Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Movie Overview

A New York University professor returns from a rescue mission to the Amazon rainforest with the footage shot by a lost team of documentarians who were making a film about the area's local cannibal tribes.

Cannibal Holocaust was on the DPP39 List of Video Nasties. Released in 2001 with 5 minutes 44 seconds cut to remove most animal cruelty and rape scenes. Re-released with 15 seconds cut to one animal cruelty scene in 2011. One of the best horror films of the 80s.

Beware, this is probably one of the most pirated tapes out there. Due to its high desirability and reasonable price it has attracted the bootleggers abound over the years and many boots now circulate or sit in unknowing collectors collections.

One of GO's most left field piece of marketing accompanied this release. They had printed numerous bar mats and distributed to pub chains. Imagine that, granma and grandad enjoying a little sherry down the local with a cannibal chewwing on some intestines starring up at them, marvelous!

This was undeniably one of Go Video’s more daring releases. Featuring numerous scenes of cannibalism, rape and animal cruelty, Cannibal Holocaust was guaranteed to raise the eyebrows of even the strongest viewers, while Fleet Street officials prepared the way for its imminent ban, alongside many others. Despite the despicable animal cruelty this is a fabulous movie with a superb score. Its prominence in the pre cert world is well deserved and I would recommend a viewing to all.

Made with enormous style by Italian-born filmmaker Ruggero Deodato – The same director who would soon shoot permanent DPP fixture The House on the Edge of the Park. This was actually Deodato’s second Cannibal picture; his first was Ultimo Mondo Cannibale, which was shot in 1977 and was a sort of unofficial sequel to Umberto Lenzi’s surprisingly effective Deep River Savages where both pictures starred Ivan Rassimov and Me Me Lai.

Cannibal Holocaust is now available in high street shops throughout the UK, but not before our censors insisted on the removal of some 5m 44s of footage – largely to scenes of real animal cruelty and to eroticised sexual violence, in accordance with BBFC policy and guidelines.