Cannibal Ferox

Last updated

Cannibal Ferox
Cannibalferoxposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Umberto Lenzi
Screenplay byUmberto Lenzi
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGiovanni Bergamini
Edited byEnzo Meniconi
Music by
  • Roberto Donati
  • Fiamma Maglione
Production
companies
  • Dania Film
  • Medusa Distribuzione
  • National Cinematografica
Distributed by
  • Medusa Distribuzione (Italy)
  • Aquarius Releasing (US, theatrical)
  • Grindhouse Releasing (US, home video)
Release date
  • 24 April 1981 (1981-04-24)
Running time
93 minutes
83 minutes [1] (Edited cut)
CountryItaly
Languages
  • Italian
  • Spanish
  • English

Cannibal Ferox, also known as Make Them Die Slowly in the US and as Woman from Deep River in Australia, is a 1981 Italian cannibal exploitation horror film written and directed by Umberto Lenzi. Upon its release, the film's US distributor claimed it was "the most violent film ever made". Cannibal Ferox was also claimed to be "banned in 31 countries", although this claim is dubious. [2] [3] The title derives from the Latin ferox, meaning cruel, wild or ferocious. [4]

Contents

Plot

In Colombia, siblings Rudy and Gloria and their friend Pat prepare for a journey into the rainforest. They plan to prove Gloria's theory that cannibalism is a myth. The trio encounters a drug dealer named Mike and his business partner Joe. Joe is badly wounded; Mike explains that cannibals attacked them. Gloria goes missing during the night, and Rudy finds a native village while looking for her.

Due to Joe's injuries, the travelers decide to stay in the nearly deserted village. Mike seduces the naive Pat. In a cocaine-fueled rage, he encourages Pat to kill a native girl. She is unable to do it, so Mike kills the girl himself. In his dying moments, Joe reveals that he and Mike were responsible for the cannibals' aggression. They came to the region to exploit the natives for emeralds and cocaine, taking advantage of their trust in white men. One day, while high on cocaine, Mike brutally tortured and killed their native guide in full view of the tribe. A badly charred body, previously believed to be that of a different guide, is actually this native. Mike kidnapped a native girl to lead them out of the jungle, but the outsiders were followed and attacked.

After the murder of the native girl, the cannibals finally snap and hunt the outsiders. Joe dies of his wounds, and his body is found and cannibalized by the natives in full view of Rudy and Gloria, hiding from the natives. Mike and Pat abandon the others, but all are captured by the natives and forced into a cage. The prisoners are forced to watch Mike as he is tortured, beaten, including having his penis sliced off with a large machete-like knife and then eaten by a native villager. The natives transport their prisoners to another village, but Rudy manages to escape. He is caught in a booby trap in the jungle, and his bleeding wounds attract piranhas. He begs the natives to help him. The natives shoot him with a poisoned dart, and he dies instantly in front of everyone.

Pat and Gloria are put in a hole in the ground. Mike is placed in a separate cage. A native man, whom Pat had saved from Mike's aggression, lowers a rope into the hole so the women can escape. Mike digs his way out of the cage, chases the man away, and cuts the rope, preventing the women from escaping. Mike flees into the jungle, where he tries to attract the attention of a search and rescue plane, but he is recaptured. The natives sever one of his hands and drag him back to the village. The search plane lands, but the natives tell the rescuers that the outsiders' canoe capsized in the river and crocodiles ate them.

As the search team leaves, Pat is bound, stripped to the waist, and the natives run hooks through her breasts to be hung by them. Gloria can only watch as Pat dies a slow and painful death. Meanwhile, Mike's head is locked in a crude contraption, and the top of his skull is cut off so that the natives can eat his exposed brain. During the night, the sympathetic native returns and frees Gloria. He guides her through the jungle but falls victim to one of the natives' booby traps. Gloria eventually encounters a pair of trappers, who take her to safety. Instead of telling the true story, she recounts the natives' lie about the others being eaten by crocodiles.

