Review of Cannibal Holocaust (1980) by Jose R — 13 Oct 2015

4/30/15: I just finished watching a movie, it's a very notorious movie--well known among horror fans. It's a found footage film that takes place in the Amazon and it involves tribes that consume people. It's infamous for its cruelty towards animals, the poor treatment of native extras, and the fact that murder charges were brought up against the director. That last bit, in particular, says a lot when people mistake your movie for a snuff film. Having seen the entire movie for the first time, I can attest to the movie's realism, and it's interesting that many people consider to the whole found footage thing to be overdone. Yet, I felt that this movie uses that style to its advantage, and--outside of the genuine animal killings--what you see is disgusting and shocking. Which was clearly the director's goal - it's effective, I won't lie. But there are some things you just don't do and this director goes out of his way to intentionally do them just to gross out the audience. That, to me, is low. I don't think it was necessary to kill animals in front of the camera and I certainly dislike the decision to include real execution footage. Looking past the animal stuff, the movie isn't the goriest nor the bloodiest, I mean, there are zombie movies that more or less compare with this one. As a horror movie, it's well-made and it easily earns 5 stars out of 5. But I can't give it that honor, so it's a 2 out of 5 from me - blame it on the director. If you know which movie I'm talking about, fine. If you don't, it's probably best that you keep it that way.

I neglected to mention the title of this movie on purpose. Just because I don't want certain people to look it up. Look, I know it's not the most graphic movie ever made but there's definitely moments that feel...too real. Heck, some of them are real. I just think that engaging the audience in this manner is cheap. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was just as effective and, while animal blood and bones were used, they did not resort to ripping apart turtles on screen. The inability to distinguish what's real and what's not may be the best thing that this film has going for it, but it's also the worst. And the reoccurring theme about civilized vs uncivilized is ironic when you take into account that the director was basically an asshole when the movie was being filmed. The actions that we're supposed to condemn in the movie are mirrored by the director's own methods of production. And yes, it's been a long time since the movie was released, but I see no reason to set aside criticism.

The one true pro was that I was able to acquire "Cannibal Holocaust" as a part of a 3 for $5 deal at a yard sale.