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Italian exploitation legend Umberto Lenzi birthed the cannibal subgenre of Italian horror with Deep River Savages, but he turned outone of the so-called classics of the genre with this 1981 effort, a blunt,brutal story of five New Yorkers who face the wrath of angry Amazoncannibals. Three completely clueless would-be anthropologists set out todisprove the racist myth of tribal cannibalism perpetuated by colonialEuropeans. Turning a blind eye to danger at every turn, they join up with apair of drug-crazed psychos on the run from supposed cannibals (in truth, thereign of terror has been perpetrated solely by greedy Americans) and thenwait patiently for the bloody vengeance of the tribal survivors. Lenzi is nostylist, and his attempts at irony are crude at best, but he delivers all hepromises (or threatens): evisceration, emasculation, gouged eyeballs, and asick twist on the initiation scene from A Man Called Horse. Hisgenerous budget allowed him to shoot on location in South America and NewYork (where a police detective searches for the homicidal drug dealer in asubplot) and lavish attention on his carnage, elevating it to near cultstatus. More than simply gory, this is a sadistic, cynical, mean-spiritedfilm, for hardcore fans of the genre only.

Lenzi and star John Morghen (the only animated actor in the otherwise flatcast) offer commentary on an alternate track, but Lenzi is all butunintelligible through his thick accent at times. A supplemental interviewwith Lenzi is helpfully translated by his interviewer. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (70)

A good transfer to DVD for a classic exploitation film
Cannibal Ferox is one of the most infamous & notorious films, and its transfer to DVD is accomplished. The film is about a woman, her brother and another female companion, who venture into the Amazon region to study cannibalism. While there they meet a drugged-up crazy guy and his friend (on the run having stole money from a drug gang in New York) who have previously terroised the natives. Then the natives seek revenge, and the unfortunate trio are in the thick of it.

The gory bits include 'Mike's Member Whacked and Eaten' (that's how the scene is described on the DVD chapter menu) and chapter 44: 'Pat Hangs Out', a woman is hung up by hooks through her breasts, plus chapter 45: 'Brain Hors d'Oeuvres', Mike has the top of his head sliced off and his brain eaten.

The DVD is well presented. The menus are good. When you open one menu you are presented with Mike having his head chopped off, then put back on by a cannibal's spear. Also included is an interview with director Umberto Lenzi, although he speaks mostly Italian in it, even though he is questioned in English. There is also a commentary track from Lenzi and John Morghen, who plays Mike, who admits he hates the film. There is an excellant lengthy segment showing stills, posters and photos took making the film. It rolls automatically at a nice pace, a neat idea. There is even a hidden easter egg showing the film being shown at a theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, with interviews with some fans of the film. The picture is in widescreen and clear, and the sound in stereo is good, especially during the electro music scenes. All in all, a good DVD transfer of a pure exploitation film.

Average Old Cannibal Film: Didn't Live Up To The Hype
Banned in 31 countries? Most violent gore film of all time?

Unfortunately I missed out on this film during it's initial run and have just only seen it for the first time on this DVD. It was recommended to me through a friend.

A dated film that has an interesting enough story, but of course with hype like I previously mentioned, I was in it for some racy stuff.

I had heard that real animals were killed in this film so I wasn't really looking forward to those scenes and they may have disturbed me, but with just two major animal death scenes, it wasn't much, and they weren't badly tortured either which was fine for me.

I waited for the cannibalism, and human torture in the film. Halfway through it you finally get a little. Cutting off genitals and eating them, etc. suppose this should have been gruesome for me but so many other films I have already seen up to now have had this or even worse in them. The only scene I thought was neat was the death of the blonde by an interesting impaling.

Still, I am happy I know what people are talking about now when they mention this film. There are so many other films old and new that I can ramble off that have increased the 'shock' value that this film must have had during it's initial release. Films like Bloodsucking Freaks, and others come to mind.

I'm sure it was shocking at the time, now it's a conversation piece and getting pretty dated.