Gloria, deeply disturbed by her experiences, returns to civilization. She publishes a book titled, Cannibalism: End of a Myth, which lies to support her theory and covers up the events of her ordeal.

Cast

Release

Cannibal Ferox was released in Italy on April 24, 1981. [5]

Terry Levene's Aquarius Releasing opened the film in New York in September 1983, under the title 'Make Them Die Slowly'. Levene's assistant, Ron Harvey, explained to Fangoria magazine that the box office success of 'Mondo' documentary Savage Man, Savage Beast had inspired the company to seek out a similar property, but one aligned to a fictional narrative. Aquarius' marketing strategy was minimal: a sensational, gratuitously violent trailer (narrated, in a break from tradition, by a woman, in order to provide a jarring counterpoint to the grotesque imagery), no print ads, and the marquee of the Liberty Theatre on 42nd Street completely emblazoned with huge, garish banners and colour stills announcing the film. Harvey further remarked that, although the film was hugely successful at venues that would play it, most cinemas shunned the film - he approximated there were probably only 100 theatres nationwide in which it could play.

Cannibal Ferox was released uncut on video in the United Kingdom circa 1982 by Replay, but the film's transgressive imagery and scenes of real animal torture and slaughter resulted in the film promptly being banned under the Obscene Publications Act, finding itself languishing for years on the video nasties list. (In 1983, Replay issued a cut version, based on informal suggestions from the BBFC, bearing an 'advisory', and consequently without legal standing, '18' certificate. These efforts were to little avail, since this version was also effectively banned by the VRA). Early DVD versions, available in the UK were missing around six minutes of footage (chiefly of graphic violence and animal cruelty), which was cut before being given to the BBFC for a rating. The full version of the film was submitted to the board in 2018, and again received 2 minutes of cuts to the animal violence.

In Australia, where it was released as Woman from Deep River, the film also faced censorship issues, being given numerous censored releases. In 2005, the uncut version was released on DVD by Siren Visual under the Cannibal Ferox title. [6]

In the United States, Cannibal Ferox's (a.k.a. Make Them Die Slowly) "original, uncensored director's cut" was released by Grindhouse Releasing in the late 1990s. Grindhouse is still the sole official licensed distributor of the film in North America. On May 22, 2015, Grindhouse released the film in a 3 Disc Blu-ray/DVD feature, the film's first time on Blu-ray Disc. [7] The Blu-ray featured the documentary film Eaten Alive! The Rise and Fall of the Italian Cannibal Film and a 12-page booklet. [8]

Critical reception

The film had mixed reception on its airplay. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 40% approval rating, based on five reviews. [9] AllMovie called the film "revolting," but "nauseatingly effective," though noting that it is "primarily a showcase for the gory special-effects artistry of Gianetto de Rossi". [10] Some critics criticized the film for its depictions of animal abuse, the poor acting and lines, and sexism.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Cannibal Holocaust</i> 1980 Italian horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato

Cannibal Holocaust is a 1980 Italian cannibal film directed by Ruggero Deodato and written by Gianfranco Clerici. It stars Robert Kerman as Harold Monroe, an anthropologist who leads a rescue team into the Amazon rainforest to locate a crew of filmmakers that have gone missing while filming a documentary on local cannibal tribes.

<i>The Jungle Book 2</i> 2003 Disney animated film directed by Steve Trenbirth

The Jungle Book 2 is a 2003 animated adventure film produced by the Australian office at DisneyToon Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. The theatrical version of the film was released in France on February 5, 2003, and released in the United States on February 14. The film is a sequel to Walt Disney's 1967 film The Jungle Book, and stars Haley Joel Osment as the voice of Mowgli and John Goodman as the voice of Baloo.

<i>The Beyond</i> (1981 film) 1981 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Lucio Fulci

The Beyond is a 1981 Italian Southern Gothic supernatural horror film directed by Lucio Fulci. It is based on an original story created by Dardano Sacchetti, starring Catriona MacColl and David Warbeck. Its plot follows a woman who inherits a hotel in rural Louisiana that was once the site of a horrific murder, and which may be a gateway to hell. It is the second film in Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy after City of the Living Dead (1980), and was followed by The House by the Cemetery (1981).

