Holocausto Canibal

A group of documentarians go into the Amazon to film warring cannibal tribes. Unfortunately for them, they don't make it back. An anthropologist is sent in to find them, and is horrified when he sees the grisly images they captured on film.

Let me make a confession. Despite being a serious horror fan and having met Ruggero Deodato twice, engaging in some interesting conversation with him, I had never seen "Cannibal Holocaust" before. I had a fairly good idea of what to expect from it, as I was familiar with Umberto Lenzi's "Cannibal Ferox", which I suspected was quite similar (something I suspected correctly). But I think it's safe to say Deodato went further than Lenzi's imitation did.

Starring Robert Kerman (perhaps better known for his many pornographic films), it's not surprising that this film pushes the boundaries on nudity and cruelty. Men and women naked, some of them sexually brutalized... animals killed, including a monkey who gets his face cut off and the infamous "turtle scene". I was actually somewhat disturbed by this film -- at the very least, rather uncomfortable. One scene where an adulteress is punished was particularly disturbing for me.

I don't think those of you who are squeamish will want to see this one... or those who don't like seeing animals killed (yes, Virginia, the animals killed on screen)... but if you want to see a horror film with some sense of reality in it, this is it. There's also a strong social commentary in it about what makes man civilized or not, but I won't get into that... you'll see it.

This movie could have easily been a 9 or a 10 because it is truly a disturbing masterpiece and really makes you think about what we consider civilized. The reason I'm rating it so low is that it is ridiculous that the animal slaughters were done using live animals, (7 animals were killed in the making of this video, though only 6 are shown) which was completely unnecessary as they clearly had the skills to depict realistic murder/slaughter/rape/gore scenes as shown by all the gruesome events featuring humans. The only good thing to come out of this is that very few movies afterwards ever used real animals becausr of all the backlash this one received.

I am not going to sit here and type out the reasons why this is not only the best Cannibal film ever made, one of the best horror films ever made, and basically just a damn good film. If you're reading one of the thousands of Cannibal Holocaust reviews on here; chances are you've seen it, and know why it is such a masterly structured and excellently made film. And therefore you don't need me to tell you why it is.

Suffice to say that this film is simply stunning. The music, direction, camerawork, plot and atmosphere are practically faultless, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of horror, or a fan of well made, and clever films.

"Cannibal Holocaust" is not the campy little horror flick I expected. It's a "serious" and well-made movie and it's an experience you'll hardly ever forget. According to IMDb's trivia section the movie can "only be seen completely uncut in the EC-UltraBit DVD", which means that I've seen a tamed down version and that, my friends, is insane! "Cannibal Holocaust" is easily one of the most graphic movies I've ever come across. The violence is incredibly realistic. It's no wonder that director Ruggero Deodato was taken to court to prove that he hasn't slain real people for his motion picture. (I still think the real animal slaughtering in the movie was unnecessary. Screw you for that, Deodato!) It's hard to tell if there really is a message or if the "moral" is just an excuse for all the gore. In a strange way the violent scenes somehow speak for themselves and do deliver some kind of message, but that's open for discussion.

If ever a movie deserved the label "disturbing", it's "Cannibal Holocaust". It's controversial, but totally worth watching, if you can take some seriously sick images.

This film is notorious for its intense scenes of graphic violence and real animal killings, it really aims to challenge us with the exploration into cultural imperialism and the depths of human depravity.

This film stands out from other horrors through its fearless exploration of ethical boundaries in film making, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. The story unfolds with such a raw and unflinching intensity that it really had me questioning the authenticity of the film especially knowing going in about the already existing animal ethical concerns. It does not hold back in its depiction of violence and brutality so a strong warning for those that cannot stand gore. Still however this remains a cult classic for anyone willing to explore such disturbing themes.