Many of the "grindhouse" films of the seventies and early eighties are known for their reputation and that's where anything of value normally ends, such is not the case with Cannibal Ferox, one of the more notorious films in the cannibal subgenre. It does live up to the gore, sleaze and downright nastiness that it promises, but it also delivers a well written film that more than a few of the "acceptable" modern horrors borrow extensively from.

That praise aside, it would be inappropriate to suggest Cannibal Ferox to a casual horror fan - assuming one could refer to Ferox as a horror film. While it contains many interesting ideas, it is still an exploitation film, and I feel obligated to warn any readers who's interest might be piqued by one of the more "forbidden" movies about a few things. First, the movie contains a number of scenes of animals being killed - both by other animals (a large rodent is tied to a pole and fed to a python) and the cannibals (a tortoise is smashed open while still alive and has it's extremities cut off/it's inards scooped out). There are two scenes of men being castrated which unflinchingly show the entire ordeal, and there is the standard rape, beatings, murders, and of course the cannibalizations themselves. It's a lot to wade through, but I do believe the movie is worth it.

Like most cannibal films, Ferox involves a group of anthropologists searching for remaining cannibal tribes in the Amazon. Soon enough they run into a group of drug runners who've angered a a local tribe and they must escape before they become their next meal. Throughout the film the tribe goes from the hunted to the hunters, and of course it becomes a contest as to who really is a "savage".

As I said, it's a reach to call Cannibal Ferox a horror movie, which might have some questioning it's inclusion on this site. I do feel it's a worthwhile movie though, despite it's reliance on filth to be recognized. If you can stomach the unrelenting nature of the movie though, you just might feel the same way I do about it - if not, at least you can say you sat through it.

Review based on the uncensored version. (Red, 3/5/04)

Directed By: Umberto Lenzi.
Written By: Umberto Lenzi.

Starring: John Morghen, Lorraine De Selle, Danilo Mattei, Zora Kerowa.

aka: Make Them Die Slowly.