Ravenous (1999)

When was the last time you saw a new movie set during the 1840s? The era is the first oddball thing about Ravenous, though by no means the last. This provocatively weird movie is essentially a vampire film crossed with the Donner party, that unfortunate band of hungry pioneers who got stuck in the wilderness with only themselves to eat. The setting here is Fort Spencer, a dismal collection of shacks huddled in the snows of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Mid-winter, a nearly dead Scotsman (Robert Carlyle, from The Full Monty) staggers into camp with a story of desperate cannibalism. The skeleton crew (so to speak) manning the fort sets out to investigate, when... ah, but the twists and turns of this dark yarn should remain shocking. Be assured, however, that the cannibalism has just begun; this movie has cannibalism like Titanic had an iceberg. Director Antonia Bird (Mad Love, Priest) blends some humor into this scenario, especially in the final reels, but otherwise this is a fairly serious gore picture; a confused Twentieth Century Fox tried to market it as a black comedy, and the movie flopped anyway. It deserves a better fate--at the very least, it's not quite like anything else out there. The music, a brilliant collaboration between Michael Nyman (The Piano) and Blur's Damon Albarn, is an offbeat blend of period twang and modern drone. Carlyle and Guy Pearce (of L.A. Confidential) are fascinating in the lead roles--their sunken faces would look at home in Civil War photographs--and the eccentric supporting cast, including Jeremy Davies and David Arquette, adds flavor to the dish. --Robert Horton Amazon.com

Great Movie

I don't know how this one slipped by me in 1999. This was a fantastic film. You can't put your finger on why, until you watch it a few times.And you have to watch it a few times. May 15, 2008

You are who you eat

One of Robert Carlyle's best performances. Wildly entertaining movie involving cannibalism and survival. I nearly became a vegetarian after watching this movie. March 30, 2008

You are who you EAT!!!!

Here is a film that is the perfect example of a cult classic. A film that was never great at the box office but still has a huge amount of fans. Lets look at the ingredients of this masterpiece. First of all, it's set during the Spanish-American War of the 1840's, a setting that is almost never, ever used at all. Second, the cast is a strange mix of great actors and not so great actors. Guy Pierce as a man trying to get away from forced cannibalism and being on the edge of sanity all the time. Robert Carlyle is fantastic as a Cannibal that would make Hannibal proud. He makes the horrible idea of eating humans not only entertaining but also intelectual!! Finally the action is strange, funny and intense. Why this movie sucked at the box office is a mystery. March 7, 2008

Ravenous review

This is a great flick! Kinda like a cult movie....if you know about it, you either got grossed out or love it!!!! Recommend to fans of 'Saw' February 23, 2008

BLOODY, GORY AND BRILLIANT MOVIE!! A++++++++

RAVENOUS IS ONE OF THE GREAT GORY FILMS THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE FOR YOUR DVD COLLECTION.THE REASON WHY THIS IS SO GOOD IS BECAUSE FOR ANY HORROR FAN YOU WILL LOVE THE BRILLIANT SPECIAL MAKE UP EFXS BY THE KNB GROUPS AND THE BRILLIANT PERFORMANCES IN THIS MOVIE ESPECIALLY GUY PEARCE. YOU WILL ENJOY THE GORE, THE SCARY MUSIC,AND MOST OF ALL THIS IS ONE OF THOSE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIES THAT WILL SHOULD BE IN YOUR DVD COLLECTION IT IS WORTH THE BUY AND IT IS THE AMAZING AND A MUST SEE!! November 2, 2007

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