Movie Ad of the Week: TRAP THEM AND KILL THEM (1984)

The Italian sexploitation cannibal flick EMANUELLE E GLI ULTIMI CANNIBALI/EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS (1977) was picked up for U.S. distribution in 1983 by Megastar Pictures of Queens, New York, and the title was changed to TRAP THEM AND KILL THEM. The above ad is from its November 30, 1984 showing at the Fabian 5 Theater in Paterson, New Jersey, but Megastar's sole 35mm print had actually premiered at the 42nd Street Liberty Theater on June 1, on a double bill with STRANGE BEHAVIOR. After six weeks at the Liberty, the print toured other theaters in the area including the RKO Fordham in the Bronx on October 5. After the run at the Fabian, the print went to the RKO Kenmore in Brooklyn (January 25, 1985), the RKO Coliseum in Washington Heights (February 8), and elsewhere. The film was released on home video in March '85 via Trans World Entertainment's horror label, Twilight Video, but that didn't stop its theatrical life and it returned to the Liberty on May 23, 1986 on a triple bill with SHOCKING CANNIBALS (a re-release of MONDO MAGIC) and DOOMED TO DIE (a.k.a. Umberto Lenzi's EATEN ALIVE). It hit the Liberty one last time, in January 1987, on a double bill with Lamberto Bava's MONSTER SHARK, before Megastar ran the following ad in Variety on February 25, 1987...

Evidently there weren't many who were seriously interested, so a year and a half later Megastar submitted a cut version to the MPAA under the title EMANUELLE'S AMAZON ADVENTURE, received an R rating, and licensed the film to Showtime for its "After Hours" programming until the mid '90s.