Cannibal Ferox (1983)

Loads of gore... but not the best movie.

People looking for blood, guts, and mutilation will find it all in this movie. This is one of those "must watch" movies for horror fans and anyone who likes to be grossed-out. But this has nothing else to offer than that. it's a poor movie overall and it lacks any social commentary. This is a legendary movie because of the scenes where genitals and breasts are mutilated. Fun to watch once, like many horror movies of this genre, but not really a quality film. July 14, 2008

A Cannibal Classic

If there's any film from the Cannibal genre that's comparable in gore/hype to Cannibal Holocaust, it has to be this one, Cannibal Ferox. Truthfully the two films are more the same than they are different, but depending on what you look for in a movie you could favor either one over the other. As for Ferox, this one doesn't bother much with underlying messages of the cruelty and savagery of civilized man. Instead it's more of the sky-is-the-limit gore, torture, and nudity with little emphasis on the story and messages.

In short, a brother and sister team of anthropologists along with a friend venture into the jungles to disprove the idea of cannibalism altogether. When they become lost, they have a run in with a fellow explorer named Mike along with his colleague who tell the tale of the brutal and savage cannibal tribes. However when they take refuge in the natives town, the truth begins to unravel about who was the violent and cruel one. The frightened and untrusting natives then attack and administer revenge on this group of strangers.

The movie is pretty straight forward, loads of gore keep the entertainment value high and you don't have to think to hard to keep up with this one. Surprisingly the animal cruelty was just as abundant here as it was in Cannibal Holocaust including detailed footage of a small mammal being crushed and consumed by an enourmous snake, a familiar looking scene involving a large turtle, and even some natives feasting on the innards of a small alligator. However, the mood is never as dark or ominous as it is in Holocaust, mostly due to the trademark low budget cannibal flick feel throughout. Not to mention the super cheesy score that had me grinning ear to ear.

The only thing that slowed this movie down is a completely unnecessary subplot about a drug dealer that takes place in New York. It explains why one of the characters ended up in the jungle in the first place, but absolutely nothing else as you'll come to find. Other than that this was a great cannibal movie and an asset to the genre. Shocking and gory? To the die-hard and thoroughly jaded horror fan, not by a longshot. But to anybody not accustomed to this type of film, Ferox is gauranteed to disgust. Enjoy! June 19, 2008

Gore is served

Filmed on location. Banned in 31 countries. This cult masterpiece shoves you through the meat grinder and makes some brain burger patties. This is some relentless brutality from the man who invented the cannibal sub-genre of horror. If gore is your appetite, this is your buffet. Dig in.
Of course there are gonna be comparisons to Cannibal Holocaust. I can say, without hesitation, without flinching, without remorse--THIS is the more entertaining depiction of savage torture and vicious cruelty (oh no, I can hear my gore bros sharpening their machetes now).
Now, Ferox doesn't have the clever script, dialogue, and acting like in The Caust. Ferox also tries to intertwine a drug dealer subplot that seems a little unneccessary. But I think it does better unleash the grisly nature of violence in grotesque fashion. Decapitations, castrations, flesh devouring--that's what I wanna see in this type of film, and Ferox does it best. I could have done without the animal cruelty though.

Gore is king in the cannibal realm, and Ferox sits on the throne. May 4, 2008

One Of The Best

Cannibal Ferox has continued to shock people since it's debut in 1981 in Italy as "Cannibal Ferox" and in America as "Make Them Die Slowly", Cannibal Ferox quickly became an underground hit at arthouse theaters and was considered a cult classic. A good version of Cannibal Ferox has been eagerly sought after Gorehound's and Horror fans alike for years, Instead of the grainy hard to find VHS copy. Finally we have access to a very good quality release of a cult masterpiece from the great Italian director Umberto Lenzi.

Giovani Lambardo Radice also know as John Morgen in the US stars in this film, doing an excellent job at playing a criminal. His performance has been praised by horror fans alike but John himself regrets his role in this film, because of the "Animal Violence" that he particapted in. He also is not fond of Umberto Lenzi, Any horror or cannibal fan who has not seen this is missing out on one of the greatest Italian events in history. If you are thinking about buying it, by all means do. You will not regret it (If you are into other films of this genre).

One of my personal favorites of all time.

Hopefully you will have the same opinion of it.

I hope this helps. December 27, 2007

That other cannibal movie....

This is more of a "gorehound" film, in that the dialogue is cheesy along with the gore, so you can laugh it off. You can't do that with Cannibal Holocaust, which owns this genre's a**, so to speak. I've seen this film twice, and the first time, it's kind of effective. The dubbing and acting are terrible, but there's a sense of doom to the film, and the gore is pretty intense. But after seeing the 2nd time, and seeing Cannibal Holocaust, Ferox isn't as good as Holocaust, and the flaws it has are more apparent. If you want a cannibal film that really doesn't make you think or challenge you, take this one. If you want a visceral, unforgettable experience with a cannibal film, rent Cannibal Holocaust. October 11, 2007

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