IMDb RATING
6.1/10
9.1K
YOUR RATING
A young boy living in 1950s suburbia suspects that his parents are cannibalistic murderers.A young boy living in 1950s suburbia suspects that his parents are cannibalistic murderers.A young boy living in 1950s suburbia suspects that his parents are cannibalistic murderers.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 3 nominations total
London Juno
- Sheila Zellner
- (as Juno Mills-Cockell)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Young Michael (Bryan Madorsky) notices his parents have a strange fondness for meat and wonders where all the meat they eat for dinner comes from. And what goes on after he goes to bed.
Exceptionally well acted and crafted horror-comedy that takes place in the 1950's. The sets, costumes, style, detail paid to flavor of the 50's, and the cars & houses will WOW you and give you a feeling of nostalgia. A nice change of pace for Randy Quaid and it is nice to see Sandy Dennis at work again.
Be forewarned though this is one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen in my entire life. There is absolutely no letup.
My rating: 9 out of 10.
Exceptionally well acted and crafted horror-comedy that takes place in the 1950's. The sets, costumes, style, detail paid to flavor of the 50's, and the cars & houses will WOW you and give you a feeling of nostalgia. A nice change of pace for Randy Quaid and it is nice to see Sandy Dennis at work again.
Be forewarned though this is one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen in my entire life. There is absolutely no letup.
My rating: 9 out of 10.
If asked which movie has been the most uncomfortable watch for me, it has to be this one. Bob Balaban has put together a film that encompasses all those dark feelings about our parents. With a beautiful performance from Randy Quaid as the strangest father in the world, it is from the dark place where all great black comedies come from. His dizzying combination of gruesome and mundane is incredibly well crafted, not falling into either one but dancing back and forth between them. I HIGHLY recommend this movie. Strange it comes from the man who played the chummy cartographer in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
I had never heard of this movie before, and it looked like it had the same sort of weird zany surrealism as Society, which I massively enjoyed. What I was not expecting was how much darker in tone this film was going to be, and how massively uncomfortable it can be at times with some of the thematic undertones.
It taps into the inherent surreal nature of 1950's idyllic suburbia and builds wonderfully off of that horror, as well as delving into the true horror of being stuck in the same house as people who might want to hurt you. While there was a lot that just didn't hit and some spots where I felt the movie lacked, overall I found the movie to be interesting and kind of fun.
This movie is definitely not for everyone and is bound to disappoint quite a few horror fans, but for those that like surrealism in the vein of Society, this is definitely worth the watch. It's a solid movie and even if it's not the best out there, it has some merit as a film and some solid thematic undertones.
It taps into the inherent surreal nature of 1950's idyllic suburbia and builds wonderfully off of that horror, as well as delving into the true horror of being stuck in the same house as people who might want to hurt you. While there was a lot that just didn't hit and some spots where I felt the movie lacked, overall I found the movie to be interesting and kind of fun.
This movie is definitely not for everyone and is bound to disappoint quite a few horror fans, but for those that like surrealism in the vein of Society, this is definitely worth the watch. It's a solid movie and even if it's not the best out there, it has some merit as a film and some solid thematic undertones.
Interesting movie, but far from a total success. The director uses his camera cleverly and executes some fine visual tricks, but they don't lead anywhere, because the film has such an "one-joke" premise and a repetitive script. Great music score, astonishingly mature work by the boy who plays the central character, a few scares at the end, but the movie still rings hollow, and gets no more than a 6/10 from me.
This was a very creepy & uneasy to watch movie. The ending could've been better.
Did you know
- TriviaThe film's appropriately-bizarre title for its Germany release was 'Daddy ist ein Kannibale', or 'Daddy is a Cannibal!'
- GoofsWhen Nick Laemle slaps the cinder-block basement wall, it visibly flexes.
- Quotes
Lab Attendant: I have here an opportunity--
[holds out a pen to Michael]
Lab Attendant: this pen is made of chemicals, but if I took these same chemicals and recombined them, I could make an automobile, or an electric light! The whole world is made of chemicals, Michael--you can make anything! And if you're smart... you'll make opportunities.
- SoundtracksCherry Pink and Apple Blossom White
(Cerisier Rose et Pommier Blanc)
Music by Louiguy
French lyrics by Jacques Larue
English lyrics by Mack David
Performed by Dámaso Pérez Prado
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Pfui Teufel! - Daddy ist ein Kannibale
- Filming locations
- Kelly Gulch - 1801 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Topanga, California, USA(Grandparent's cabin)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $870,532
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $277,952
- Jan 29, 1989
- Gross worldwide
- $870,532
- Runtime
- 1h 21m(81 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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