For what they have done... Make them die slowly
Graphic and Disturbing it may be, but may still be praised only by hardcore fans of Italian gore cinema. No one really watches a cannibal movie to be touched, or moved (maybe a move to the bathroom or kitchen sink), but to see graphic violence. Cannibal Ferox... banned in 31 countires, sure does deliever the goods on the gore front. Plot: basically ripped from Lenzi's previous cannibal epics. Acting: since this is a low budget italian cannibal film, that term is used loosely. All in all, if you're a fan of extreme cinema and italian horror, you'll like Cannibal Ferox. If you are a fan of Scream or I know what you did last summer, you will hate Cannibal Ferox. Simple as that.

for people who hate animals and love castration.
well now, i rented this movie out of curiousity. The cover intrigued me. I love horror movies. This movie is not what I thought it was. The MUSIC IS ANNOYING. The dialogue is too dumb to be shocking. the way they dubbed it is very sub-par. and the animals look like they are really suffering. I am not in Peta, but, this movie overdoes it with the animals. it seems linda like they put it in there only as a filler, or t shock people. and them comes the castraion. ew. i really wanted to see that [person]bastard get his. but, all the torture in this movie makes me question my own integrity in renting a movie simply because of the cover. Torture in this movie is not acted well at all. Theres hardly any cannibalism. theres some, but not enough. the end result of the hot blonde chick is disgusting,(...). nice. i would not recommend this to anyone unless u hate aminals and love watching pretty people get hurt. no one has mentioned the over-used curse words. but holy hell, the TW word and the CU word are synonimous for BAD MOVIE!!!!

ZZZZZZ.....Bore them to Death Slowly.....ZZZZZZ !!
Absolutely, boring (and over-rated) Italian made drivel about mafia gangsters, cocaine addicts, cannibalism & wild animals attacking each other ! I bought this supposedly "shocker to end all shocker" DVD based on it's grisly, cult reputation, and boy, what a let down ! As for all the film critics & fans who rate "Cannibal Ferox" as some "gut churning, mind blowing, nerve shattering experience", they are obviously used to watching tamer, family movies like "The Care Bears" & "Hambone & Hilly". Hey, don't get me wrong.....I love Italian zombie / cannibalism / horror films, but this film is hugely overrated in terms of shock value, and reputation.

Most of the "sadistic brutality" in this film consisted of footage of jungle animals attacking each other for a meal. BIG DEAL ! Anyone watching "The Crocodile Hunter", or a National Geographic special about Africa or the Amazon on the History Channel, will see the same sort of thing and the photography & commentary is much, much more entertaining !!!! The acting is woeful, even by Italian shock movie standards....and the special effects are very crude & amatuerish....looks like the effects department just threw around a lot of spaghetti bolognaise & chicken gizzards on the cast members to simulate them being disemboweled. The "South American Indians" in this film are an absolute hoot.....they all stand around like silent, granite statues ( whilst the Italian members of the cast are all wildy over acting ), they never exhibit any emotion ( except when they are dining on the bolognaise & chicken innards), and they all look they've been dusted down with bags of talcum powder ????

I'm giving this DVD two stars, instead of only one, as Grindhouse Releasing have put together plenty of additional features to supplement the main movie including interviews/audio commentary with the director Umberto Lenzi, foreign trailers, plenty of production stills & liner notes. So, even though I'm not going to give the film a thumbs up, the DVD is good value for the well featured extras menu.

From my experience, if you want to watch better made European cult films to turn your stomach & shock your unsuspecting friends try Jorge Grau's excellent "Let the Sleeping Corpses Lie", Lucio Fulci's living dead epic, "Zombie", Piero Pasolini's tirade against fascism, "Salo: 120 Days of Sodom" or Corali's violent sexfest "Baise-Moi". ... Read more

Reviews (8)

An Adorable Film
Eaten Alive - Another film from Umberto Lenzi, famed director of Cannibal Ferox. This one is about a beautiful blonde-haired bombshell who is searching for her sister in the jungle. She gets help from an adventurous Indiana Jones type guy just a lot less cartoony. On their way they see a display of cannibalism before them from a local tribe and are understandably frightened by this and now want to get as far away from this area as possible. They are soon captured though by a tribe, but they soon find out it isn't the cannibal tribe but one that her sister belongs to, that has a good number of english-speaking Americans in it. They are brought to the tribe's town that they live in and protect from the cannibals inhabiting the surrounding jungle. The tribe's leader is an American who believes in "purification" and such, something to do with cleansing yourself. For instance no alcohol is allowed in this place and if this guy finds you with it, consider yourself next to be carted out of the place, given a gun and a flashlight and then told "good luck with the cannibals". There is a funeral procession occuring and the main character, miss blonde bombshell, spots her brunnette sister as part of the procession. They watch as the widow of the man the funeral is for is systematically screwed by her three brother-in-laws to "break the ties of marriage". Afterwards our protagonist finally gets a chance to speak with her sister and her sister seems rather adamant about being a part of this tribe and not wanting to leave. Pretty soon our protagonist and the Indiana Jones type dude with her are called for a meeting with everyone else, and everyone is given some odd drink. Indiana Jones dude is given it but refuses to drink saying it's drugged. For this he is tied up and made a prisoner. The blonde drinks it willingly and soon goes into an almost catatonic daze where she follows orders obediently and the ruler of this tribe takes her up to his rooms where he snaps a snake in half spilling it's blood all over a long cylindular object, a dildo. He then begins violently shoving it into our blonde protagonist. All the while the best music you heard in Cannibal Ferox is playing right here. It was this music and the impact of this scene(despite not graphically showing the dildo penetrating her) that got me completely into this movie from this point on. This film has a lot of similiarites to Ferox besides the same music in certain scenes, and those that were fans of it won't be dissapointed. The climax of this one is simply amazing, probably mostly because it was women being butchered and eaten instead of guys this time. Both are amazing films of the highest caliber of horror movie. Both come very highly recommended from me.

