CREATURE CORNER DVD REVIEW: CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST

The tagline for this is "The Most Controversial Movie Ever Made." and with the possible exception of the Guinea Pig movies, it's probably true.

The story behind this movie is sometimes even more interesting than the film itself. It's been banned in over 60 countries. It's been deplored by animal rights activists due to its portrayal of real animal deaths. The first screenings of the movie led to the film being seized and the director and producer thrown in jail.

What made this movie have such an impact? The main reason was that no one had really done anything like it before. Sure, there'd been Cannibal movies before it in the 70s, and it wasn't the first Mondo film- but it was the first movie that really convinced people that what took place actually happened.

Looking at it now it's ludicrous to believe that. But the combination of an intense marketing campaign (stating that it was all real, and that the people you're watching were actually killed- similar to what the makers of The Blair Witch used many years later) and brutally realistic effects combined with real violence against animals led many people to believe that they were watching a snuff film. The filmmakers were charged with staging executions and breaching indecency and obscenity laws in their native Italy. The director even had to hunt down the actors to prove that they were in fact still alive to avoid being locked up himself.

It was never released outside Italy for years, and they actually had to resort to sneaking their film out to other countries for release- that lead to even more outcry against the acts portrayed.

Finally, thanks to dvd, we have a definitive release of a picture that for better or worse, changed people's expectations of film.

The Film-

The plot of this film is pretty straightforward. A group of 4 young filmmakers who are famous for their depiction of human atrocities who get lost in the Amazon. A professor (Robert Kerman) enlists an exploration team to go find them and ends up getting more than he bargained for. After many setbacks (and a few casualties) he gets accepted into a native Indian tribe, and it's there that he finds the film cans that hold the the last footage from the 4 missing individuals.

The last part of the movie is the actual film that the team shot- and it's pretty disturbing. It paints a portrait of journalists who were sadists, who would do anything to get an interesting story. They basically take over an Indian village, raping their woman and even killing them in an effort to get good footage. It's not a spoiler to tell you that the tale ends with their slaughter, which is some of the most intense footage ever put to film.

The film still works today. The acting is sometimes silly (the dub hurts this) but it holds together a lot more than most older works. The special effects are still effective today. And the thing that it's most famous for- the animal slayings- is just as disturbing, if not more so in this P.C. world we live in.

This is a great film that everyone should experience at least once.

The Picture-

This movie has never looked this good. It's better than all the previous dvd releases, and it's a helluva lot better than those grainy vhs copies you grew up on. In fact, it might just be a little too good. Part of what made the film so unsettling when you saw it back in the day was that there were only ratty vhs tapes. It actually made it more realistic this way- the scenes with the 4 filmmakers who eventually end up getting slaughtered looked like they could have indeed been dragged out of the jungle. Now, the picture is pristine, almost manufactured looking. Don't get me wrong, I love having a great looking copy of this movie- but can't help but feel like it loses a little bit of what made it so unsettling before.

The Sound-

As with the picture, this is better than you've ever thought the movie could sound. They made a new stereo re-mix just for this release, and it sounds great. You can hear every little animal squeal in perfect clarity.

The Extras-

This is one packed set. Here's what you get-

Disc 1-

There's 3 different ways to view this movie- first of course there's the unrated Director's Cut. Then there's the Animal Cruelty Free version, which would be a good idea if you're trying to get women to watch this film (trust me). Lastly there's a version that pops up a skull icon whenever there's an interview about the scene (sort of like the "Follow the White Rabbit" feature on the Matrix)

Commentary- Director Ruggero Deodato and star Robert Kerman do a pretty lively commentary, mostly talking about life on the set. I haven't been able to watch it all yet, but the bit I've seen looks entertaining.

The Green Inferno - This is a section that contains info about the "filmmakers" and tribes in the movie within a movie. Most of this info is already available on the Official Site.

Trailers - 5 different trailers from different regions. The most interesting is the US re-release one, where they mocked The Blair Witch. The trailer ends with the line "THIS ONE GOES ALL THE WAY." Certainly does...

Disc 2- Now we're talking-

The Making of Cannibal Holocaust - This is an hour long documentary. It's got a lot of info about the film, but honestly isn't as in depth as I would've liked. It's mostly talking heads, but it is interspersed with behind the scenes footage from on location. It's really missing any info about the tribes in the film. One of the questions that most people have on their mind when they see the film was how they got these people to act in this film? It's never really answered. Still, the people are all very passionate about the film, and it's good for getting a sense of what they were going for.

Interviews- There are 3 here, one with actor Robert Kerman, one with musician Riz Ortolani, and the best with actor Alan Yates. His is the most in depth- he gives a complete account of he got the role without any idea of what he was getting into, or what this movie was going to lead to.

Necrophagia Music Video" - Yes, fresh from the And You Will Live in Terror video that's on Fulci's The Beyond dvd, Necrophagia's back with Cannibal Holocaust. It's a pretty boring video actually, but it's good enough musically to appeal to the metalhead in all of us.

Art- Nice big collection of stills and poster art here.

Trailers- Grindhouse releases here- the highlights being a couple of Fulci films and the trailer for Cannibal Ferox.

There's also easter eggs all over these dvds- I believe you can find 7... mostly little interview clips.

The Packaging-

Beautiful. The cover shows one of the most brutal scenes caught in a lens. Inside, there's a snapcase that unfortunately doesn't close too well. The art on the inside is just as good. This might not surprise you, but Cannibal Holocaust didn't have an easy time getting to dvd. There were no less than 8 printers that refused to print the (classic) graphic artwork of a woman impaled on a pole. (they were also denied print ads by a certain well-known film mag, who also killed an article about it, but that's another story)

Along with the great art there's a little booklet that contains info about the film, and folds out to the original Italian poster that's on your right.

All in all, a great looking package.

The Lowdown-

Overall, this is a fantastic set that belongs in any true horror aficionado’s collection. Grindhouse has done a great job of collecting everything that could be found on the subject and wrapping it up in a nice collector's edition. You may not appreciate what goes on in the film, you might even think it's disgusting- but you can't deny the impact that it's had. This movie was just ahead of its time. And as Robert Kerman says in to the director in one of the interviews- the story behind this movie would make a great film. I'd love to see that happen.