Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Ruggero Deodato, director of the shocking horror movie “Cannibal Holocaust,” which was so controversial it was banned in many countries, died on December 29, 2022 at the age of 83.

The 1980 film “Cannibal Holocaust” is considered one of the goriest movies of all time and cited as the first movie to use found footage. It was banned in several countries due to its graphic depictions of violence, sexual assault and animal cruelty. It is also the case that the director Deodato was arrested on obscenity charges. He was accused of murdering several actors on camera to achieve the level of realistic brutality, but he was later cleared and the charges were dropped. He directed other films throughout his career, but “Cannibal Holocaust” was his most famous and reached cult-classic status in the horror community. It also granted him the nickname “Monsieur Cannibal” in France.

“Cannibal Holocaust” is definitely the most watchable and enjoyable of the most disturbing movies ever made. I have seen it twice, once in full and once skipping only the infamous “turtle scene.”

On the one hand, I strongly suggest that everyone should watch it in full. But, on the other, the turtle scene is far and away the most repulsive thing in this film. For a casual horror viewer, I recommend skipping that part, because there is a lot to appreciate here even for those who do not care to see the film’s most notorious scene. Special effects are probably the all-time best, with some clear standout moments.

The film is shockingly engaging and it becomes more relevant today, too. Most of the other highly disturbing movies go a bit too far and are too distasteful, but Cannibal Holocaust is really the only one that meets the happy medium between unsettling and watchable.

As a fair warning, even with the turtle scene skipping strategy, you will still see some real animal cruelty. The turtle really is the worst one, and the tribespeople who were in the movie really did get to eat all of the animals killed, which makes it a bit more bearable even though it is still not good to see those scenes. On the whole, this film despite being genuinely disturbing is a masterpiece. I can safely say that it is one of the most powerful films I have seen.

This is a standalone film and cannot be compared with anything because there has never ever been anything else like it. People have attempted to do similar films but trust me they are not as good as this one. Cannibal Holocaust is a harrowing experience. Nowadays everyone talks about Human Centipede or A Serbian Film but this is the real movie. The second half of the film is where it turns into some of the saddest things that can be ever seen in a horror movie, it is cruel and unpleasant. The animal killings are in the uncut version, and I cannot but recommend that version to anyone with a strong stomach because it actually adds to the feel of it.

It may be a 44-year-old film but trust me, the uncut version is something no one will ever forget. It makes you wish that this film you wished you must not have watched. Having said that it’s technically an amazing movie and leaves everyone to wonder as to how it was actually filmed. The locations look almost impossible to shoot in and there is a unique quality that makes us feel that we are watching a documentary.

I love animals so I did not enjoy seeing those parts but the film itself is really worth watching. A very good film that has not aged over the time.

About the Author

Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.

What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.

Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com