Ah, cannibalism. That’s an area that was heavily covered in Italian cinema, but is rarely taken on in Hollywood due to its taboo nature, unless of course it’s based on a true story such as Alive. Cannibalism though is the perfect thing for the Masters of Horror series and that brings us one of the latest DVD release; The Washingtonians.

Mike Franks (Johnathon Schaech) along with his wife Pam (Venus Terzo) and 10-year-old daughter Amy (Julia Tortolano) make a trip back East to his mother’s home. She has passed on, and the entire community seems to be a little upset about it, though they also are acting a bit odd as well. While going through some of the grandparent’s personal effects, a portrait of George Washington reveals a strange treasure; a letter that seems to point to the fact that the founder of our country, George Washington, was a cannibal. Once Mike reveals his findings to one of the locals, he wants the letter, offers to even find a buyer, but when Mike refuses, the Washingtonians come looking to get the letter before the truth can be known.

The Washingtonians falls in-between being horror and black comedy. There’s nothing to really take seriously, but it’s quite a funny piece, filled with plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor. What works is the ties in the story to actual history, things that are reveled that connect the story behind The Washingtonians to true events in American history, something that always works to bring a mythology together.

The premise of The Washingtonians goes a bit further than just George being fond of human flesh. There are others in town, who just happened to call themselves the Washingtonians, who are following the “traditions” that were established by our first president, and the promise of having a family and their young, tender daughter for dinner, and certainly not as guests. Mike and his family soon find that some rather irate, and hungry, guests have come knocking at their door and the entire town seems to be under the influence of George Washington and his dark past.

But when you’re all alone with no one to turn to, the best course of action is to find someone that will, and Professor Harkinson (Saul Rubinek) has been on the trail of these elusive and secretive individuals for quite some time. It seems however that even he may not be enough to stop the Washingtonians from paying a house visit once again and taking the Franks family to a secret lodge that Washington once used to feast on the bodies of those unlucky enough to make their way onto the dinner menu.

The Italian brand of cannibal films seldom had humor and instead went for a more serious and gruesome tone. Movies like Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox have long been banned in some countries and have a huge degree of the forbidden associated with them. The Washingtonians however definitely goes for a more humorous tone, mixing myth with fact, bringing forward some great dark humor much like has been seen in Re-Animator, and ultimately ending on a good note that pokes fun at the current presidential administration. There is also just a bit of gore to bring the whole thing together in a delectable package perfect for horror fans who are looking for something that’s a little light-hearted. Director Peter Medak, who has directed The Changeling, Species II and even worked on episodes of House M.D. and HBO’s Carnivale has done a fantastic job with this piece and presents one of the more memorable episodes of the series.

Beyond the episode itself you will find Feast on This, a making of that talks about how all of the ingredients were mixed together to make the perfect visual horror meal. Wings, Teeth, and Powder gives you an inside look at the hard work that the make-up team has to go through, not just in working with the actors, but trying to find middle ground for the budget. There are also some outtakes from filming, commentary with Medak and Schaech, a photo gallery, and a look at the script in its entirety.

The Washingtonians definitely fits into what most would consider to be “camp” and will long be remembered as one of the classic episodes of the series. Cannibalism might be serious for some, but The Washingtonians shows that it doesn’t have to be. While this might offend some people, it really shouldn’t. It’s all in good fun and The Washingtonians is one episode of The Masters of Horror that just about anyone can sink their teeth into.

-mike-