Description

The stunning Laura Gemser stars as Emanuelle, the fearless fashion photographer and investigative photojournalist whose thirst for adventure is matched only by her insatiable erotic hunger. But when Emanuelle uncovers shocking evidence of an international snuff film conspiracy, she is plunged into an odyssey of forbidden passion, depraved desires and unspeakable human brutality. From the lust-filled streets of New York City to the corrupt corridors of Washington D.C. and beyond, one of the most controversial sex and gore epics in exploitation history has finally come home: This is EMANUELLE IN AMERICA!

Everything you've heard about this jaw-dropping cult classic is true: graphic sex, harrowing violence, a horse named Pedro and much, much more.Directed by the notorious Joe D'Amato (BEYOND THE DARKNESS), EMANUELLE IN AMERICA has been newly mastered from pristine vault materials and is now presented completely uncut for the first time ever! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Well, You Wanted Something Different....
Sleaze director Aristide Massaccesi (a.k.a Joe D'Amato) died suddenly of a heart attack in 1999, the unfortunate culmination of a long career as the creator of numerous low budget horror and soft-core sex films. Among horror fans, D'Amato's seminal contributions to the genre include the taboo busting 1981 film Anthropophagus and the ultra gory 1977 classic Buio Omega. Joe's films crossed the borders of bad taste as often as they mixed gluey gore with sexual themes. It is perhaps this movie, "Emanuelle in America," that best personified the basic premise of a Joe D'Amato film. Lovingly reconstituted by Blue Underground, a new DVD company specializing in underground cinema, this Laura Gemser vehicle was the first of a string of Emanuelle films helmed by D'Amato. It was also the beginning of a long collaboration between D'Amato and Gemser that eventually ended with the Indonesian actress's retirement in the mid 1990s. We'll never see a new Joe D'Amato film, but with the advent of DVD fans will finally see excellent versions of all of his old classics. Up until a few years ago, many of us acquired grainy third or fourth generation dupes in order to view any film from Joe D'Amato. Those days are now over.

In "Emanuelle in America," Indonesian actress Laura Gemser plays Emanuelle, a newspaper journalist who roams the world in search of offbeat stories. There really isn't much to the plot here, with Emanuelle embarking on trips to Italy, the Caribbean, Washington, D.C., and Latin America. In each of these places, she uncovers various sexual situations ranging from a brothel controlled by a crime boss to degenerate nobility in Venice to a "dating service" in the Caribbean. The final adventure sees Emanuelle searching for the makers of grotesque snuff films. The movie concludes with little resolution in a tropical paradise where Emanuelle and her boyfriend encounter a native tribe and a mysterious "film set" (?) before running off into the sunset. Predictably, the acting is terrible, the dialogue laughable (I rolled my eyes at least four times), and the plot fails to achieve any sort of continuity. I know the whole idea of the Emanuelle films involved exotic locales mixed with cheesy soft-core erotica, but I'm willing to bet several other entries in the franchise possessed a better sense of wholeness than this one did. Moreover, the nudity and inserted hardcore scenes (yes, there is hardcore in this movie) didn't really do anything for me. Maybe it's because this is the 1970s and all of the women look rough. Whatever it was, I just didn't find "Emanuelle in America" all that erotic.

There are many intriguing elements to this film once you look past its flaws. Several music pieces, especially noticeable during the pool scene, were downright excellent. They had a sort of new age/Pink Floyd sound to them. I also thought the cigarette pack table/bar was cool. But it is D'Amato's taboo busting scenes that really take the cake here. First, there is a scene with a horse that is, well, controversial. That scene is here in its full nauseating glory. As if this isn't enough to float your boat, there's the snuff film segments. Employing stomach churning gore effects, D'Amato doctored up these sequences by scratching the film, using quick cuts, and employing jumping frame techniques to make the snuff footage look like the real thing. It is gruesome, even more so by its association with intimate relationships. On an unrelated note, I thought that the guy who pulled the gun on Emanuelle in the beginning of the movie was none other than actor Maxwell Caulfield (best known for his role in "Grease 2"). Upon further investigation, I can't confirm that it is actually Caulfield, but it sure looks like him.

The extras on this disc are simply marvelous. You get a thirteen minute interview with Joe D'Amato made shortly before his death, an audio interview with Laura Gemser, and background on the Emmanuelle phenomena (D'Amato and others changed the spelling of Emmanuelle to "Emanuelle" in order to avoid copyright problems), a franchise which ran for decades throughout Europe and America. The best extras on the DVD are the talent bios for D'Amato and Gemser. These two biographies deeply explore the careers of these two underground favorites. Any information on D'Amato is always welcome, and the bio here does a good job constructing a partial filmography of this busy director. Interspersed throughout the bios are movie posters for various cult films made by Gemser and D'Amato.

