Synopsis
Is it human or animal? He stalks the young girl he thinks is Jean Harlow…Will she survive?
Psycopathic killer stalks teens at a run down, abandoned movie theatre
1979 Directed by David Burton Morris
Psycopathic killer stalks teens at a run down, abandoned movie theatre
Blood Theatre, Phantom of the Bijoux, Bluttheater, Véres színház, 肉食者
'The Meateater' first came to my attention when I was doing research for an essay about another David Burton Morris film, 'Patti Rocks.' Morris wrote and directed 'The Meateater' under the name "Derek Savage." The film hasn’t been easy to find until recently (a DVD is now available on Amazon) and I never put much effort into tracking it down. From what I had gathered from reviews on here and from remarks made by Morris, the film was a mostly unredeemable slog. I recently interviewed Morris and his wife, screenwriter Victoria Wozniak, about some of their other films, mainly 'Patti Rocks' and their brilliant debut feature, 'Loose Ends' (1975). I picked up a used VHS copy of 'The Meateater' from…
I have no idea why this movie is called The Meateater. It's about a traveling shoe salesman who, frustrated with his place in life, buys a rundown movie theater (which he constantly pronounces thee-ate-er) without discussing it with his wife and moves his family to a small town where he's immediately told that he should only play wholesome films. Apparently, the entire town was upset about the pornography being shown by the previous owner (but the example of an offensive film given is a Mike Nichols movie!). The shoe salesman takes this to heart and only shows Grizzly Safari, a G-rated animal documentary, on repeat. Definitely not the kind of place I'd want to live.
At some point in this…
How many mundane conversations can you pack into one film? Find out, in The Meateater! Watch as the movie undercuts its title’s connotations by not having its killer eat any human beings! See the thrilling style of “Grizzly Safari”, the film within the film! Gasp at the sight of a Phantom of the Paradise shirt, and weep when you realize it’s the best thing outside a shattered skull in the entire movie!
See THE MEATEATER!
Daily Horror Hunt #34 (April 2021) https://boxd.it/bu9EE
28. I’m already feeling better after all that sick business. That’s why I want you to watch a horror film with a happy face on the cover :)
Man tired of his shoe selling job decides to buy a long shuttered movie theater. Turns out a phantom has been living in this megaplex, just waiting for his soul mate. Also he may kill a couple of teens between.
Pretty good premise for a movie. I love horror movies that involve movie theaters. The guy on the poster looks way better than the phantom in the movie. Of course this old balding man phantom falls in love with a teenage girl. Too much talking about the conflicts of starting a business on the brink of failure, not enough slashing going on.
I think this is a pretty good premise with pretty poor execution. This is prime territory for a remake.
I've seen a lot of bad movies. For a while I was even seeking out the worst movies I could find. But this fucking film is hands-down the WORST movie I've ever seen. This is worse than the Will Smith zombie movie I ended up seeing three times (it's a long story). At least that had a dog and a lion. This film doesn't have SHIT.
Stay away would be an understatement. Burn this film. This movie is so bad I made an effort to immediately forget it. My success was only temporary as I forgot to return the videocassette for over a month and ended up getting a massive late charge for this piece of garbage. Not only that but every once in a while I can't help but think of the bad guy crying "Laura, Laura!" and the scene of him throwing what looked like a mannequin with glasses off a balcony.
The worst.
Shoe salesman turned movie theater owner is not the horror movie plot we knew we needed, because we didn’t. Pacing issues galore and horrible acting. The dude who is hired to run the projector looks like Bob Odenkirk in the “Why Me?” awards show skit from Mr. Show and some fucking kid who looks like Edgar Winter skateboards on grass.
I was intending to watch this as part of my deep dive of films influenced by Halloween, but The Meateater doesn't seem to be taking just about anything from Halloween. Instead it reminded me a bit of Black Christmas
I had a lot of fun trying to decipher the subtext in this movie, which has an interesting fixation on meat. In one scene there's a character eating a hotdog and he exclaims how good it is, and then his mother says "and it's full of vitamins and minerals too." I'm not sure if it's spoiler since I don't quite understand the intent, but in the credits the main character is credited as "The Meateater" which I found to be very interesting.
If anybody understands the subtext in this strange, surprisingly watchable film then please let me know. It baffles me lol
Sluggishly paced affair which feels like it sits at the awkward crossroads between stodgy 1970s B-movies and flashy 1980s B-movies.
In this one we have a man reopening a run down closed theater which has a dark secret.
True story, when I had my job interview for a movie theater, I admitted that if I ever won Lotto, I would open my own movie theater. It would be in the style of the vintage movie palaces with the crystal chandeliers and the brass fixtures. I'd show Horror and Sci-Fi films from the 60s to the 80s. I also fessed up that I do sneak in plain chocolate bars to go along with my popcorn and soda purchase because no theater seems to carry just plain chocolate.
Needless to say, got the job.
With that said, I do understand the allure…