Review of Cannibal Holocaust (1980) by Andreas P — 21 Sep 2009

Whatever you have heard about the legend of Cannibal Holocaust it's probably wrong. This is not one of the scariest movies ever. This movie isn't scary, period. What you may be, is disgusted. What passes for horror in this movie is shock, and instead of seeing anything even remotely resembling a scary story or scary scenes, you will see animals being dismembered, cut up, mutilated.

It starts of with a professor preparing to go into the jungle, known as the Green Inferno, to try and find 4 filmmakers who disappeared whilst making a documentary on the Green Inferno, home to three cannibal tribes. The arrive and watch a cannibal punishing his wife for adultery, they then capture a cannibal and allow them to lead them to their home. When they arrive the cannibals seem frightened by them but they offer them some gift and stay there.

At the tribal home they find some of the filmmakers possessions. The then go to another tribe but still they don't know where they are. They then decide to go to the place where the tree people live, no one has seen them and survived. The professor plays a tape of singing, the cannibals believe they are magicians and invite them to dinner. The professor finds out they have the tapes of the film makers who are dead. They take them and leave. Back in the city the professor agrees to the filmmakers footage to be broadcast but dramatically changes his mind. He wants the broadcasters, who insist on showing it to see it for themselves. They first see a rough cut of the documentary. It isn't bad. It shows how their guide dies from a bite. They then continue and set fire to a tribes home with them inside.

The professor then shows the film that the censors couldn't stomach. This shows the filmmakers raping a cannibal. They then are ambushed when the three cannibal tribes join forces and ambush them. The capture one, kill, castrate and kill him. They then capture the girl and rape and kill her. Instead of fleeing, the other two return to film what happens and get ambushed they drop the camera just as they are attacked.

I'm not a member of PETA, I eat steak. But in this movie you will see a muskrat get split open, a giant turtle get cut apart piece by piece, a jaguar shot, and so on. These aren't special effects, there is no "there were no animals hurt during the making of..." notice, there isn't anything special about this movie...don't be fooled.

The really sad thing is that these Slaughters are completely unnecessary. The muskrat killing is particularly hateful, purposely drawn out for no other reason than for shock purposes. Perhaps Deodato was sending a subliminal message about how watching this movie will make you suffer like this unlucky muskrat.

This is a bad movie. DO NOT believe anyone who claims any of the following: "The gore effects are so realistic!" "This movie has a powerful message!" "The music in this movie is so haunting, it's amazing!" "The acting is so excellent!" This movie falls apart under the weight of its own pompousness.

Filled with an annoyingly high sense of self-importance and self-righteousness, the entire movie plays out like some twisted morality play that takes itself far too seriously. What it is , is a piece of work made by a director with a very sick mind.

The acting is pretty terrible from start to finish, particularly the doomed film crew. (Yes, I know that Italian films are filmed without sound and dubbed in post. It doesn't matter. I've seen many Italian films using that method that featured excellent performances. There is not one performance in this movie that comes anywhere near acceptable, much less decent.) The performances are so bad, that I couldn't even be compelled to dislike the film crew. I just didn't care.

For me, Cannibal Holocaust is an interesting film, but also an interesting failure; one that clearly had an underlined message and sense of intent that is muddied somewhat by the over the top violence and disregard for life. If you really want to see how violent this film is, then by all means, give it a try, if only to satisfy some greater sense of morbid curiosity.

2 out of 10.