Cannibal Holocaust

I watched the adventure-horror flick Cannibal Holocaust quite a while back, and if I recall correctly, it left a pretty deep impression on me. Sure, there are movies out there with way more blood and gore, but this one holds a special place in my heart—mostly because it actually has something to say.
It isn't just some exploitation flick featuring naked cannibals in the mud and guts; it’s trying to make a point about something... though, honestly, I can't quite pin down exactly what. It was probably something regarding how violence is portrayed on screen, or maybe a commentary on world cynicism and those sensationalist news clips people crave.

The movie does a killer job of capturing that stinking jungle atmosphere—it feels incredibly "grimy," both in its cinematography and the plot itself. You can almost feel the filth radiating off the screen—that sense of jungle muck, the low-budget production, the cheap actors who look like they were plucked from some run-down backwoods village, and that lingering snuff-film vibe... Plus, the actresses look perpetually high. Seriously, my keyboard smelled like swamp mud for two days after I finished watching this thing! The way they kill off small animals sets the stage perfectly, so when they start dragging pig entrails through the mud to pass for human guts later on, it becomes genuinely nauseating to watch.
Even though the film tries to "play" at being a snuff film, you still sort of assume the murder scenes are staged.
For me, one sex scene—the one between the two researchers halfway through—looked totally real and unacted. Both of them looked stoned as hell, just "cracking" under a reed tent in front of a hundred extras. It felt very convincing. 😉

crimsonmoose3 said:That movie was controversial back in the day because of the animal cruelty—the turtle and those monkeys were actually killed. 🙏🙏 I personally dig how they blended a documentary style with the actual narrative, making it feel like it really happened. Some people even fell for the hoax, thinking cannibals had actually wiped out a real expedition. 😂

It wasn't just that. The actors actually had clauses in their contracts forbidding them from appearing in public for like six months after the premiere, just to make the whole thing feel more authentic. Real commitment, right?
The director got hauled off in handcuffs, and suddenly everyone’s acting like experts just because they were facing prison time. How much of this was legit and how much was staged? I can't even remember. You can find the whole mess on Google if you actually care.

rustywalker42 said:It wasn't just that. The actors actually had clauses in their contracts forbidding them from appearing in public for like six months after the premiere, just to make the whole thing feel more authentic. Real commitment, right?
The director got hauled off in handcuffs, and suddenly everyone’s acting like experts just because they were facing prison time. How much of this was legit and how much was staged? I can't even remember. You can find the whole mess on Google if you actually care.

Right, right, the director was arrested, and that movie caused an absolute media firestorm. 😁 If I remember correctly, everything was eventually clarified in the supplementary material of the final cut.
But then again, that’s basically how publicity works. 🙏🙏

I watched it once back in high school; my old man happened to find the disc, I skimmed through it, trashed the CD, and threw it in the garbage...🤣🤣

I just never understood who actually plays those tribespeople in these films. They always seemed far too convincing compared to how they look in other movies...

crimsonmoose3 said:Right, right, the director was arrested, and that movie caused an absolute media firestorm. 😁 If I remember correctly, everything was eventually clarified in the supplementary material of the final cut.
But then again, that’s basically how publicity works. 🙏🙏

I watched it once back in high school; my old man happened to find the disc, I skimmed through it, trashed the CD, and threw it in the garbage...🤣🤣

I just never understood who actually plays those tribespeople in these films. They always seemed far too convincing compared to how they look in other movies...

Yeah, "tribespeople." 🙂

rustywalker42 said:Yeah, "tribespeople." 🙂

Legendary. 😁 I noticed cannibal films were pretty big back then. Just stumbled upon Eaten Alive. Looks even more twisted than Cannibal Holocaust. 😁 Then again, Cannibal Ferox was just plain boring...

crimsonmoose3 said:Legendary. 😁 I noticed cannibal films were pretty big back then. Just stumbled upon Eaten Alive. Looks even more twisted than Cannibal Holocaust. 😁 Then again, Cannibal Ferox was just plain boring...

