Cannibal Holocaust
Directed by Ruggero Deodato
Italy 1980
Anime, tonight in Pandemonio, we welcome an absolute cult classic of Italian horror cinema, a globally renowned film that, 42 years after its release, remains a cornerstone of the cannibal movie genre.
Idolized by heavyweight directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth to name just a couple, it is still one of the most brutal films for its realism in extreme scenes.
Plot:
Four young people are sent to the Amazon by a television company to produce a documentary on the local tribes. After two months of complete silence, Professor Munro sets out to search for the missing crew, trying to retrace their steps. Once he finds the tapes shot by the team, he returns to the United States to review them, and only then does he uncover a horrific truth.
Thoughts
Cannibal Holocaust has sparked discussions, both positive and negative, across generations, and continues to maintain its aura of mystery and infamous reputation as a “cursed film.”
There are many reasons for this.
Initially, it was accused of being a snuff movie, but later it provoked waves of protest from animal rights activists and moralists, angered by the scenes in which real animals were killed.
This highly controversial choice automatically contributed to the film’s notoriety.
On the one hand, it undeniably “prepares the viewer” for the subsequent intense scenes of cannibalism with great realism. On the other hand, it sparked public protests and faced censorship attempts to boycott the film.
Despite these issues, which did not stop the film’s rise, there are other key moments that must be remembered.
The impaled corpse, rape, amputations, decapitations, cannibalism.
In short, this is a film that owes its fame to probably questionable stylistic choices, but ones that have established and defined clear boundaries in extreme cinema, both for social and moral messages.
From a technical standpoint, Deodato’s work borders on perfection, with his blending and alternating between traditional footage and a documentary style (which proved to be an innovative choice at the time).
The special effects are top-notch, adding an extra layer of realism to the film.
A final note on the delicate, dreamlike, but beautiful soundtrack by Riz Ortolani.
A light melody that contrasts with the weight of the violent images.
Pandemonic Moment
Among the many violent and gory moments, the scene of the impaled female corpse is iconic, with such a great realistic impact that it led to the director being put on trial and spending several weeks in jail.
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