Italian exploitation legend Umberto Lenzi birthed the cannibal subgenre of Italian horror with Deep River Savages, but he turned out one of the so-called classics of the genre with this 1981 effort, a blunt, brutal story of five New Yorkers who face the wrath of angry Amazon cannibals. Three completely clueless would-be anthropologists set out to disprove the racist myth of tribal cannibalism perpetuated by colonial Europeans. Turning a blind eye to danger at every turn, they join up with a pair of drug-crazed psychos on the run from supposed cannibals (in truth, the reign of terror has been perpetrated solely by greedy Americans) and then wait patiently for the bloody vengeance of the tribal survivors. Lenzi is no stylist, and his attempts at irony are crude at best, but he delivers all he promises (or threatens): evisceration, emasculation, gouged eyeballs, and a sick twist on the initiation scene from A Man Called Horse. His generous budget allowed him to shoot on location in South America and New York (where a police detective searches for the homicidal drug dealer in a subplot) and lavish attention on his carnage, elevating it to near cult status. More than simply gory, this is a sadistic, cynical, mean-spirited film, for hardcore fans of the genre only.
Lenzi and star John Morghen (the only animated actor in the otherwise flat cast) offer commentary on an alternate track, but Lenzi is all but unintelligible through his thick accent at times. A supplemental interview with Lenzi is helpfully translated by his interviewer. --Sean Axmaker
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Pleasantly Surprised Comment: After watching the movie and reading some of the reviews here, it has me a bit puzzled as to what movie some of these people were watching. This movie, considering it was made in the early 80's and on a budget of next to nothing, is excellent. This is what the horror genre should strive to be once again and I think there is a renaissance of sorts coming in the genre. The special effects are first rate and very realistic, especially when you consider that the technology of the period was nothing like it is now and the low budget this flick was made off of. The plot is okay and the acting is pretty good especially with all things considered. The scenery was beautiful
Despite the fact I was surprised by the lack of violence(I was expecting some seriously hard core stuff), the movie overall was pretty good. The main characters, the cannibals, the setting.
Will watch again in the future Customer Rating: Summary: excellent!!!! Comment: I don't care what Eli Roth says about Cannibal Holocaust - this film is by far superior. For what it is - this is the best of its kind. I remember renting it as a teenager with my best friend from a suncoast video store (we didn't even need a parent to rent it, mind you) and we were blown away. If you want more details - read on one of the many reviews listed here . . . awesome, check it out! Customer Rating: Summary: Loads of gore... but not the best movie. Comment: 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. Customer Rating: Summary: A Cannibal Classic Comment: 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! Customer Rating: Summary: Gore is served Comment: 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.
