Cannibal Ferox [DVD]

Ok, lets get this straight. The uk vipco version of this movie is heavily cut. The NTSC GRINDHOUSE release is totally uncut, great transfer and packed with extras. So, its quite simple. BUY the GRINDHOUSE release. Ignore the UK disc. Goodnight.

Another "so bad it's good" video nasty classic now available on dvd! "Cannibal ferox" was written and directed by Italian Umberto Lenzi and filmed on location in New York and South America. It was originally released in 1981, two years after the excellent "Cannibal holocaust", which many people consider to be the pinnacle of the "cannibal" genre. Personally I prefer "Ferox" to "Holocaust", mainly because the latter tries a little too hard to be a "proper" movie, while "Ferox" has no such pretensions and just gets on with delivering the gore by whatever cheap and nasty means are required.

The film actually starts off in NYC, with the rather annoying subplot which serves as an intermittent and completely pointless distraction throughout the film, and involves gang members (and later police) searching for a missing drug dealer who has run away with their money. All of a sudden we switch to South America, just as three young explorers (Gloria, the leader, plus her brother Rudy and friend Pat) are about to set off into the jungle.

They don't believe in cannibals! In fact, this is a research trip to help Gloria finish her thesis, which seeks to prove that cannibalism is a myth. Little do they know....

After a series of minor disasters and encounters with the local natives and wildlife they eventually bump into two other Americans, Mike and Joe, who tell them they've escaped from some cannibals that killed (and partly consumed) a friend of theirs. Our three well-meaning innocents believe them at first, and before long they all arrive at the cannibals' village, which is temporarily safe due to the fact that most of its inhabitants have left. The few mainly elderly natives who remain are obviously rather wary of Mike, and Gloria and her two companions are shocked by the sight of some decaying and partly consumed human remains, whose presence seems to back up the story Mike and Joe have told them.

However, by the time they realise what's really happened in the village and what a fine mess they've got themselves into, it's too late....

When the gorefest really begins, most of the cutting, stabbing, chopping and impaling is surprisingly realistic (although there are some very amateurish moments as well). I'll refrain from describing it all, but my favourite moment is a particularly juicy "lobotomy" scene that you won't forget in a hurry, and of course, there's also some cannibalism....

Overall the quality is well above average for a video nasty and while the plot, dialogue and acting aren't exactly brilliant, I've certainly seen and heard a lot worse. The main problem with the film is the unnecessary sub-plot which starts in New York and eventually ties up with the action in the jungle, but mainly just gets in the way; and listening to the same burst of cheesy disco music during every cut-back to NYC starts to get on your nerves after a while. The director is also a little too keen on punctuating the jungle scenes with endless footage of the local wildlife, and seems to be particularly fond of monkeys, but it's worth enduring all this for some genuinely excellent gore!

Although often talked about as if it's the most horrific of all gore movies and apparently banned in a huge number of countries, "Cannibal ferox" is not as shocking as you might expect. Many of the complaints about it have come from animal rights activists who object to the fact that apart from the fake gore inflicted on the humans, the film also includes some animal deaths which are obviously real. If you do enjoy this film then "Cannibal holocaust" is definitely worth seeking out as well, but most of the other cannibal films ("Cannibal apocalypse", "Cannibal terror" etc) are best avoided....

CENSORSHIP WARNING: please be aware that UK versions of this film are very heavily censored, and as the only possible reason for wanting to see "Cannibal ferox" is the full-on gore that's been almost entirely removed, there's not much point in buying one of these.

Uncut version: Cannibal Ferox [DVD] [1981] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

From all the hype surrounding this title, it had to be seen really didn't it? Gore fans in the UK will be disappointed - as this version is missing key mutilation sequences that made it so notorious. Welcome to free Britain.
On the whole, it is still worth a look, as the story is a patricularly good one and the acting is still very good.
Worth a see, definetly, but try to get your hands on the uncut version first, as a film like this shouldn't really be released without it's shock value.

Worth 4 stars for keeping me on edge, lost one star for losing about 10 minutes worth of cuts.
Shame.