Inspired by Amazon review
I was inspired by Bill Eyeball to buy this one. He writes that he bought this tape and "(his) reward was watching two women being butchered alive." I guess that goes with the title. Fun film, in a hokey politically-correct sort of way. I fell asleep a couple of times (there's a plot), but whenever I woke up I was rewarded by something being tortured or killed. It brought back happy memories of my youth working in the hog slaughterhouse.

HORRIBLE, yet hilarious
This movie stunk so bad I could almost see the stink lines streaming out from my television. However, it certainly made me laugh. Oh, the easily offended need not apply for this one, which is full of nudity, senseless killings and even REAL animal torture. If you ARE into Troma or just exploitation films in general, CHECK THIS OUT. It is awful, yet also AWFUL FUNNY.

Uuhh... to much footage, no realtion, weak in concept
I bought it as additional collection for my recent "Cannibal Holocaust" and "Jungle Holocaust". But I didn't get anything exciting or at least different.

This movie just inspired by Jim Jones's suicide cult in Guyana. Cannibal rites is just cosmetic. It even doesn't related to the story. The worst are, there are many animal killing and other movie footage. I even can recognize cannibal rites footage from Jungle Holocaust I own. Miserable!!!

Cannibal Smorgasbord
Lovely heroine Janet Agren tracks her missing sister to the wilds of New Guinea and hires hard-drinking adventurer Robert Kerman to help get her out. There's double jeopardy this time around--not only is sister Paola Senatore part of a fanatical Jim Jones-style cult, but the jungle surrounding the cult's compound is teeming with hungry cannibals, complete with the usual grungy faces and Ramones-style wigs. On the Minus side--like many DVDs, this suffers from exteriors that are way too bright, with some outdoor scenes almost white--not a good thing considering how many outdoor scenes there are. In the Plus column--the late great Ivan Rassimov gnashes the scenery as fanatical cult leader Jonas, and the cannibals give us gorehounds our money's worth. This film is often held in contempt because many of the ritual butchery and cannibalism scenes were lifted from other movies, namely MAN FROM DEEP RIVER, JUNGLE HOLOCAUST and MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD. However, this makes EATEN ALIVE a sort of smorgasbord for cannibal fans, and if you can only own one of these gut-munchers maybe EATEN ALIVE/MANGIATI VIVI should be it. Yum yum, Eat'um UP!!! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

a classic little giallo!!!
seven blood stained orchids is a classic little giallo(murder mystery)no its nowhere near dario argento's deep red but it still is a classic.a giallo movie needs to make the viewer think that everyone and anyone could be the killer and or could be the guilty party.i do think that if your a fan of the genre you understand that its not a bad giallo film just because you may have guessed who the bad guy is before it ends.thats what a giallo is all about!!it keeps making you guess who and then second guess your self, if you geussed it wright you just got lucky!guessing it wright isnt so hard when you have a 5 or 6 potential bad guys!!!anyway this movie does make you try to guess who,like a giallo should!im not going to tell you anything in detail about the movie just that the black glove's and half moons are just a great slice from the 70's giallo genre.good corney budget murder scenes some decent sexy scenes classic umberto lenzi work!directing camera what ever...it was all good.i just loved it!! and im sure if your a true giallo fan you will enjoy having this CLASSIC LITTLE GIALLO in your collection.dvd comes out looking great!!hurry up and get this one before you cant anymore!!!!!

Decent Giallo for euro-trash fanatics
This 1971 giallo from Umberto Lenzi has never been released in the US in any form until this welcome Shriek Show release. The film itself is somewhat average as far as giallos go - the cinematography is nice, there's a black-gloved killer, some violent murder scenes (one with a power drill!), and some nudity to spice things up ---- but the mystery itself is pretty substandard and doesn't really have much punch. I also guessed the killer the first time that character appeared on screen - maybe I've just seen too many of these things.

