Cannibal Ferox (1981): Yell! Magazine’s Classics of Exploitation Series

Yell! Review

Along with other Italian directors (most notably Ruggero Deodato), Umberto Lenzi challenged movie watchers and their tolerance for gore with a series of movies that dealt with cannibalism. The subgenre became famous worldwide for its animal cruelty (you see a large turtle being hacked apart and various other jungle creatures being disemboweled) and its graphic depiction of rape, torture, and the eating of human flesh. Although Deodado’s film Cannibal Holocaust (1980) is the subgenre’s crowning achievement, Lenzi’s movies, including Cannibal Ferox, gave it a run for its money. Not for the faint of heart, Cannibal Ferox is disgusting and brutal.