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[Kevin Coed]

You can disagree that there's 'real' zombies in Cannibal Apocalypse, so that you wouldn't call it a zombie movie (I disagree),

I think everyone on the planet would disagree with you on that one.

[Inspector Tanzi]

I don't think so. You can disagree that there's 'real' zombies in Cannibal Apocalypse, so that you wouldn't call it a zombie movie

Who's seen One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest? Great zombie flick for those who haven't seen it 

[Vito Cipriani]

I don't think so. You can disagree that there's 'real' zombies in Cannibal Apocalypse, so that you wouldn't call it a zombie movie (I disagree), but the movies from the exploitation cannibal genre are about cannibalistic tribes in rainforests, not infected people in a city.

I’m not ‘trolling’, Wayne, but I disagree with this – imo, it’s quite reductive (note the smiley: ) Like Tanzi said, those films are what could be labelled jungle adventure films (I usually use the label ‘jungle exploitation’ to describe them), like Cornel Wilde’s THE NAKED PREY before them, which have cannibalism as a key theme – this is especially true of the first films in this cycle (MAN FROM DEEP RIVER, JUNGLE HOLOCAUST), whereas the later films, actually quite a short-lived series, foregrounded the cannibalism aspect (CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, CANNIBAL FEROX).

What makes APOCALYPSE different (and, imo, preferable) is the way it pulls together disparate elements from popular genres of the time – the cannibal film, the urban zombie film, the Italian war film. These diverse influences are present in the alternate titles for the film: APOCALYPSE DOMANI, CANNIBALS IN THE STREETS, ASPHALT-KANNIBALEN. I also like the fact that where the jungle exploitation films all focus on indigenous people who are cannibals (which makes many of them quite reactionary, at least on the surface) APOCALYPSE features American GIs who return home to find that they have a lust for flesh-eating. The (gorgeous) US one-sheet communicates this well, I think:


And, for me, this is all on-topic because bringing together all of these different subgenres gives APOCALYPSE an added depth that most of the jungle exploitation films lack (imo): like Bob Clark’s DEATH DREAM, you can take this as a film that uses cannibalism as a metaphor for the effects of Agent Orange, or what we now call PTSD – or not, if you prefer. (Incidentally, my favourite of the jungle exploitation films is Deodato’s INFERNO IN DIRETTA/CUT & RUN, which also shows the limits of the ‘jungle setting = cannibalism’, and vice versa ‘cannibalism = jungle setting’ associations.)

I’d love to see this one (and CUT & RUN) hit Blu sometime soon.

But yep, even though I don't agree with your restricted definition of what constitutes a 'cannibal film', I can respect it - so please don't think I'm 'having a go' at you

[WayneSmith]

I don't think so. You can disagree that there's 'real' zombies in Cannibal Apocalypse, so that you wouldn't call it a zombie movie (I disagree), but the movies from the exploitation cannibal genre are about cannibalistic tribes in rainforests, not infected people in a city.

I’m not ‘trolling’, Wayne, but I disagree with this – imo, it’s quite reductive (note the smiley: ) Like Tanzi said, those films are what could be labelled jungle adventure films (I usually use the label ‘jungle exploitation’ to describe them), like Cornel Wilde’s THE NAKED PREY before them, which have cannibalism as a key theme – this is especially true of the first films in this cycle (MAN FROM DEEP RIVER, JUNGLE HOLOCAUST), whereas the later films, actually quite a short-lived series, foregrounded the cannibalism aspect (CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, CANNIBAL FEROX).

What makes APOCALYPSE different (and, imo, preferable) is the way it pulls together disparate elements from popular genres of the time – the cannibal film, the urban zombie film, the Italian war film. These diverse influences are present in the alternate titles for the film: APOCALYPSE DOMANI, CANNIBALS IN THE STREETS, ASPHALT-KANNIBALEN. I also like the fact that where the jungle exploitation films all focus on indigenous people who are cannibals (which makes many of them quite reactionary, at least on the surface) APOCALYPSE features American GIs who return home to find that they have a lust for flesh-eating. The (gorgeous) US one-sheet communicates this well, I think:


And, for me, this is all on-topic because bringing together all of these different subgenres gives APOCALYPSE an added depth that most of the jungle exploitation films lack (imo): like Bob Clark’s DEATH DREAM, you can take this as a film that uses cannibalism as a metaphor for the effects of Agent Orange, or what we now call PTSD – or not, if you prefer. (Incidentally, my favourite of the jungle exploitation films is Deodato’s INFERNO IN DIRETTA/CUT & RUN, which also shows the limits of the ‘jungle setting = cannibalism’, and vice versa ‘cannibalism = jungle setting’ associations.)

I’d love to see this one (and CUT & RUN) hit Blu sometime soon.

But yep, even though I don't agree with your restricted definition of what constitutes a 'cannibal film', I can respect it - so please don't think I'm 'having a go' at you

I didn't think you were trolling and I appreciate your elaborate post (you explain your point very well btw). There's one thing I don't agree with though (well apart from what the genre really is, of course), and that is that you call Jungle Holocaust (I prefer Last Cannibal World) a jungle adventure rather than a 'cannibal movie'. Because apart from Cannibal Holocaust, all these movies at least have some kind of 'adventure' going on, but only Man from deep river, Emanuelle... and Last Cannibal World are purely about cannibals.

[Kevin Coed]

I had the UK DVD (was one the first horror dvds i ordered from abroad), but sold it cause it was cut. Cool movie, though. Even though I can't really stand that dirty guy from Cannibal Ferox (don't know his name).

He 'liked' a photo of one of my cats that I posted on Facebook last week, so he's amazeballs in my book.

[Paul]

Was it the promiscuous cat? And was it doing something dirty?

[MarcMorris]

The UK Cinema Club DVD is vastly superior in picture quality than the Image disc, which is a terrible PAL to NTSC conversion.

[Paul]

The UK Cinema Club DVD is vastly superior in picture quality than the Image disc, which is a terrible PAL to NTSC conversion.

But some of us love the animal cruelty, Marc - I'd forgo the better picture for a split second shot of a burning rat, mate.

Joking aside, I imagine that the Optimum disc is as nice as the Cinema Club version but it unlikely to have the extras, right? Can anyone confirm. The Cinema Club version has an atrocious cover.

[MarcMorris]

No extras at all on the Optimum disc.

[Paul]

No extras at all on the Optimum disc.

That's what I thought - it does have a better cover though 

[Inspector Tanzi]

Blu Ray coming from Blue-Underground next year. 

[Kevin Coed]

Or perhaps it might be HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD..... Take a closer look at the poster they posted...

[demented_uk]

It is Bruno Mattei's HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD. Pity it's not CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE. Still, good to see more Euro-cult being released by Blue Underground.

[Inspector Tanzi]

Or perhaps it might be HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD..... Take a closer look at the poster they posted...

My bad, I just skimped through it.

What must have I been thinking, it would be unlike them to get something they haven't already got the rights for!