The Cannibal Man is a 1972 Spanish horror film directed by Eloy de la Iglesia from a screenplay co-written with Antonio Fos. It was also released as Apartment on the 13th Floor
Plot:
After accidentally killing a taxicab driver, Marcos (Vicente Parra), a young man who works at an abattoir, wants to cover up his crime. Marcos’s girlfriend, the only witness, wishes to go to the police, so he strangles her.
Marcos finds himself killing others, including members of his family, as they become suspicious of his actions, butchering his victims’ remains at his workplace in order to dispose of the bodies.
Despite its US Hallmark Releasing title, the film contains no scenes of flesh-eating, although it did get caught up in the British video nasties orchestrated moral panic via its uncut Intervision VHS release.
Reviews:
“Despite its dark subject matter and unsympathetic killer The Cannibal Man is a captivating story which only gets better with each new viewing!” 10k Bullets
“While Cannibal Man certainly doesn’t skimp on the red stuff, it’s ultimately not as graphic as the late ’70s splatter epics and quite different from the flamboyant bloodletting of Italian thrillers around the same time. The fetid atmosphere of decay and frustration is overpowering, with the most horrific use of a single apartment since Roman Polanski’s Repulsion.” Mondo Digital
” …it’s not a film about cannibalism, and the correct translation of the original Spanish title is The Week of the Killer. It’s actually more like a psychological thriller. But don’t panic! It is a fantastic film.” Rare Cult Cinema
“The title here is somewhat misleading, but a wonderfully bleak atmosphere is made more so by the fact that Marcos befriends a creepy gay guy kindred spirit, who lives in the apartment complex next to him. A real treat, with shades of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion (1965).” The Terror Trap
” …Eloy de la Iglesia handles things in a more or less dramatic manner and doesn’t rely on shock tactics to tell his story. He’s more concerned about Marcos’ spiral into insanity than the guts and gore, of which there is precious little. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing per se, he lets things go on for far too long and there are too many dull passages in between the butchering that brings the movie to a screeching halt.” The Video Vacuum
Cast and characters:
Vicente Parra … Marcos
Emma Cohen … Paula
Eusebio Poncela … Néstor
Charly Bravo … Esteban
Fernando Sánchez Polack … Señor Ambrosio
Goyo Lebrero … Taxi driver
Vicky Lagos … Rosa
Ismael Merlo … Chief of Staff
Rafael Hernández … Agustín
José Franco … Shopkeeper
Valentín Tornos … Worker
Antonio Orengo … Waiter
Antonio Corencia … Mocking workman
Antonio del Real … Mocking workman
José Félix Montoya … Duty watchman
Filming locations:
Madrid, Spain
Technical details:
94 minutes | 108 minutes (restored)
Audio: Mono
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Original title:
La Semana del asesino “The Week of the Killer”
