Cannibal Ferox (1981) Cannibal ferox (original title)

Director:

Umberto Lenzi

Writers:

Umberto Lenzi (story)
Umberto Lenzi (screenplay)

Release Date:

November 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror

Tagline:

They raped and killed his sister while he watched helplessly. Now it's his turn to Make Them Die Slowly

Plot:

Three friends out to disprove cannibalism meet two men on the run who tortured and enslaved a cannibal tribe to find emeralds, and now the tribe is out for revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Tribe | Jungle | Anthropologist | Cannibal | Amazon

Cast

Giovanni Lombardo Radice	...	Mike Logan (as John Morghen)
Lorraine De Selle	...	Gloria Davis
Danilo Mattei	...	Rudy Davis (as Bryan Redford)
Zora Kerova	...	Pat Johnson (as Zora Kerowa)
Walter Lucchini	...	Joe Costolani (as Walter Lloyd)
Fiamma Maglione	...	Myrna Stenn (as Meg Fleming)
Robert Kerman	...	Lt. Rizzo
John Bartha	...	Brooklyn Mobster
Venantino Venantini	...	Sgt. Ross
'El Indio' Rincon	...	Native who helps Gloria
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Giovanni Bergamini	...	Hotel Administrator (uncredited)
Larry Dolgin	...	Blond Brooklyn Mobster (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Richard McNamara	...	Older Brooklyn Mobster (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Riccardo Petrazzi	...	Hunter (uncredited)
Perry Pirkanen	...	Paul - Blond Mobster (uncredited)
Dominic Raacke	...	Tim Barrett (uncredited)
Gregory Snegoff	...	Rudy (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Susan Spafford	...	Myrna Stenn (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Pat Starke	...	Gloria Davis (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Jake Teague	...	College Professor (uncredited)
Frank von Kuegelgen	...	Mike Logan (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Umberto Lenzi

Writing credits
Umberto Lenzi		(story)
Umberto Lenzi		(screenplay)

Produced by
Antonio Crescenzi	....	executive producer
Mino Loy	....	producer (uncredited)
Luciano Martino	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Roberto Donati		(as Budy)
Fiamma Maglione		(as Maglione)

Cinematography by
Giovanni Bergamini

Film Editing by
Enzo Meniconi

Production Design by
Giuseppe Bassan

Costume Design by
Giuseppe Bassan

Makeup Department
Giuseppe Ferranti	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Vito Di Bari	....	unit manager
Evi Farinelli	....	unit manager
Giovanni Masini	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Riccardo Petrazzi	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Sergio Basili	....	special sound effects
Aldo Ciorba	....	special sound effects
Ezio Marcorin	....	special sound effects
Raul Montesanti	....	sound

Special Effects by
Gino De Rossi	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Roberto Belli	....	chief electrician
Renato Doria	....	camera operator
Giorgio Garibaldi Schwarze	....	still photographer
Mario Pizzi	....	key grip
Maurizio Zampagni	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Alessandro Gabriele	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Carlo Maria Cordio	....	music arranger
Carlo Maria Cordio	....	musical director

Production Companies

• Dania Film
• Medusa Produzione
• National Cinematografica

Distributors

• Replay Video (1981) (UK) (VHS)
• Video Instant Picture Company (VIPCO) (1981) (UK) (VHS)
• Commodore Films (1982) (France) (theatrical)
• Aquarius Releasing (1983) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Video Classics (1984) (Australia) (VHS)
• Thriller Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• MPM Production (1991) (France) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Grindhouse Releasing (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Grindhouse Releasing (2000) (USA) (all media) (restored) (uncut)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD) (in collaboration with)
• Laser Paradise (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Nikkatsu (1988) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Another World Entertainment (2006) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Continental Film Distributors (CFD) (????) (Hong Kong) (VHS)
• Dado Group (198?) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Firebox (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Japan Video Distribution (JVD) Co. Ltd. (2000) (Japan) (DVD)
• Neo Publishing (????) (France) (DVD)
• Nikkatsu Video Films K.K. (1988) (Japan) (VHS)
• Ropponica (1988) (Japan) (VHS) (as Cine Ropponica K.K.)
• Video Invest AB (????) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Video Programme Distributors (VPD) (????) (UK) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Cannibal ferox" - Italy (original title)
"Make Them Die Slowly" - USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

93 min | South Korea:85 min (heavily cut) | UK:86 min (heavily cut)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:(Banned) (Ontario) | France:-16 (with warning) | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:R18 (cut) | Germany:BPjM Restricted | USA:Not Rated | Norway:(Banned) (1984-2005) | UK:(Banned) (1984-2000) | Norway:18 (re-rating: 2005) (uncut) | UK:18 (re-rating: 2000) (heavily cut) | Canada:R (Alberta) | Sweden:15 (uncut) | South Korea:18 (heavily cut) | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | West Germany:18 (cut) | Finland:K-18 | Italy:VM18 (VHS rating) | Portugal:M/18 | Hong Kong:III

Filming Locations:

Amazon Rainforest, Colombia

Company:

Dania Film

Trivia:

Umberto Lenzi used the same music as he used in his earlier film, Eaten Alive! (1980), in this one.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Mike and Rudy get into a fistfight, twice Mike pulls his gun and you can hear the sound of the hammer being cocked. Both times, you can see the gun and the hammer is clearly down.

Quotes:

Pat:Want some?
Mike Logan:No, I don't drink. This here is my speed.
Pat:Cocaine?
Mike Logan:Want some?

Movie Connections:

References Divine Madness (1980)

Soundtrack:

Red River Valley

The Anthropophagi does not Exist

In Brooklyn, in New York City, the drug dealer Mike Logan (John Morghen) steals US$ 100,000.00 from his suppliers and flees to Colombia. The police detectives seek out the touristic guide Myrna Stenn (Meg Fleming), who shared her apartment with Mike.

Meanwhile, the anthropologist Gloria Davis (Lorraine De Selle) travels on vacation to Paraguaya, in Colombia, with her brother Rudolph "Rudy" Davis (Bryan Redford) and her friend Pat Johnson (Zora Kerowa) expecting to find the town of Manioca to prove her thesis that cannibalism does not exist. However, their Jeep breaks down in a lonely road and they need to walk. They meet the Americans Mike Logan and his friend Joseph "Joe" Costolani (Walter Lloyd) that is wounded and Mike tells that the local Indians have eaten their guide Portuguese and they join the trio of friends.

Sooner the promiscuous Pat stays with Mike and Joe tells the truth about Mike to Rudy and Gloria and how cruel he had been with the Indians, torturing elders, women and children. Rudy and Gloria feel that they are in danger but there is no place to hide from the young cannibals that are returning to their hamlet.

"Cannibal Ferox" is another brutal Italian film of cannibalism extremely realistic. The story is not bad and the special effects are very impressive; however, the cruelty with live animals is unbearable and does not add any value to the movie. I do not know what viewers could or expect to see in a B-movie with the title "Cannibal Feros". I saw this film on a Brazilian DVD and the quality of the image is only reasonable. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Cannibal Ferox"