James Reviews Ivan Reitman’s Cannibal Girls [DVD Review]

Most people would probably think you were crazy if you told them Ivan Reitman directed a horror film about cannibals in the 1970’s, starring Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin. It sounds like a comedy nerd’s fevered dreams of insanity, and would be very understandable if they thought they were mad. But this is a real film, called Cannibal Girls and it is indeed a horror film with comedy within. Reitman and producer pal Daniel Goldberg (who also came up with the story with Reitman) decided to jump in the very popular horror genre and try to make a film that would be beneficial for their careers but also showcase their comedic roots.

The story tells the story of the infamous three women who would lure unsuspecting men and then brutally kill them and eat them, sometimes in opposite order. We see them inviting men to their abode, keeping them in the house with promises of sex, which of course the men stay around for. And one by one, they are given the pleasure they wanted and in turn the women take from them their lives. They eat and drink their blood, therefore maintaining their youth.

We are told this story from the motel owner to Clifford (Eugene Levy) and Gloria (Andrea Martin), where it is said that they are no longer around but that the mansion they did this all in is now a restaurant. And the food is very fine. They go up to the restaurant and meet the Reverend Alex St. John, a courteous host, but they feel the creepy vibe occurring in the house. They are served dinner by the cannibal girls themselves, but of course this isn’t known. The Reverend has his own plans, where he intends to have Gloria kill Clifford and use as a sacrifice/tender dinner and bring everything to fruition.

The film is told from an urban legend view, and works in that respect. The film plays like a 70’s horror film, with stereotypical jump scares, a beginning that feels tacked on (which it was) in order to show that it was indeed a horror film, and some creepy townsfolk and beautiful deadly women, Cannibal Girls works in some ways and fails in others. Is it a comedy? Is it a horror film? It is intended to be a spoof of horror films, and does have some laughs sprinkled throughout. It feels very improvised, and when I found out it mostly was, I was happy to know that it wasn’t just that the acting was a bit off. Even AIP, who bought the rights from Cannes in 1973, had a hard time classifying this film but it did open the border for more Canadian exploitation films to come down to the States (Cronenberg ring a bell?).

The film feels and looks like vintage B-movie Canadian fare and that’s a wonderful thing. Shout! Factory, as per usual, does an amazing job giving the A treatment to a film that most people probably have no idea about. It has a place in Canadian film history, and therefore deserves to be seen. Does it work as a film? If you like grindhouse era films as much as I do, it does work in that way. It feels like a roadshow movie, or the second film of a double feature on 42nd street. And to see where Ivan Reitman was at early in his career and comedic actors like Eugene Levy (sporting an amazing fro) and Andrea Martin came from (before SCTV and the like), it’s a wonderful time capsule of 1970’s Canada. There’s not much ‘eh’ in it, but has enough of a balance of red stuff and laughs to warrant a watch.

Plus the special features are great, with one half hour interview with Ivan Reitman and Daniel Goldberg, talking about how this film almost bankrupt them and how they had to get it to Cannes in order to somehow get this film bought. Another interview with Eugene Levy, conducted by critic Richard Crouse, in a meat store, is also an insightful piece. Original theatrical trailer and also the original film with ‘Warning Bell’ thrown in, which was the gimmick AIP threw into the film in order to get it seen by horror fans, is a great inclusion. Definitely give the DVD a spin and see where the director of Ghostbusters, Stripes and various other comedy gems came from.