Still, if you're a giallo fanatic or euro trash junkie, this disc is a no-brainer and you need to buy it. The anamorphic transfer looks great (bar some minor EE and shimmering around vertical lines or plaid clothing) and there's another great score by Riz Ortolani that will have you groovin' in no time. Extras include a 10 minute interview with Lenzi and a short interview with one of the female victims. Plus, the trailer and one for "Spasmo" and "Eaten Alive", liner notes, and a brief "art gallery".

So, it may not be one of the best giallos out there, but it still has a lot to offer. Check it out.

I can't believe this obscure giallo is on DVD.
This prime slice of Euro trash is arguably director Umberto Lenzi's (Make Them Die Slowly) best film. It's a giallo (murder mystery) from 1971 with enough plot twists, nudity, violence and atmosphere to keep a fan happy. It's doesn't approach the stylish quality of Mario Bava or Dario Argento's work but it's still fun.

The plot is actually coherent and exists as more than just window dressing for the set-pieces. The requisite leather gloved killer leaves silver half moons on his victims just after he's killed them in a typically brutal fashion (strangulation, bludegeoning, drilled). Pretty actors run around doing silly things to solve the mystery and it's actually tense and suspenseful in spots.

The disc is quite nice: clean print, solid anamorphic scope transfer. Brief interviews and on-screen liner notes compliment it. If you're a giallo fan this is a good buy. And it's a decent start for those with a burdgeoning interest in this odd, very compelling genre. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A Guilty Pleasure
This Italian-Spanish Made 1980 Science Fiction Horror action thriller is about an airplane that lands in Madrid but unknown to the military that the Passengers were contaminated with Radioactive waste turning them into Rotten-fleshed Blood Sucking Knife-weilding Vampire-like Zombies who go around the city sucking the blood of the living and causing death.

Yeh, the acting stinks so does the dialog and the plot maybe farfetched but this is a very fun movie that i liked, i have seen it in the cut version " City of the Walking Dead" but thinking of owning the Uncut DVD " Nightmare City". The Zombies do kind of look like " The Toxic Avenger" but more vicious, these aren't your kind of Romero/Fulci-Esque Zombies, these undead fiends who run fast, came from Radioactive material and are very intelligent. This is a true guilty pleasure that i enjoy, also good for fans of MST3K.

Similar movies recommended: Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Zombie, City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, Return of the Living Dead, Hell of the Living Dead, Resident Evil, C.H.U.D, Class of Nuke'Em High, Slugs, The Toxic Avenger, Alligator, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Scanners, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, The Rock, and From Dusk Till Dawn.

CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD suprising GOOD
I did not expect the movie to be this good for the price. Many twists & turns throughout with an unexpected ending. Worth the cheap cost of the video!

Laughably Bad Zombie Film
Nightmare City (aka City of the Walking Dead) is probably one of the worst zombie films EVER made. It induces unintentional laughter at times and provides much entertainment for the viewer trying to pick apart all the plot holes. The story begins with a mysterious C-130 with no identifying insignia (why the aircraft has none is never explained) that lands uninvited at an unnamed city airport. Soldiers and police surround the plane only to be attacked and dispatched rapidly by an army of living dead pouring off the transport aircraft. (At this point, one must give the film credit for making the zombies VERY fast and very intelligent. In fact, the zombies act smarter than the Civil Defense people in the city.) Departing from many zombie films, the zombies in Nightmare City survive by constant drinking of blood usually provided from a slashed throat. The film goes back to more traditional zombie film rules when it is learned that the only thing that can kill a zombie is a gunshot to the head. (In one of the film's many plot holes, a general is shown issuing orders for police and soldiers to shoot attacking zombies in the head but inexplicably hardly anyone does this.) The film then follows a reporter who desperately tries to rescue his wife from a hospital in danger of falling to the living dead. Then the pair try to flee the city.

For gore fans, there's precious little in this film. Most throats "slashed" open by the zombies hardly bleed at all. Anyone wanting a good storyline will be disappointed. About the only ones who won't be disappointed with this film will be diehard zombie enthusiasts. Still, it's not as bad as the awful Zombie 4: The Afterdeath.

Classic Horror Gem
This underground movie is awesomely entertaining. The fact is most reviewers discredit the film thinking that it is about fast running zombies. This is actually not accurate.