Well, in that case, you've probably seen Philosophy of a Knife too. I have it sitting on my shelf at home, but I haven't been able to carve out the time to sit down and watch it. Apparently, it's that same kind of pseudo-documentary, messed-up kind of thing. Is it worth committing, what, over three hours of my life to it?😕

hiddensailor14 said:Well, in that case, you've probably seen Philosophy of a Knife too. I have it sitting on my shelf at home, but I haven't been able to carve out the time to sit down and watch it. Apparently, it's that same kind of pseudo-documentary, messed-up kind of thing. Is it worth committing, what, over three hours of my life to it?😕

I haven't actually seen it; I've only read about the movie. Honestly, I find it hard to believe anything could be more depraved than that movie—what was it, *Salò*? Or maybe that one where the brother and sister torture people right in front of the camera... 😁 If a movie actually holds your interest for three hours, you'll breeze through it in one sitting. If it doesn't... well, just break it up. Watch an hour today, finish the rest tomorrow, or whatever works... 🙂

Wow, eleven years have passed and there hasn't been a single word about this movie on the forum. What can I say? Personally, I think the film is decent, but nothing more than that. The standout feature is undoubtedly how visceral and convincing the violence feels. It was shot on a shoestring budget with low-end production values nearly forty years ago, and that sense of realism is something that absolutely deserves credit; modern high-budget Hollywood horror movies often fail to capture even a fraction of that intensity. As for the underlying message or any supposed "deeper" meaning—well, that’s where things get pretty ridiculous. Deodato claimed he made this film to critique how the media hungers for violence. Okay, fine... but consider the plot: the guy searching for the lost expedition finds the footage and ends up fighting against the very TV network that sent the journalists there in the first place, all to prevent them from broadcasting those tapes. On those recordings, you see journalists committing atrocities against the natives. Seriously? What kind of TV network would actually air footage showing their own reporters massacring an indigenous tribe? It’s a massive logical leap that the movie really didn't need to make. In my opinion, Cannibal Ferox and The Green Inferno actually make much more sense regarding this theme, as they deal with naive, wide-eyed idealists. In fact, I feel The Green Inferno has a much stronger thematic connection to this film than Cannibal Holocaust does.

reca #9874

Looking back at it now with some actual distance, I think the movie is actually pretty solid. It honestly gives off a similar vibe to Aguirre, or even Zorn Gottes.

I mean, it’s a decent enough movie, though I have to admit some parts felt a little bit silly.

Decent movie... maybe it’s aged a little poorly
But considering the era—back when we didn't have the internet or all this modern political correctness—it holds up just fine

Arthur Moore97 said:Wow, eleven years have passed and there hasn't been a single word about this movie on the forum. What can I say? Personally, I think the film is decent, but nothing more than that. The standout feature is undoubtedly how visceral and convincing the violence feels. It was shot on a shoestring budget with low-end production values nearly forty years ago, and that sense of realism is something that absolutely deserves credit; modern high-budget Hollywood horror movies often fail to capture even a fraction of that intensity. As for the underlying message or any supposed "deeper" meaning—well, that’s where things get pretty ridiculous. Deodato claimed he made this film to critique how the media hungers for violence. Okay, fine... but consider the plot: the guy searching for the lost expedition finds the footage and ends up fighting against the very TV network that sent the journalists there in the first place, all to prevent them from broadcasting those tapes. On those recordings, you see journalists committing atrocities against the natives. Seriously? What kind of TV network would actually air footage showing their own reporters massacring an indigenous tribe? It’s a massive logical leap that the movie really didn't need to make. In my opinion, Cannibal Ferox and The Green Inferno actually make much more sense regarding this theme, as they deal with naive, wide-eyed idealists. In fact, I feel The Green Inferno has a much stronger thematic connection to this film than Cannibal Holocaust does.

The problem is, compared to "Cannibal Holocaust," "The Green Inferno" just feels like some cheap, low-budget parody. It’s one of those movies where you finish it and immediately regret ever wasting your life watching it.
Eli Roth hasn't really made anything worth paying attention to since that first "Hostel" flick.

The Green Inferno is absolute garbage

Kimberly Jackson8 said:The problem is, compared to "Cannibal Holocaust," "The Green Inferno" just feels like some cheap, low-budget parody. It’s one of those movies where you finish it and immediately regret ever wasting your life watching it.
Eli Roth hasn't really made anything worth paying attention to since that first "Hostel" flick.

Interestingly enough, I actually found The Green Inferno to be the one thing Roth did that was actually worth watching. The film caught me quite by surprise, especially considering his track record as a director.

Honestly, this is sliding straight into my top 10 all-time worst horror movies, and believe me, I’ve sat through some absolute garbage in my time...