Cannibal Terror (original title: Terreur Cannibale) is a 1980 French/Spanish horror film. It was directed by porn specialist Alain Deruelle [as A.W. Steeve], Olivier Mathot and Julio Pérez Tabernero (Sexy Cat; Las alegres vampiras de Vögel; Hot Panties) from a screenplay by Tabernero and H.L. Rostaine. Jesus Franco was also apparently an uncredited co-writer. It stars Silvia Solar (Eyeball; Devil’s Kiss), Pamela Stanford (Lorna the Exorcist; Sexy Sisters), Burt Altman [Bertrand Altmann] (Zombie Lake; Devil Hunter), Stan Hamilton, Gérard Lemaire, Olivier Mathot (Revenge in the House of Usher; Maniac Killer), Antonio Mayans and Sabrina Siani (Ator, the Fighting Eagle; Conquest).
The film is notable for the fact that it shares an amount of footage with Mondo Cannibale (also known as Cannibals and White Cannibal Queen,1980). While many sources suggest that Franco’s footage was ‘borrowed’ for Cannibal Terror, a closer examination reveals that there are more connections than this between the two films. Both films share a number of locations, cast, and even dubbing actors. Some connections that suggest more than a mere ‘borrowing’ of footage are:
Sabrina Siani is the White Cannibal Queen of Mondo Cannibale, and also appears (as a fully clothed adult) in a bar scene in Cannibal Terror. Several shots of the dancing cannibal tribe in their village are common to both films, and several shots appear only in one or the other. One actor with a very distinctive face is seen in Cannibal Terror in no less than three roles (two cannibals and one border guard) and is also quite visible as one of the cannibals devouring Al Cliver’s wife in Mondo Cannibale.
In addition are the obvious cast parallels of Olivier Mathot, Antonio Mayans, both of whom have starring roles in both films. Porn star Pamela Stanford plays Manuella in Cannibal Terror, and has the brief role of the unfortunate Mrs. Jeremy Taylor in Cannibals.
Plot teaser:
After botching a kidnapping, two criminals hide with their victim in a friends house in the jungle. After one of them rapes the friend’s wife, they’re left to be eaten by a nearby cannibal tribe…
Reviews:
“Cannibal Terror is awful, to be sure, even more so than other Eurocine efforts may have led you to expect. That’s not to say that it isn’t fun, and I found myself enjoying it a bit in spite of [or is that because of?] the criticisms above. While I can’t recommend it as horror, those looking for the next great bad movie may want to check it out. The Severin disc is excellent, and highly recommended for those looking to complete their Video Nasties collection.” Wtf-Film
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“The Pyrenees Mountains standing in for the Amazonian jungle. The flagrantly Caucasian “Indians” and their tiki bar village. The gore effects so pitiful that the camera itself often seems to be ashamed to look at them. The ludicrously inappropriate score, which makes the city theme from Make Them Die Slowly seem like the epitome of taste and sound judgement. The steadfast failure of the script to make any sense at all at any level. Yes, Cannibal Terror truly is the Zombie Lake of cannibal movies, and as such, I score it as a film not to be missed.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting
“You wonder when the cannibals are coming. They take the kidnapped girl to the jungle (somewhere in a conservatory in Paris, from the looks of it), when they finally encounter the cannibals – the least convincing cannibals in film – caucasians, make-up that stops at their neck, side-burns, comb-overs, potbellies. They dance. They eat pig entrails. They dance again. They threaten. They dance again. Not much happens after that.” Down Among the “Z” Movies
“What follows is repetitive mind numbing padding. People walk around the jungle and then walk around some more. The cannibals peek through the trees watching them walk around. The girl’s parents, along with some cops also… walk around. After an indefinite amount of walking around, the cannibals make themselves known and capture Roberto and his girlfriend and harbor the little girl.” Strictly Splatter