<i>The New York Ripper</i> 1982 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci

The New York Ripper is a 1982 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci. The film is about a police lieutenant who is tracking a sadistic killer who slashes women with a switchblade and straight-razors because his daughter in the hospital will never grow up to be beautiful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruggero Deodato</span> Italian film director and screenwriter (1939–2022)

Ruggero Deodato was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor.

Cannibal films, alternatively known as the cannibal genre or the cannibal boom, are a subgenre of horror films made predominantly by Italian filmmakers during the 1970s and 1980s. This subgenre is a collection of graphically violent movies that usually depict cannibalism by primitive, Stone Age natives deep within the Asian or South American rainforests. While cannibalism is the uniting feature of these films, the general emphasis focuses on various forms of shocking, realistic and graphic violence, typically including torture, rape and genuine cruelty to animals. This subject matter was often used as the main advertising draw of cannibal films in combination with exaggerated or sensational claims regarding the films' reputations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Mitchell</span> American actor

Duke Mitchell was an American film actor, slapstick comedian, crooner and independent film director of 1970s gangster films starring himself. Mitchell often performed his nightclub act in and around Palm Springs, California, and anointed himself the "King of Palm Springs."

<i>Zombi 3</i> 1988 film directed by Lucio Fulci

Zombi 3 is a 1988 Italian horror film directed by Lucio Fulci and Bruno Mattei and starring Deran Sarafian, Beatrice Ring, and Ottaviano Dell'acqua. The film is an in-name-only sequel to Fulci's Zombi 2. The film is about a group of scientists at a top-secret research facility who are working on a biological weapon called Death One, which mutates and kills the living creatures and reanimates the dead. The weapon is leaked out of the facility, which leads to a spread of infection among soldiers and touring people in the area.

<i>Man from the Deep River</i> 1972 Italian cannibal exploitation film directed by Umberto Lenzi

Il paese del sesso selvaggio, also known as Man From Deep River, Deep River Savages and Sacrifice!, is a 1972 Italian cannibal exploitation film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Ivan Rassimov, Me Me Lai and Pratitsak Singhara. It is perhaps best known for starting the "cannibal boom" of Italian exploitation cinema during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

<i>Ultimo mondo cannibale</i> 1977 Italian film

Ultimo mondo cannibale is a 1977 Italian cannibal exploitation film directed by Ruggero Deodato and written by Tito Carpi, Gianfranco Clerici and Renzo Genta. Starring Massimo Foschi, Me Me Lai and Ivan Rassimov, the plot follows a man trying to escape from a jungle island inhabited by a cannibal tribe.

Bob Murawski is an American film editor. He was awarded the 2010 Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on The Hurt Locker, which he shared with his wife, fellow editor Chris Innis. He often works with film director Sam Raimi, having edited the Spider-Man trilogy, Oz the Great and Powerful, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Murawski is an elected member of the American Cinema Editors, and is the co-founder of Grindhouse Releasing, an acclaimed film distribution company specializing in re-releases of cult films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grindhouse Releasing</span> American film distributor

Grindhouse Releasing is a Hollywood-based independent cult film distribution company led by film editor Bob Murawski and co-founded by Sage Stallone. Grindhouse digitally remasters, restores, and produces bonus materials and video documentaries for cult film DVDs and Blu-rays which it distributes on the CAV label.

<i>Slave of the Cannibal God</i> 1978 Italian horror film directed by Sergio Martino

Slave of the Cannibal God is a 1978 Italian horror film starring Ursula Andress and Stacy Keach, with English dialogue, that was filmed in Sri Lanka. The film was also widely released in the U.S. in 1979 by New Line Cinema, and released in the U.K. under the title Prisoner of the Cannibal God, with a poster designed by Sam Peffer. The film was banned in the U.K. until 2001 for its graphic violence and considered a "video nasty."

