La Semana Del Asesino - Eloy De La Iglesia.

Marcos a slaughterhouse worker goes for a night out with his girlfriend when they get into an argument with a taxi driver and he accidently kills him, later his girlfriend tries to get him to go to the police but ends up killing her too. He then gets into an accidental habit of killing people and meets a new friend.First of all forget your pre conceived ideas about this movie, the title even the synopsis as this is much, much more. Not a horror movie at all this is more of a psychological drama of a one mans fall into a hell of his own making. The title Cannibal Man is incredibly misleading as it isn't about Cannibalism at all, there is a very minor subplot of him feeding meat into a meat grinder although he doesn't eat it himself, a much better title was the original translated one of The Week Of The Killer. Vicente Parra stars as the maligned Marcos and gives a very powerful performance, his fall into murder is portrayed in a very strong style and is handled well by director Iglesia, Marcos is not an unlikeable character actually it's quite the opposite, he isn't getting any enjoyment in his actions in actual fact he seems to be getting more and more depressed each time. Parra plays his violent scenes with a lot of intensity he is actually much more believable than you may expect, the rest of the cast, which isn't very large, are all very good, the acting and performances are not a weak point of the film in any respect. Director Eloy De La Iglesia directs with a lot skill, for instance, the imagery of the film with the protagonist living in a run down house next to much nicer apartments adds to the feeling of Marcos and his situation. The interjection of a gay character however is the most powerful aspect of the film for me, instead of him being side lined or even ridiculed he & Marcos become close friends and become the constant in each others lives. Iglesia then does something very unexpected in such a film, the homoeroticism between the two men heightens, even though Marcos is still sleeping with women he sits and dreams about the homosexual, because it is so unexpected to the viewer I felt it became even more powerful to the story and the final confrontation scenes between the two are excellent. Some may find the film a bit too slow for there tastes, however personally I found the build up between the kills and the final confrontation scenes allowed the film to continue its strong psychological elements.The film starts with real slaughterhouse footage of a cow being killed and a couple of the killings are fairly violent which is why this became a video nasty here in the UK, but there's a lot more to this film than it's gore. If you get this film and expect a gore filled horror movie you'll be very disappointed, but forget all notions of what it's about and you will see a highly enjoyable and unexpected film. One of my top 3 nasties, BRILLIANT!

This was a video nasty back in the day when people fussed over such things, but I don't know why, as it is actually quite a well made melodrama with a few horror elements thrown in for good measure, and is quite tame. Despite the title, there isn't really a cannibal man running around loose in this one, but a factory worker who acidentally kills a guy after an argument, and then needs to dispose of the body via the canning company he works for- so you get the idea? Then more and more nosey people discover his secret and end up murdered as well. Not bad, but don't expect tons of gruesome murders or people being eaten, as this is more subtle than that.Quite likeable.

The story..Marcus a slaughterhouse worker who when out one night with his girlfriend kills a taxi driver in self defence. He later strangles her when she insists on telling the police and then kills anyone else who finds out growing madder all the time. Meanwhile he has developed a friendship with his voyeuristic gay neighbour!This early 70's Spanish horror is quite reminiscent of "Don't Go In The House" and "Maniac" and therefore quite a depressing film. Why it's called "Cannibal Man" though is a mystery as it contains no scenes of cannibalism (the bodies are disposed of in a meat grinder). The constant gloomy tone won't be for everyone but it's atmospheric and quite stylishly directed and the gore is good for the time. Slow in parts but this is definitely worth watching if you're a fan of European 70's/80's horrors. 3.5 Stars.

Brought for hubby as present....Great to see blue underground doing their usual good work at bringing us a good transfer and uncut would recommend for fans of video nasties

good service did everything it said on the packet and have no complaints would definately recommend them keep up the good work

As a massive horror enthusiast i embarked on the mission of picking up all of the " video nasties "I have been watching horrors since a child in the 80's and have to say that this was absolute s***.Only for hardcore collectors at best but then again that's a bit of a stretch, if you must see it then please do but be warned !!

The original tittle is La semana del asesino (The week of the killer)also known in south america as Los 7 dias del asesino (The seven days of the killer)