It's amazing how great the film looks on DVD. It is obvious that the technicians pieced in several scenes in order to present an uncut version of the film, but overall the picture looks splendid. I hope the release of "Emanuelle in America" signals a growing movement to release even more D'Amato works in the near future. "Troll 2," a D'Amato classic not to be missed by anyone with a love for "so bad they're good" movies is due to appear soon. If new uncut versions of Anthropophagus and Anthropophagus 2 followed, I would truly be happy. For those new to the Joe D'Amato catalogue, "Emanuelle in America" is a good place to start. This movie isn't great, but it is an important contribution to underground cinema.

Disturbing
A friend of mine showed this video to me. The only words that describe this movie is "Disturbing." I hope every part of the "snuff" scenes were fake. I could barely stomach any of those scenes. The sad thing is that stuff like this actually happens. Anyone who finds that entertaining should be shot. All you people that get off from watching this stuff and would prefer the "uncut" version of this movie because of the snuff scenes should be shot as well. Movies like this are helping these sick [people] watch their snuff legally.

it certainly has its moments....yeah...it goes there!
I admit I was sceptical about how good this '70's erotic movie would be. Unfortunately it was a slow moving film until the final 30 minutes or so. The main actress is less than exciting, its all about the situations she gets into that make this movie worth watching. There are some actual hard core sex scenes that are welcome to the viewer, by the time you get through seeing so many phony "soft core" sequences. Again...towards the end of the film the real hard core scenes present themselves. Of course its simulated "snuff" action...but what action! Its unfortunate the director didn't show more than snipetts of those very strong scenes! I was impressed by the reality of the snuff stuff...I would have enjoyed more raw sex with the star participating, however she came across as frigid as a dead cod for sale in a fish market! If it wasn't for the tension of certain parts of this film, it would be a zero star film. The very hot hard core sex scenes and the snuff movies being shown in the background gives this film 5 stars from me!
I don't anticipate seeing anything else quite like it...made during the 1970's or anytime before or after this film. Hollywood may be making billions from the porn industry these days, but they sure don't make erotic films like this one, or the best one ever, "The Image". This film may be too strong at some times for your girlfriends to watch with you, however, if they are very "freaky" little pigs....they'll get wet all over the couch with you!

Laura Gemser: the worst Emanuelle character
If Sylvia Kristel had acted in this it probably would have been more entertaining, since she doesn't mind doing a sex scene or two. Laura Gemser, on the other hand, was plenty nude in this film (about every 5 minutes or so), but she has nothing even remotely close to a "sex scene". What gives? She gets touchy feely on a few occasions, but nothing special. Maybe that's why they had to call her "Emanuelle" with one M, instead of Sylvia Kristel's "Emmanuelle", because the extra M means MORE sex.
That's okay, because there was plenty of sex to be had by everyone else, even the horse! Contrary to the review from "dirk digler", Laura did not have anything to do with the horse, and nobody had sex with it. Some lady just massaged its genitalia. Big deal.
There is a scene at a party which turns into an explicit pornographic orgy and, later, when Laura is out and about taking pictures of people having sex for some reason, they are all engaged in explicit, real behavior. So that makes up for Laura's lack of "getting it on", but her soft-core stuff would've been silly compared to what else was going on, anyway.
Now, the "snuff" stuff.....I'll admit, it was quite troubling to watch at first, until I heard in a commentary how the director scratched up some 8mm film he shot the scenes with to make it look grainy and real. His efforts paid off, as far as realism goes. I honestly couldn't tell if it was fake or not at first, until one of the "victims" (the torn breast girl) didn't quite convince me that she was being tormented. But the meathook? How could you fake that? Even if it is fake, it still is creepy to watch. Definitely effective cinema, if nothing else.

Draining the horse
That's awesome how Emmanuelle jacks off the horse then turns around and takes it in the rear! Next time I get near a farm I'm gonna do the same thing! ... Read more

Description

From the most popular erotic film series of all times! A gruesome cannibalistic slaying at a New York hospital sends the beautiful investigative journalist Emmanuelle into a steamy jungle inferno to track down the last existing cannibal tribe! See Emmanuelle face her greatest carnal challenge. Will Emmanuelle’s erotic charms tame the most savage, flesh-hungry beast? English Subtitles"One of D’Amato’s best, a real corker with enough nudity, sex, and gore to keep genre buffs happy." – Richard J. Taylor, VIOLENT MANIAC’S CAGE ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Probably the best movie Joe D'Amato ever made.
Written by an interesting combination of cult movie director Joe D'Amato & veteran screenwriter Sergio Donati ( Once upon a time in the west, Orca Killer Whale & Raw Deal ) this is a well made, well thought out, gritty, sleazy, but completely gripping action thriller. You will be on the edge of your seat as the cast of completely unlikeable characters played by cult Italian film stars Luc Merenda,Donald O'Brien to name but a few literally tear each other to pieces over a million dollar bounty that is waiting in a Swiss Bank. The pounding score and tropical settings really add to this terrific movie.A must see for fans of Rambo type mercenary jungle action thrillers and/or italian cinema. ... Read more

