Cannibal! The Musical

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Being that January was 'Python Month', I felt it only fitting to follow it up, in March, with 'Trey & Matt Month' (February was kinda on pause). The main reason for this, is that Python was a great influence to Trey Parker and Matt Stone when it comes to their craft. A very similar sense of humour often shines through, right down to the point of being, in my opinion, borderline offensive, but just kinda leaning on that border.

'Cannibal! The Musical' is one such film in which, at least I feel, I can find some Python-like humour throughout it. What we have here is a musical comedy that retells the story of a man named Alferd Packer (Trey Parker), also known as the Colorado Cannibal. Long story short, he was a guide for a party of prospectors, heading to Colorado territory to stake their claims, mining gold. A harsh winter hits, and the party resorts to cannibalism to stay alive. If you'd like to learn more, here's a Wiki article on the real guy.

As disturbing as the whole idea all sounds, just keep in mind that this is Trey Parker and Matt Stone we're talking about. So much of this movie is done in an over the top, cartoonish way, and in all reality, it's bloody hilarious. You may just have to get yourself past the opening scene, where things get pretty graphic and gory - however, done with some practical effects that are pretty impressive for a couple of film school students at the time. This was done while Parker and Stone were enrolled at the University of Colorado at Boulder, released in 1993 - four years before they broke out with 'South Park'.

The film also stars the likes of Matt Stone as James Humphrey, and Dian Bachar as George Noon. For those who may not remember Dian, he was the little guy from 'Baseketball' (if you've seen it). The others are pretty much no-names, but each does a good job with the role they're given. It's a good contrast of characters, and they all have equally funny moments throughout the film.

Much of the story here is driven by Packer's search for his horse, Leanne; one big metaphor for his ex girlfriend leaving him. It's also here we learn that pretty much any time Parker names a character Leanne, it's in reference to his ex. The most famous character with this name is probably Cartman's mother from 'South Park', who also happens to be the town "slut".

Anyway, if you really enjoy Trey and Matt's off the wall sense of humour, and have an appreciation for dark comedy, it's absolutely worth checking out. The tones of this movie are mostly high and positive, but when it gets dark, it gets hilariously dark. For an idea, it was released by Troma video - a company that delights in releasing dark comedies with over the top gore and/or special effects, most of which I have yet to see... I might have my next 'Under the Radar' project lined up now.

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