<i>Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs</i> 2009 American animated film

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a 2009 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the sequel to Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006) and the third installment in the Ice Age film series. It was directed by Carlos Saldanha and co-directed by Mike Thurmeier, from a screenplay written by Michael Berg, Peter Ackerman, Mike Reiss, and Yoni Brenner, based on a story conceived by Jason Carter Eaton. Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Chris Wedge reprise their roles from the first two films and Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, and Queen Latifah reprise their roles from The Meltdown, with Simon Pegg joining them in the role of a weasel named Buck. The story has Manny and Ellie preparing for their baby. Sid the Sloth is kidnapped by a female Tyrannosaurus after stealing her eggs, leading the rest of the herd to rescue him in a tropical lost world inhabited by dinosaurs underneath the ice.

<i>Eaten Alive!</i> 1980 Italian horror film directed by Umberto Lenzi

Eaten Alive! is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Umberto Lenzi. The film is about a young woman who is searching for her sister after her abduction by a cult in the jungles of New Guinea.

Perry Pirkkanen is an American actor. He is best known for starring in the 1980 Italian cannibal film Cannibal Holocaust. In the movie he is erroneously credited as 'Perry Pirkanen'. Pirkkanen, then a student at New York City's Actors Studio, was hired by director Ruggero Deodato who was looking for unknown actors to play the film's four main characters. In the film, he was in an infamous scene where he butchered a large turtle. He is even seen holding the turtle's head next to his mouth. However, after filming the scene, he cried and had an emotional breakdown off camera.

Christina Jean "Chris" Innis is an American film editor and filmmaker. She was awarded the 2010 Academy Award, BAFTA, and ACE awards for "Best Film Editing" on the film The Hurt Locker shared with co-editor, Bob Murawski. She is an elected member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE) and has served as an associate director on the board.

<i>Mondo Cannibale</i> 1980 Spanish-Italian cannibal exploitation film

Mondo Cannibale is a 1980 Spanish-Italian cannibal exploitation film directed by Jesús Franco and stars Al Cliver and a then-17 year old Sabrina Siani. It is one of two cannibal films directed by Franco starring Cliver, the other being Devil Hunter.

<i>Sette note in nero</i> 1977 film directed by Lucio Fulci

Sette note in nero is a 1977 Italian giallo film directed by Lucio Fulci and co-written by him with Roberto Gianviti and Dardano Sacchetti. Sette note in nero stars Jennifer O'Neill, Gianni Garko, Marc Porel, and Ida Galli. The film involves a woman who begins experiencing psychic visions that lead her to discover a murder; her husband is charged with the killing. The psychic must embark on an investigation with a paranormal researcher to clear her husband's name of the crime.

<i>Natura contro</i> 1988 film

Natura contro, also known in English as The Green Inferno and Cannibal Holocaust II, is a 1988 Italian cannibal adventure film directed by Antonio Climati. Climati had no intention of making a sequel to Cannibal Holocaust, and the title was used by distributors of the film to cash in on the success and notoriety of the earlier film.

References

  1. "CANNIBAL FEROX (18) (!)". Horror Video, Ltd. British Board of Film Classification. 23 November 2000. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  2. Kerekes, David; Slater, David (4 November 2000). See No Evil: Banned Films and Video Controversy. Headpress. ISBN   9781900486101 via Google Books.
  3. Fulci, Lucifer (8 June 2014). Lucifer Fulci's Guide to the Italian Cannibal Film!. Lulu.com. ISBN   9781312218963 via Google Books.
  4. "Latin Definition for: ferox, (gen.), ferocis (ID: 20487) - Latin Dictionary and Grammar Resources - Latdict". latin-dictionary.net.
  5. Firsching, Robert. "Cannibal Ferox". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  6. "Films: C #1 | Censor". RefusedClassification.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  7. "Grindhouse Releasing Brings Cannibal Ferox to Blu-ray". 19 March 2015.
  8. "You'll eat up "CANNIBAL FEROX" on Grindhouse's new Blu-ray set!". Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  9. Cannibal Ferox at Rotten Tomatoes
  10. Firsching, Robert. "Cannibal Ferox (1981) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie". AllMovie . Retrieved 12 August 2012.