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CANNIBAL CAMPOUT (1988)
Directed by Jon McBride
Camp Motion Pictures DVD
Reviewed 12.14.06
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
(Note: This section is an edited
version of my 2005 VHS review. As
it turns out, Cannibal Campout
has little in common with a bottle
of fine wine. The DVD party immediately
follows).
American Trash. There's nothing
quite like it. Sure, Italy and Spain
come close, but who am I kidding?
In the arena of idiotic 1980s horror,
no country holds a candle to the
mind-boggling stank shoveled by
hopeful U.S. filmmakers. Especially
when said auteurs utilized the power
of video tape. Cannibal Campout,
come on down!
So how do I know that Jon McBride’s
tasteless shot on video (SOV) gore
film goes a little over the edge?
Normal film: “I would like
to make love to you.” Cannibal
Campout: “You can suck
my cock and I’ll lick your
pussy! Bitch! Tits! Fuck!”
Normal film: usually depicts pregnant
women with the utmost respect. Cannibal
Campout: gratuitous, disgusting
fetus eating scene. Normal film:
utilizes clean film equipment. Cannibal
Campout: a fly lands on the
lens. Cannibal Campout
is not a normal film. That’s
not going to stop us from watching
it.
A bodacious babe-sickle jogs around
her neighborhood to the best fake
synth-pop of all time. She’s
axed by a slasher wearing a jet-fighter’s
helmet. End unrelated prologue.
Four overzealous collegiates decide
to take a camping trip for the weekend,
despite several “stay away”
warnings. Sure enough, a group of
three backwoods brothers (straight
man, Mr. Crazy Guy, and a “retard”)
abduct our nerd-er-iffic cast and
commence with the ultra gore, potty
mouths, and unbelievable over/under
acting. Lots of time is spent depicting
endless walks in the woods. There’s
a flashback rape attempt. Gore flings
in ways that would make Nathan
Schiff proud, including full
throttle disembowelment. A victim
says "You don't know how lucky
you are that I'm tied up!"
three times in 45 seconds. Believe
me, I do.
Since 1988, Jon McBride has carved
a career of SOV adventures, most
famously with the sci-fi turd Feeders
(1996) and an association with SOV
debutantes Mark and Jon Polonia.
Cannibal Campout was McBride's
debut attempt at creating an outlandish,
simplistic gore film. Just for fun.
Armed with an off-the-shelf camcorder,
the New York state production did
just that, landing an unexpected
home video distro-deal with Donna
Michelle Productions in the process.
The results are mixed; a derivative
triple split between bad film laughs,
waning boredom, and unhinged violence.
The tone shifts drastically, never
settling on lame puns ("You
axed for it!") or strict grittiness.
The useless smut talk (lots of "tits"
and "fuck") and lame acting
grate on the film's strong suits:
somewhat competent photography,
a downbeat ending, and excellent
locations. It's like somebody took
Just Before Dawn, added
several scoops of dorky nastiness,
and printed the results to a Maxell
videotape...along with a single-riff
piano score that refuses to die.
Cannibal Campout is an
unbelievable blitz of cheap SOV
excess, but never all that enjoyable.
Hooray for U.S.A.!
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Camp Motion Pictures (related in
name only to the 1980s company)
makes their DVD debut with the simultaneous
release of this film and Jon McBride's
follow-up, Woodchipper
Massacre. Cannibal
Campout was a rare SOV that
actually looked decent on VHS. The
DVD is digital. That's about the
only difference. Sticking with the
original cut of the film, the "print"
presented here retains the blips
and oversaturated color of the original
tape. The stereo sound follows suit.
I noticed some interlacing lines
around detailed areas throughout,
but compression artifacts were absent.
Overall, exactly what you'd expect.
EXTRAS
Party time. Regardless of your opinion
on the film, the supplements are
a historical carnival. Trust me,
you'll like them.
First up is a full length commentary
track from director Jon McBride
(he's on the phone) and moderator
Mark Polonia (he's in the room).
It's basic, loose, and constant;
you get a feel of what it was like
to actually make a backyard SOV
horror film in 1988. The gore was
comprised of three bean salad, ketchup,
and hot dogs. And kayro syrup. Bachlegore
Party was the original concept,
but Cannibal Campout was
easier to shoot. There was no script.
McBride remains proud, but humble.
It's a goofy movie and he knows
it. That earnestness is ever-present,
making for a very pleasant listen.
Donna Michelle Productions! People
goofing off on-set! Jon McBride
looking exactly the same nearly
twenty years later! The combined
efforts of the "Making Of"
featurette (33 minutes), the deleted
scenes (3 minutes), the "Behind
The Scenes Raw Gore Footage"
(19 minutes), and the behind the
scenes still gallery (4 minutes)
wrap it all up for you. The entire
history of the film is covered,
complete with newly-shot interviews
with the entire cast, humorous contradictions,
and all of that nostalgic SOV urgency.
Overlap is minimal. Everyone has
a terrific attitude. It's all a
lot of fun.
Lastly, there's a vault of much-welcomed
Camp trailers (two vintage spots
for McBride's films and three newly
created for Video Violence,
Video Violence 2, and Ghoul
School), a fun color insert
with liner notes from director McBride,
and a little video bit with a band
called The Vladimirs. They wrote
a song called Cannibal Campout
in 1993. I would not feel comfortable
in their living room.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Like 555,
Cannibal Campout shows
just how far late 80s SOV releases
were willing to push. The film rubs
me wrong, but the DVD makes my day.
Just like VCI's recent The Ripper
Blood Pack, this diligent release
pulls back the moldy curtain on
the mysteries behind 1980s SOV trash-horror.
The results are completely fascinating.
SOV enthusiasts, your time has come. |
Lil' Hall & Oates
Sizzle
The crazies
So dead
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