The Week of the Killer (1973)

The Worst Film Ever

Admirable film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Eloy de la Iglesia's "Cannibal Man" is an exceptional study of sociopathic isolation that also comments on the gulf between how the rich and poor were treated by the authorities in Spain in '72. Vicente Parra is Marcus, a slaughterhouse worker who accidentally kills a taxi driver. Convinced that the police will not believe his account of the incident, he refuses to turn himself in. His girlfriend has other ideas and wants him to go to the police (her social status is higher than his). When she refuses to understand his position, he is left with little option but to kill her. Thus begins a chain of bloody murders as Marcus is threatened with exposure by his friends, family members, and colleagues. Eusebio Poncola, who starred in the brilliant Spanish detective series, "The Adventures of Pepe Carvahlo", plays Nestor, a wealthy local who introduces himself to Marcus. Though subtly conveyed by Iglesia, Nestor's interest in Marcus extends beyond friendship. A surreal pool scene, in which the men become entangled in the water, perfectly communicates unspoken ambitions. It turns out that the affluent Nestor is, ironically, Marcus's only potential ally in his descent into depression and madness, but his offer of help may come too late. Similar in tone to "Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer", this is a well written, thinking man's thriller that doesn't blush at its atrocities. The film is full of magnificent, clever details. For example, Marcus is slow to rid himself of the corpses piling up in his bedroom, so the place has started to reek. Iglesias conveys the situation with wonderful black humor by showing us packs of dogs loitering at his front door for a taste of the rotten meat inside. Every night Marcus arrives home, he has to scream at the dogs as they swarm about like flies. During one of the murder scenes, the director intercuts a game of soccer going on outside. Much more than a standard horror flick, this touches on the perils of becoming more successful than your friends and the consequences of tough decisions. We sympathize with Marcus's situation, even though his actions are illegal. Putting a cherry on top of the cake is a minimalist score and creepy, electronic sound effects. Unfortunately, most versions available (including the one I saw) are dubbed. I'd kill to see this in its original language.

A butcher was just having a date with his girlfriend until he cause some problems with a Taxi driver then he kills him and his girlfriend, he is going over the brink of insanity. He now goes on a killing spree creating some serious crimes and stuffing some parts of the bodies into the meat factory where it can be processed into what we eat.Despite the title "Cannibal Man", it's not really about the man being a cannibal but it's really a psychological horror drama and a character study about a man who's been driven to the edge of his insanity. There is some shocking graphic murders which made this movie banned in other countries, the film is a sick and twisted look at a psychopath's mind with good acting and is very dark.Also recommended: "Maniac" ( 1980), "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Series & 2003 remake", "Caligula", "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", "High Tension", "American Psycho", "Driller Killer", "The New York Ripper", "Wolf Creek", "Eaten Alive! ( 1980)", "Cannibal Ferox", and "Jungle Holocaust" ( a.k.a. Last Cannibal World).

(aka: APARTMENT ON THE 13TH FLOOR)The title CANNIBAL MAN is somewhat misleading for this Spanish film since it really has nothing to do with cannibalism at all.A butcher named Marcos (Vincente Parra) lives in an old whitewashed house on the edge of some new high rises that were recently built. One night he goes out on a date with his girlfriend and accidentally kills a taxi driver in a fit of rage. She wants him to turn himself into the police but he refuses.When she threatens to turn him in, he slits her throat with a long butcher's knife. And so begins his killing spree. He manages to kill five more people (including his brother, his future father-in-law, and a waitress who's real friendly towards him) in a desperate act of covering himself up before the inevitable end comes. He takes the body parts to the local slaughterhouse so they can be ground up by the machines. He also has to buy multiple cans of air freshener in order to get rid of the smell.The one person who convinces him otherwise is the young homosexual on the 13th floor of the high-rise who knows his secret but doesn't say anything about it. An act of conscious suddenly grips Marcos and the homosexual is spared.It's not a particularly gory story although there is blood and there are scenes of people being stuck with all kinds of sharp instruments. However, if you're looking for decapitations and body parts lying around, you won't find anything like that here. Everything's implied which it and of itself, works well for this particular film. Unfortunately the Anchor Bay DVD doesn't come with any extras beyond a trailer.It has good acting and a good script for an obvious low budget, obscure film even though it does share a similar theme with Claude Chabrol's more prestigious LE BOUCHER (1970). A butcher, multiple homicides etc...It beats out anything Jess Franco would've filmed around the same time.6 out of 10

Plot: The movies about a guy who works at a slaughterhouse and what happens to him and most of all his mind when his spouse calls it quits. Bit by bit he starts to loose it....Form: It plays out very neatly. You have to follow the story tightly to make any sense of the whole thing. Follow closely and you get a reward at the end in the form of knowledge on the human mind.Who is it for?: First of all this is not a movie for kids. It is a highly realistic movie with a hard story,lots of violence and gore and an adult theme. So if you are a sensitive viewer or under 17 I would not recommend it for viewing. There are a lot of non-violent films out there about similar topics. But on the other hand if you don`t have a problem with violence in films and like a touch of realism, this is really the one for you. Grade: 10 out of 10