Cannibal Holocaust (1980) Trans American Films/Horror RT: 95 minutes Not Rated (extreme violence and gore, torture, animal cruelty, cannibalism, rape, graphic nudity, language, drugs) Director: Ruggero Deodato Screenplay: Gianfranco Clerici Music: Riz Ortolani Cinematography: Sergio D’Offizi Release date: June 14, 1985 (US) Cast: Robert Kerman, Gabriel Yorke, Francesca Ciardi, Perry Pirkanen, Luca Giorgio Barbareschi, Salvatore Basile, Ricardo Fuentes, Paolo Paoloni, Pio Di Savoia, Luigina Rocchi. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ****
I’d like to set the record straight on something that’s bothered me for years. In 1999, everybody made such a big fuss over the highly overrated indie horror film The Blair Witch Project calling it an original idea. WRONG-O! The concept of “found footage” did not begin with BWP. It actuality originated with Cannibal Holocaust, an Italian-made shocker that proves definitively director Ruggero Deodato (Cut and Run) does NOT known the meaning of the word restraint. He doesn’t just push the envelope; he mails it special delivery to the gag reflexes of all those brave enough to bear witness to the sickening atrocities that take place over 95 nauseating minutes. In the vernacular of teen Movie Guy 24/7, it’s one f***ed up movie!
Reportedly banned in over 50 countries, Deodato faced a mountain of legal troubles over allegations that certain death scenes in Cannibal Holocaust weren’t faked. He was charged with murder until he could prove the cast members in question were still alive and well. By way of promoting the film’s supposed veracity, he asked the main actors not to work or make public appearances for a year. It was a cool idea that nearly backfired, but it gave the movie a controversial reputation that still lasts to this day.
It’s true the premises of Blair Witch and Cannibal Holocaust are all but identical. A group of young people go into the woods to make a documentary only to disappear and have their footage found some time later. The difference is things actually happen in the older movie. NYU anthropology professor Harold Monroe (Kerman, Eaten Alive [NOT the Tobe Hooper killer crocodile flick]) agrees to lead a mission into the Amazonian jungle- aka “The Green Inferno”- to locate an American film crew- director Alan (Yorke, Jack the Bear), his girlfriend/script handler Faye (Ciardi, The Tunnel) and cameramen Jack (Pirkanen, Cannibal Ferox) and Mark (Barbareschi, Cut and Run)- that went missing while shooting a documentary about indigenous cannibal tribes.
Monroe’s guides take him deep into the rainforest where they first encounter the Yacumo tribe whose members regard them with fear and suspicion. They had a previous encounter with the film crew and it wasn’t good. Next, they find their way to the village of the primitive Yanomamo tribe- aka “The Tree People”- where Monroe finds the bodies of the crew and their film. He’s allowed to leave with the canisters after convincing the chief he has godly powers. He brings them home to a TV station that plans to air the footage as part of a documentary about the doomed trek. As he views it for himself, he begins to have concerns about the disturbing content. It shows the Americans’ horrific treatment of the natives and their ultimate fate after they go too far. He tries to convince station execs not to show it, but they’re only concerned about ratings.
WOW! That was my initial reaction to Cannibal Holocaust. It’s what I like to call “extreme cinema”. It goes to extremes in its depiction of violence and brutality like no other film I’ve seen. It’s shot in a verite style that makes it feel disturbingly real. We bear witness to grisly, ghastly acts like a tribeswoman being raped with a stone dildo followed immediately by genital mutilation, another tribeswoman vertically impaled on a stake after being gang raped by the crewmen, the amputation of a man’s leg after he’s bitten by a poisonous snake, a forced abortion and an entire tribe being burned to death by the Americans in a staged act for their film. This is in addition to numerous incidents of graphic violence- e.g. shootings, decapitation, castration, dismemberment, disembowelment and mutilation- and cannibalism. Personally, I was bothered by the animal cruelty in Cannibal Holocaust. All of it IS real! The killings of a monkey, turtle, muskrat and pig were NOT simulated. I couldn’t even look at the screen during these parts.
Is Cannibal Holocaust a good movie? That’s a good question. It’s definitely a ballsy movie. What you see (if you see it) will definitely shock you. It says so in the opening text crawl added to the Grindhouse Releasing DVD/Blu-Ray. It also says “it should be viewed as a disturbing historical document of a bygone era of extreme irresponsibility which no longer exists and, hopefully, will never exist again”. Yep, they would NOT have gotten away with this one today. Getting back to the original question, I think it depends on how you look at it.
On one hand, it’s pure exploitation. It’s an Italian production replete with bad English dubbing, poorly written dialogue and amateurish acting. One early scene, the part where soldiers attack and kill tribespeople, has no English dubbing or subtitles. On the other hand, Deodato appears to be getting at something with Cannibal Holocaust. It can be seen as social commentary on so-called “civilized society” and media sensationalism. It compares Western civilization to a primitive culture and asks who the real savages are. It also addresses the issue of journalistic responsibility with the network execs’ intention to broadcast the disturbing footage for the sake of ratings. Either way, it’s a fascinating movie that you can’t stop watching despite its extremely gross content and exploitative treatment of indigenous South American tribespeople. Contrary to what the makers would have you believe, not all of them are cannibalistic savages. As you can see, political correctness does NOT factor in at all.
While I like the whole “is it real or not?” angle, anybody with half a brain will realize it’s not (except for the animal killings). If it was, it would make Cannibal Holocaust a snuff film and those are highly illegal. It does look real though, doesn’t it? It gives the film a strong sense of authenticity. It has some great, stomach-turning gore effects. It’s made more interesting by the contrast between the ugliness it depicts and the beautiful, elegiac score by Riz Ortolani. Even with that, it plays out like a nightmare, especially the footage showing the bloody end met by the film crew. But here’s the thing, they totally deserve it. They’re a**holes. They’re worse than the annoying BWP gang. Call me callous, but I didn’t feel the least bit bad for them.
Do I like Cannibal Holocaust? Yes, I suppose so. I like it as an extreme example of a horror movie. I like that Deodato has the guts to make such a polarizing film. It’s horrifying and horrific, but isn’t that precisely the point? I’d say it’s a very effective horror movie. It’s the kind of movie free barf bags are made for.
