Personally I can think of 30 or so films from the same ‘jungle’ genre as Cannibal Holocaust
(Ruggero Deodato, 1979) but none can touch it in terms of shock value and atmosphere. Take a
film like Make Them Die Slowly (Unberto Lenzi, 1981), this has just as much gore as Deodato’s
opus but it has nothing like the atmosphere or tension.
So why is this? What makes Cannibal Holocaust stand out so clearly from the crowd? Well it is a
culmination of a number of things; camerawork, acting, script etc, each of these factors plays a
huge role in creating the quintessential Cannibal movie.
Firstly let’s look at camerawork. Everyone congratulated the Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick,
Eduardo Sanchez, 1999) for its pioneering use of a camcorder, but the idea of filming the
character’s point of view from a camcorder was being used as long ago as 1979. Cannibal
Holocaust uses this technique to place the audience in the thick of the action so we feel
everything and see everything that the characters do. At no point are we given a privileged
view, we are given no hints as to what is about to happen, we just have to take it as it comes.
This idea is basically playing on the human fear of the unknown and is one of the main techniques
that creates a unique feel in this film.
The camerawork is deliberately rough; lack of sound, distortion of footage etc and this all helps
to create a hugely realist film. Deodato has created a film that not only draws the audience in
with its PoV shots and claustrophobic camerawork but once your there he also makes it incredibly
real, thus heightening the shock value to maximum.
The lighting used in conjunction with the camerawork is also very interesting to look at, it
reminds me somewhat of Mike Leigh’s films. I know that sounds strange but the way in which the
actors are left to do the work on camerawork as opposed to the camerawork doing the work for them
is completely like Mike Leigh’s movies, in particular Secrets and Lies (Mike Leigh, 1996). The
lighting is used to back this up, it is not used to highlight people or items or to try and mould
the audiences view of a camera. It is instead very natural and basic and this backs up the idea
of realism that is so prominent within this movie.
The script itself is also of a high quality. The dialogue is realistic and the tribes are
depicted as truly as possible, there is none of the butterfly or maggot eating from Cannibal
Ferox and none of the stupid lines that dogged that movie. Deodato clearly recognises the
importance of realism within horror. I am a firm believer that the more realistic a horror is
the more shocking/scary it is. I say this because you can have all the gore in the world and all
the shocking ideas but if they are presented in a kitsch, camp sort of a way (as Lenzi does in
Ferox) then the affect is totally killed. Anyway, back to the script. Deodato obviously
researched this script thoroughly and used all the experience he had picked up from earlier
ventures into the jungle (see Jungle Holocaust (Ruggero Deodato, 1977).) There are a number of
ritualistic punishments and events that have clearly been looked into and the tribesman
themselves not only look great but also act beautifully.
The tribesman aren’t the only people that put in a good performance either, the main characters
all put in strong performances. Robert Kerman for example plays his role with style and
experience and is totally believable as the professor. Basically Deodato creates a number of
memorable and strong characters. The only criticism I could ever see anyone levelling at it
being that the characters in the second half of the film; Jack, Faye etc are a little over the
top, maybe slightly clichéd. In all honesty though this wasn’t a problem at all while watching
the film, the characters may be a little OTT but they aren’t exactly on the same level as
Giovanni Lombardo Radice’s character in Ferox. Basically all the characters are fairly
believable and hugely engrossing, the scene where the crew film a woman impaled on a stake
particularly stuck in my mind. As they film the shocking scene one of the crew members can’t
stop smurking, ‘quiet, we’re filming’ he is told and suddenly he spurts out a speech along the
lines of ‘my god…it’s horrific.’ This complete lack of morals is one of the more unrealistic
part of the characters but also the part that makes them so unpopular with the audience and what
makes the final scenes of revenge so much more gratifying.
The final scenes are also notable for their music. The theme tune of Cannibal Holocaust is one
of the most emotional and upsetting tunes I have heard in any movie and it really enhances the
sections it is featured in. Riz Ortolani did an amazing job with the music in this film, all the
tunes used are incredibly atmospheric, they are quiet and sombre, completely unlike most horror
films. Seeing a woman raped and decapitated to this music is one of the most surreal experiences
I have ever had during a film. This is hard to explain, but the use of seemingly out of place
music (as in a Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrik, 1971)) works to create an amazing atmosphere.
It reminds me somewhat of a funeral, the music is sombre and relaxing almost but the content
behind it and the reason for it is death. A strange contrast.
It is impossible to write a review of Cannibal Holocaust without mentioning the gore. To many
people this may be the only reason to buy this film (believe me it’s not), but this just
illustrates how highly effective it is. There are dozens of truly horrific scenes in this film,
from the mutilation of a turtle and the killing and eating of a monkey to the killing of a baby
and the rape of a number of women. This really is truly hardcore stuff. The best thing about
the gore in this movie is that although there are huge amounts, none of it seems out of place,
all of it is somehow developing the narrative or the characters. For example there is a shooting
of a pig by one of the team members which seems totally unnecessary, but it is simply being used
to evolve the character and show the audience how ruthless he is. This is due to the great
script from Deodato and some great editing.
It is clear that a lot of time has been spent on designing the gore in Cannibal Holocaust, the
castration scene for example is incredibly (and somewhat worryingly) realistic. Also, the use of
real animals for the death scenes is a good if somewhat illegal technique. According to rumour
Deodato picked up a turtle from a local market to use in the film, and whether you agree with it
or not it does enhance the scene, because it allows the violence to be incredibly graphic.
A question I’ve wondered about in the past is, would Cannibal Holocaust have had the same impact
without the gore? The answer is probably no, it would retain a large part of it because so much
of the impact comes from the music and the camera positioning but the fact is the most shocking
scenes do involve gore. Everything works together, the film doesn’t rely on just one thing to
create shock but rather a collection of techniques working together.
Basically Cannibal Holocaust is one of the best made horror films I have ever seen. It is
totally seemless throughout and has one of the most amazing atmospheres I have ever seen. It is
one the film that you feel compelled to watch in silence, no matter how many people you are with.
A work of art.
End Sequence
Adulteress’ Punishment