Obviously, this is a film truly inspired by the brief cannibal craze of the late 70's and early 80's. The film calls back to classics like Cannibal Ferox and Cannibal Holocaust. However, this film has the technology to fully flush out the genre. This gross-out horror film, from the master of sleaze, is a perfect fit for the overly-saturated PG-13 era of horror that we live in. The film is as beautiful as it is revolting. It's definitely worth a watch. If you're brave enough.
A group of young college kids go on a protest trip to South America. Their goal is to protest the destruction of the rain forest in Peru and stop a demolition company from its work. Nothing goes right from the start. Justine, the main character, is set-up and used by their guide and leader, Alejandro. They manage to accomplish their goal but end up being stranded after a plane crash on their return trip. The survivors of the trip are found by a cannibalistic tribe that seems more than excited to eat them. The film showcases their attempts to survive and struggle to escape death.
This is the kind of horror movie that makes you dig your fingernails into the couch cushion. Thanks to Eli Roth, parts of this movie are really hard to watch. It gets really intense really fast. The reality of the situation sits right over your head the entire film. Some scenes are really uneasy and really hard to digest, pardon the pun. I guess I am trying to tell you not to eat dinner when your watching this. It won't go over well.
The characters are pretty flushed out. They could have done with a little bit more development. I guess that point is moot when your characters are getting their guts ripped out part-way through the film. The tribe is great. They are terrifying and interesting all at the same time. Director Eli Roth even used a real tribe in Peru to help as extras and film crew. This really adds to the picture. Plus the cinematography is fantastic. Really beautiful. The rain forest is just a fantastic place, that is countered with the violence and calculated gore. It's a good mix.
This movie is like Apocalyptico with no scruples. If you have seen Cannibal Holocaust then you might be more comfortable than someone without any context. This movie isn't for those with a feint heart or stomach. During a screening of this on the indy circuit someone in the audience passed out due to fright. That's nuts.
This climate needs directors like Eli Roth to keep the horror movie ship on an even keel. We are too uptight about what we watch on television now. It's been like that for years but it's just the way the world is working. Movies that push buttons and boundaries are constantly evolving the product and that is a good thing. Horror is in a major slump. We are shoveling through family friendly crap and a lot of remakes, just to find some sort of diamond in the rough. Thank god for the purists like Roth who keep the genre in perspective. Watch The Green Inferno with friends and be happy that they squirm and fidget. That is what the movie was made for.
Director: Eli Roth
Starring: Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Daryl Sabara, and Kirby Bliss Blanton
Style: Extreme Graphic Natural Horror
Country: USA
Studio: World Entertainment
Did ya know?
The film's moral decline is inspired by the degraded descent of the protagonists of Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust (1980), whereas the violence and karmic playout owes to the less controversial Cannibal Ferox (1981) for it's inspiration.
While the whole cast suffered from bug bites, Kirby Bliss Blanton had to be hospitalized.
According to the film's trailer, the Peruvian jungle natives who will appear in the movie have never been filmed or photographed by any Westerners before.
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