON THE EDGE THE PARK or CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, he provides sterling support to Saxon as their predicament gets worse and worse.Some memorable moments of horror punctuate a rather neat-stylish film that is elevated above other Italian Zombie flicks and give the film an air of sophistication rarely achieved..
Commando Norman Hopper(John Saxon)rescues a couple of Vietnam POWs who contracted a rare disease that compels them to consume human flesh.
Saxon says he didn't know that this film would feature flesh eating and Radice denounces his later film with Umberto Lenzi, "Cannibal ferox." Director Antonio Margheriti did what he could, I guess, with the material he's stuck with.
Beginning with a flashback set in the Vietnam War, we see Norman Hopper (genre veteran John Saxon) get bitten by a fellow soldier, who is infected with a disease that leaves the victim with cannibalistic tendencies.