Description

Night brings out the hunger in everyone, especially a mysterious New York cab driver. As a vampire, working the night shift lures a sultry array of passengers within his grasp. Embracing those ready to die, he controls a vampire underworld. Unexpectedly, ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Say it ain't so, Joe!
You simply must hand it to the late Joe D'Amato. During his long career in the Italian film business, good old Joe made dozens and dozens of low budget films in genres ranging from pornography to graphic exploitation to extreme horror. "Emanuelle in America" is a Joe D'Amato production, as is "Anthropophagous," "Buio Omega," "Ator," and the best "so bad it's good" film ever made, "Troll 2." Sure, Joe made a lot of clinkers in his time, but what do you expect? D'Amato's films weren't crafted to win Hollywood awards. Most of his movies raked in the bucks in overseas markets, in places where the crowds filling the theater could care less about what type of schlock they're watching. A few of his movies surprisingly appeared on movie screens here in the States; I saw "Ator" at the local cinema in the early 1980s. Moreover, and probably most importantly, Joe's films also made money in America when the videocassette craze broke in the early 1980s. Yep, Joe D'Amato is a beloved figure to fans of schlock cinema, horror cinema, exploitation cinema, and anyone else who loves movies that wander far off the beaten path.

I should start by saying "Killing Birds" isn't a very good film. In fact, it is at times an atrocious piece of junk best relegated to the trash heap of bad cinema. "Killing Birds" as a Joe D'Amato film is closer to "Troll 2" than it is to "Buio Omega," with important exceptions. Where "Troll 2" was hilarious because of its badness, "Killing Birds" is decidedly bad in an unfunny way. Imagine, if you will, a story about a Vietnam veteran who returns to his house in the bayous of Louisiana only to find his wife cheating on him with another man. Enraged by this blatant infidelity, the vet goes on a bloody rampage. He kills his wife, her lover, and a couple of neighbors unfortunate enough to appear on the scene. The murderer does, however, spare the couple's young son. For some reason that I still cannot adequately explain, some birds living on the grounds viciously attack the vet, tearing his eyeball out of his head and thus leaving him crippled for life. All of these scenes unfold against the backdrop of lush foliage in one of those stately old mansions you often see in shows about the South. Sounds like a great premise for a horror film, doesn't it? That's what I thought. I was wrong.

Flash forward twenty years or so to a college campus where a gaggle of young adults plan an expedition into the bayou to research a biology project, something about the mating call of a rare bird. The group consists of your usual young people in a horror movie. There are a few loudmouths, the scholarly chick, the oversexed cutie, and a few other stock characters. You get the idea. After heading into the wilds of Louisiana, the kids meet a blind guy (Robert Vaughn!) who lives in a rotting mansion. This man spends his days recording the sounds of the wildlife in the area, so he gives the kiddies a few tips about what they seek and then promptly disappears for a large part of the film. Too bad, by the way, because Vaughn is about the only good thing about "Killing Birds." Even in the short time he appears onscreen he gets all the best lines, does a competent job with a bad script, and even manages to look and act creepy. Anyway, the young adults head out into the bayou, set up base in an abandoned house, and promptly die in cheesy ways as a host of weird zombies appear on the scene. It's all really lame in the strictest sense of the word, with cheap looking gore effects, bad acting, and dumb dialogue. The movie doesn't end as much as it skids to a halt.

Most of the elements we take for granted in other films fail to materialize in this one. The pacing of "Killing Birds" is glacial, a molasses like mess that moves with all the speed of a snail on tranquilizers. I didn't just glance at my watch once in awhile with this turkey; I looked at my timepiece so often I developed a serious case of whiplash. I would like to tell you the pacing was the worst part of the film. It's not. Check out the music for this mess. Never, in all my years of watching bad films, have I seen such a schizophrenic score. The scenes at the beginning of the movie, when we meet the kids, employs an interesting (cough) blend of bland pop music that you must simply hear to believe. Pure treacle of the most abysmal sort, like "Dreamweaver" but worse to the nth degree. Then, an abrupt change takes place. Maybe D'Amato dug up Jan Hammer to score most of the film because what we hear when the researchers encounter the zombies sounds a lot like "Miami Vice." I'm not even going to go into some of the outfits the guys wear in the film. Let's just say I had serious questions about their sexuality. I wonder why the girls in the group didn't have the same thought.

