Blu-ray Review – Cannibal Ferox

A member of the Italian cannibal subgenre popularized in the 1970s and '80s, "Cannibal Ferox" is a particularly aggressive production out to draw attention to itself through gruesome acts of violence, both real and fictionalized. Emerging a year after "Cannibal Holocaust" created a publicity and legal hullaballoo, the 1981 feature is clearly out to up the stakes in terms of brutality, returning to the Amazon with a similar thesis on the toxic influence of the white man on indigenous tribes. Filmmaking finesse isn't invited to the party, but "Cannibal Ferox" has a distinct way of creating nightmares, with its emphasis on gore and suffering giving the feature an identity when storytelling is politely ignored. There's plenty here to loathe, including some appalling directorial decisions from Umberto Lenzi, but as an exploitation effort with simplistic creative goals, the movie secures its place as a perfectly serviceable horror show, with plenty of blood and guts to share with viewers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com