A film that made its mark, for better or worse, Cannibal Holocaust quickly became the most talked-about entry in the cannibal subgenre, even following Ruggero Deodato's earlier Last Cannibal World. Upon release, it sparked intense backlash and heavy censorship, largely due to its graphic depiction of real animal killings, leading to bans in several countries and severely cut versions in others.
The premise is deceptively simple: a group of journalists ventures deep into the Amazon rainforest to document a tribe rumored to practice cannibalism, only to vanish without a trace. A second reporter heads into the jungle to uncover what happened, discovering nothing but stripped skeletons and their abandoned camera. Back in New York, the recovered footage reveals the horrifying truth behind their fate.
I won't get into easy moral arguments about whether scenes of animal violence should have been shown at the time.
That said, Ruggero Deodato delivers a solid and well-crafted film, built around a young cast, among them Luca Barbareschi, who would go on to have the most prominent career, especially on television. Riz Ortolani's score blends effectively with the naturalistic setting, while Deodato’s confident direction gives the film a strong visual identity. The result is a small but essential watch for fans of cannibal cinema and horror in general.
Review by Maxena