Basic Storyline:

Based on a true historical fact when an Italian countryside Nuclear Plant disaster caused a small population of people to become infected. Now this movie was based on this fact ( see DVD interview with Italian Director Umberto Lenzi ) speaking in his native language ( subtitled in English ) and Lenzi expounds on this premis and makes the infected a raging horde of fresh blood seeking cannibals who need the new blood transfusions because of their own contaminated blood. The raging and evolving infected ones, growing in numbers at an alarming rate, create an apocolyptic hysteria over the city with the two main characters on the run ( a tv station reporter and his doctor wife ). For what this is, a fast-paced, italian-horror-blood-squirting-fest, this is definitely an entertaining movie to add to your horror DVD collection for sure.

Again these are NOT zombies, but rather nuclear-disaster infected-people-turned-malicious-cannibals.

Great music and interesting locations.

LENZI'S zombie's are original!! GREAT little zombie flick!!!
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO SAY THIS ISN'T A TRUE ZOMBIE FLICK,because the zombie's in this movie arn't really dead they are living people who have been exposed to some type of toxic chemical that kills there blood cell's and makes them crave more blood.kind of like vampire/zombie but leaning way more towards the zombie genre.the makeup & style of LENZI'S zombies are much different than ROMERO'S OR FULCI'S zombies(which is somthing he did on purpose) thats one of the main reasons this movie is good because its original,NOT a carbon copy!!!no disrespect to the great FULCI or ROMERO they are geniuses(..)! its just that its nice and refreshing to see a different view of the zombie genre especialy when it was made back in the early 80's ("the hieght of zombie mania")anyway there is no BLUE PRINT for zombies no one ever said that zombies have to be dead(..)!my opinion is if you have got mass amounts of vicious blood thirsty mutated people that will only die from a bullet to the head or fire and there chasing you down and killing everything in its path,ID SAY YOU GOT YOUR SELF QUITE A ZOMBIE PROBLEM(..)!YES THIS IS A REAL ZOMBIE FLICK(..)!not your normal average everyday zombie flick but a great little zombie flick none the less(..)! saying this isn't a zombie flick is like saying that "SHOCK WAVES" & "28 DAYS LATER" isn't a zombie flick(..)!ZOMBIE FANS HURRY UP AND GET THIS AWESOME DVD IT HAS A COUPLE OF REAL COOL EXTRA'S GET IT BECAUSE GREAT LITTLE B ZOMBIE FLICKS LIKE THIS MAY NOT BE EASY TO FIND ONE DAY(..)!P.S.thanks for such a goofy cool and original zombie movie Mr Lenzi(..)! ... Read more

Description

The suspense classic by Umberto Lenzi is finally here.A young man traveling the Virginia Beach coastline picks up hitchhiking women in his camper.He forces them to take on the role of his dead mother, and if they cannot, he tortures and rapes them ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Demented like a FOX!!!!!!!!
Welcome to Spring Break is the best movie put out in nothing short of forever. I don't understand how others can degrade such a cinematic achievement. Think of when Ronnie Rivera dumps condoms on Skip Banacheck while telling some inapplicable parable about Easter (hiding some eggs perhaps). Think of drama like this, and realize the error of your ways. Think of the horror that springs into all hearts when the chilling heavy metal of the killer sounds. I most politely suggest that anyone who dislikes this movie think of the extended wet t-shirt contest. How can anyone resist the beauty of Welcome to Spring Break? Skip the others and get to the movie right chea, as it is better than the disturbingly passionate twist put on marriage by Hemingway in The Garden of Eden. It's a good book, but come on, reading!

Endless hours of amusement for the brain dead !
What is John Saxon doing in this ridiculous exercise in film making for morons ???

Granted Saxon was never a star, but this stinker is even worse than a lot of his other bad choices ! Anyone giving this turkey five stars must be suffering from dementia...Hey Folks, If you only miss one movie this year, make it this one !!

I'm still trying to get the stench out of my VCR......

A Stunning Apex of Cinema
this movie is good. i like it. so it is good, and i like it. that means that you should see it. because it is good.

Why?
This movie is a joke, right?. What is John Saxon doing in this?. It's a good thing no one has ever heard of this movie. They should stay uninformed.

Instant Classic
Heads bursting into flames, vigilante priests, and John Saxon. What do these things all have in common? Cinema gold! This film includes such memorable scenes as the overweight, drunk college football fan who jumps into the backseat of the Florida star quarterback's convertible yelling, "Yeah, gators!" Also, one cannot omit the exceptional scene in which the Florida wide receiver attempts to pick a fight with the psycho priest. The wide receiver touches the priests motorcycle and his head instantly bursts into flames. To anyone looking for quality thespians in a cinematic gem, let "Welcome to Spring Break" be your repartee. ... Read more