I can't give "Killing Birds" one star, though. The movie did manage to dredge up some creepy atmosphere in the end, and Robert Vaughn's appearance helped salvage the film. The DVD version is your typical Media Blasters/Shriek Cinema disc: trailers for several other schlock classics, an extended interview with Robert Vaughn about his role in the movie (!), and some other stuff. I cannot recommend this movie without feeling guilty, and I certainly cannot do so to viewers unaccustomed to cheesy movies. Horror fans should steel themselves for an unpleasant experience before popping this one in the DVD player. All others need to stay away. Far, far away.

This my friend, is no zombie movie
For all of you zombie fans out there that got excited to see that the title of this movie is ZOMBIE 5: KILLING BIRDS, don't get your hopes up. This is not a zombie movie, and it has no connection to the the Italian series. It was originally released as Killing Birds. For some reason, someone decided (maybe even as a joke) to retitle the film on DVD as Zombie 5. And to make matters worse, the actual film only says "Killing Birds", so the box title is a lie! I'm not laughing, and neither will other zombie fans buying this incepid piece of garbage thinking its a zombie film. Don't be fooled. They only put "Zombie 5" on the box to trick people into buying the movie. Do not BUY into it.

How do you spell dull? K-i-l-l-i-n-g B-i-r-d-s.
First of all, the current Amazon description -- supposedly from the back cover -- is from a different movie. This is actually a zombie movie. Well, not exactly. It's actually a killer bird movie. Well, not exactly.

OK, this is a prime example that long-lost 80's genre, the Incredibly Stupid and Mind-Numbingly Dull People Who Walk Around For Two Hours In a
Vaguely Menacing Setting movie. The entire movie comprises interminably long sequences of people stumbling around calling each others' names (Mary? Steve?) punctuated by brief scenes of bad gore. Here's the kind of logic you will witness: After almost every character has been killed, a man walks into the action and says "I'm glad I made it in time." HUH?!?!

The leading lady is insipid, the leading man is a piece of flotsam, and the rival for his attention is a dumpy girl with a mustache. The movie has all the pacing of a slug on valium. I know zombie movies. I love zombie movies. This, sir, is no zombie movie. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Heavily Edited!
This is a heavily edited version of Antropophagous made by Joe D'Amato,and its have no menu,and horrible sound.
The Movie very good itself,but keep looking for Antropophagous titled UNCUT version.Available at Xploitedcinema.com

$ave your $$$ and dont buy this crap
I own this movie because a Friend recommended it, but It's not the original version, it is cut and edited, C'mon guys better sit down and watch TV this weekend, there are better movies there....

Bad version, heavily cut with horrible sound
Okay, first off, I did not buy this version of Anthropophagous (or as it's titled here Grim Reaper). I'm writing this to let ALL of you know that this version is not worth the buy. There is, however, a place to get this--FULLY uncut with all the restored footage (including the fetus-devouring scene and the last scene, the self-consumption of the entrails). Go to [website] and visit their DVD section. They've got it there, along with dozens of other obscure horror, gore and exploitation flicks. While the DVD that I ordered there has trouble fastforwarding and rewinding, I still have the entire complete footage. The website really is the #1 place to go for anything like this...if they can't do it, none can.

Cut to ribbons...and I don't mean the victims
I know I'm only restating what's been said countless times, but just to avoid anyone making the same mistake I did buying this:

The original, uncut version of this movie goes by "Anthropophagus: The Beast" or "Unsane". Those titled movies include the notorious scenes of the fetus getting ripped out of a woman's womb and the self-evisceration and devouring of the zombie's guts at the film's end. As of this writing, Anthropophagus is not available (to my knowledge) on a US, region 1 DVD. This heavily cut and edited version is all that is available on DVD (though the uncut versions are purchasable on VHS in NTSC format).

Add to the fact that the picture and sound on Grim Reaper is laughably bad and that there are no special features (not even chapter stops- the whole movie runs in one continuous loop, so to jump ahead requires your finger on the fast frame or fast rewind buttons), and what was an effective gross-out, 3 1/2 star gore flick has been transferred into a 1 star ripoff.

Perhaps we'll see Anthropophagus in an uncut DVD version by Anchor Bay or Image in the not too distant future. Until then, steer clear of this abomination.

Why Buy?
Why would anyone even buy this knowing it's the [terrible], heavily-edited version? This makes me sick. All this talk about "freedom" and a silly 80's horror movie cannot even be viewed by adults. When the un-cut version becomes available, then I'll give 5 stars and purchase. ... Read more