Feast Time!

The year is 1980 and the zombie movie bug has spread in earnest. Dawn of the Dead in 1977 and Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 in 1980 are the biggest names out there at this point in time. It is around this time that the cannibal movie subgenre begins to take shape. Okay, that's a lie, but considering that two movies with the word cannibal came out that year, there is something to it. Everyone seems to know about Cannibal Holocaust, widely deemed one of the most controversial movies of all time. However, there was a lesser known cannibal movie released that same year called Cannibal Apocalypse, which is somewhat odd, since the movie features John Saxon (the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, which I think are overrated) and Tony King (from Shaft).

Cannibal Apocalypse centers around the premise of cannibalism being a disease. It begins in Vietnam, where one of the three soldiers gets the "disease" and bites the squadron leader. Fast forward to present day Atlanta and the leader is at home with his wife when he gets a call from the guy who bit him. He turns down the invitation for a drink, and the guy on the loose from the institution sneaks in a late night "snack" at the movie theater. He gets chased into a store and barricades himself inside with a shotgun. Soon, the trio is reunited and goes on an eating rampage with a doctor's assistant.

I have to say that I was disappointed with the movie, as there wasn't enough cannibalism in the movie. In fact, Cannibal Apocalypse plays more like a bizzaro world Dawn of the Dead, where the eaters are the hunted and the majority are a bunch of idiots. The actual premise and plot are pretty good, but as someone who likes excessive violence, I was disappointed by it.

The Body Cartel

Cannibalism, drug cartels, strippers: these are the things that you can expect from The Body Cartel. The book from newcomer Alan Spencer is a story about a couple, Jericho and Maddy Healey, who move to Arizona to start a new business venture. While moving into their new house, they hear sounds from the basement that ruin their house warming festivities. A couple of days later, Maddy disappears and Jericho finds that a couple of policemen are sealing the basement where the couple had heard the sounds. Convinced that the cops are hiding some secret, he enlists his cousin Alex, who is also a cop, to find out about Maddy's whereabouts. What they find is that there is much more than meets the eye, as eventually, both discover a drug cartel that operates from a strip club, and soon enough, it turns into something more, as it eventually leads to a cavern where bodies are dumped, only that some of them are actually still alive, with many of the denziens turning to cannibalism. Do Jericho and Maddy survive the ordeal, or are they eaten alive? What happens to the others involved in the operation? Read the book if you wish to have answers to the questions.

As for the particulars, through much of the book, Spencer seems to be just trying to find an identity, as some of the story leading up to Maddy's disappearance is mostly just building up to that point. In addition to the Healeys' story, there is also the story of Amado and Quentin, the guys who run the strip joint and the body dumping operations, as well as Officer Hernandez. The stories are sometimes hard to follow in the beginning, a point that is further driven by the climax when all of the participants are in the cavern trying to find what they are looking for, as well as an escape. The scenes in the cavern are particularly exciting, as it offers a great sense of danger and suspense. The points where the former humans turned cannibals eat their prey are especially gruesome, with every detail pointed out. Those with weak stomachs need not apply, as The Body Cartel leaves no bloody detail behind.

Overall, there are points in The Body Cartel where it drags, but reading through the book will reap some rewards. At times, it can be difficult to keep track of who's who in the story, but once the cavern parts come up, it is as easy to discern as it becomes more chaotic, in the literal sense, as everyone tries to either eat the others or try to find a way out. This is recommended reading if you like gore, but be prepared to pace yourself, as running through the book will lead you to miss some things.