Make Them Die Slowly

Rating:
Summary: Average Old Cannibal Film: Didn't Live Up To The Hype
Review: Banned in 31 countries? Most violent gore film of all time?

Unfortunately I missed out on this film during it's initial run and have just only seen it for the first time on this DVD. It was recommended to me through a friend.

A dated film that has an interesting enough story, but of course with hype like I previously mentioned, I was in it for some racy stuff.

I had heard that real animals were killed in this film so I wasn't really looking forward to those scenes and they may have disturbed me, but with just two major animal death scenes, it wasn't much, and they weren't badly tortured either which was fine for me.

I waited for the cannibalism, and human torture in the film. Halfway through it you finally get a little. Cutting off genitals and eating them, etc. suppose this should have been gruesome for me but so many other films I have already seen up to now have had this or even worse in them. The only scene I thought was neat was the death of the blonde by an interesting impaling.

Still, I am happy I know what people are talking about now when they mention this film. There are so many other films old and new that I can ramble off that have increased the 'shock' value that this film must have had during it's initial release. Films like Bloodsucking Freaks, and others come to mind.

I'm sure it was shocking at the time, now it's a conversation piece and getting pretty dated.

Rating:
Summary: A good transfer to DVD for a classic exploitation film
Review: Cannibal Ferox is one of the most infamous & notorious films, and its transfer to DVD is accomplished. The film is about a woman, her brother and another female companion, who venture into the Amazon region to study cannibalism. While there they meet a drugged-up crazy guy and his friend (on the run having stole money from a drug gang in New York) who have previously terroised the natives. Then the natives seek revenge, and the unfortunate trio are in the thick of it.

The gory bits include 'Mike's Member Whacked and Eaten' (that's how the scene is described on the DVD chapter menu) and chapter 44: 'Pat Hangs Out', a woman is hung up by hooks through her breasts, plus chapter 45: 'Brain Hors d'Oeuvres', Mike has the top of his head sliced off and his brain eaten.

The DVD is well presented. The menus are good. When you open one menu you are presented with Mike having his head chopped off, then put back on by a cannibal's spear. Also included is an interview with director Umberto Lenzi, although he speaks mostly Italian in it, even though he is questioned in English. There is also a commentary track from Lenzi and John Morghen, who plays Mike, who admits he hates the film. There is an excellant lengthy segment showing stills, posters and photos took making the film. It rolls automatically at a nice pace, a neat idea. There is even a hidden easter egg showing the film being shown at a theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, with interviews with some fans of the film. The picture is in widescreen and clear, and the sound in stereo is good, especially during the electro music scenes. All in all, a good DVD transfer of a pure exploitation film.

Rating:
Summary: For what they have done... Make them die slowly
Review: Graphic and Disturbing it may be, but may still be praised only by hardcore fans of Italian gore cinema. No one really watches a cannibal movie to be touched, or moved (maybe a move to the bathroom or kitchen sink), but to see graphic violence. Cannibal Ferox... banned in 31 countires, sure does deliever the goods on the gore front. Plot: basically ripped from Lenzi's previous cannibal epics. Acting: since this is a low budget italian cannibal film, that term is used loosely. All in all, if you're a fan of extreme cinema and italian horror, you'll like Cannibal Ferox. If you are a fan of Scream or I know what you did last summer, you will hate Cannibal Ferox. Simple as that.