Ravenous (1999)

In a remote military outpost in the 19th century, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission which takes a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal.

Director:

Antonia Bird

Writer:

Ted Griffin

Stars:

Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, David Arquette

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Guy Pearce	...	Capt. John Boyd
Robert Carlyle	...	Col. Ives / F.W. Colqhoun
David Arquette	...	Pvt. Cleaves
Jeremy Davies	...	Pvt. Toffler
Jeffrey Jones	...	Col. Hart
John Spencer	...	Gen. Slauson
Stephen Spinella	...	Knox
Neal McDonough	...	Pvt. Reich
Joseph Runningfox	...	George (as Joseph Running Fox)
Bill Brochtrup	...	Lindus
Sheila Tousey	...	Martha
Fernando Becerril	...	Mexican Commander
Gabriel Berthier	...	Mexican Commander
Pedro Altamirano	...	Mexican Commander
Joseph Boyle	...	U.S. Blonde Soldier

Storyline

Captain John Boyd receives a promotion after defeating the enemy command in a battle of the Mexican-American War, but because the general realizes it was an act of cowardice that got him there, he is given a backhanded promotion to Fort Spencer, where he is third in command. The others at the fort are two Indians, George and his sister, Martha, who came with the place, Chaplain Toffler, Reich, the soldier; Cleaves, a drugged-up cook; and Knox, who is frequently drunk. When a Scottish stranger named Colquhoun appears and recovers from frostbite almost instantly after being bathed, he tells a story about his party leader, Ives, eating members of the party to survive. As part of their duty, they must go up to the cave where this occurred to see if any have survived. Only Martha, Knox, and Cleaves stay behind. George warns that since Colquhoun admits to eating human flesh, he must be a Windigo, a ravenous cannibalistic creature.

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Plot Keywords:

cannibalism | cannibal | mexican american war | homoeroticism | u.s. frontier | 

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Taglines:

Eat up.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for considerable gore and strong violence

Details

Country:

Czech Republic UK USA Mexico

Language:

English Italian Spanish Washoe

Release Date:

19 March 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vorace

Filming Locations:

Tatranska National Park, Tatra Mountains, Slovakia

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,040,727, 21 March 1999

Gross USA:

$2,060,953

Company Credits

Production Co:

ETIC Films, Engulf & Devour Productions Inc., Fox 2000 Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The unusual sound in the music track when Martha is shown looking out awaiting the men's arrival is a traditional women's chant for such occasions, performed by Milton 'Quiltman' Sahme's wife.

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Goofs

While standing at the edge of the cliff, Colquhoun imitates a bomb being dropped out of an airplane by whistling (the sound they made while falling) and mimicking an explosion. Bombs were not dropped from balloons until the Austro-Italian war of 1849 (a year after the movie setting), and were not dropped from airplanes until the 1910s.

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Quotes

Ives: If you die first, I am definitely going to eat you, but the question is, if I die, what are you going to do? Bon appétit... Eat or die.

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Crazy Credits

The film begins with a famous quote by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900): "He that fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster." Nietzsche's surname is misspelled as 'Nietzche'. Shortly after, a comedic quote appears below Nietzsche's: "Eat Me" - Anonymous.

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Alternate Versions

Finnish video version is cut by 58 seconds.

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Connections

Referenced in 12 Deaths of Christmas (2017)

User Reviews

Delicious horror film.

Antonia Bird's "Ravenous" is one of the finest low-budget horror movies of recent years.It's a brilliant mix of cannibalism,gruesome gore,sly black humour and quasi-philosophy.The script by Ted Griffin is absolutely stupendous.It's an irresistible blend of Native American legend(you absorb the strength or spirit of who you eat),the Donner tragedy,and the story of Sawney Bean.Bean with his wife and his numerous offspring,dwelt in a cave in Galloway,Scotland,during the sixteenth century.The family cave was close to the sea and they lived by highway robbery:ambushing,killing and then eating passers-by.Any parts of the body which they were not able to eat once were pickled in brine or hung in their cave.Over a period of twenty-five years it was proved that Bean and his family were estimated to have killed and eaten more than a thousand people.The acting is wonderful-Guy Pearce shines in a difficult role as a Lieutant John Boyd."Ravenous" was shot in the Czech Republic and Slovakia,and the landscape and climate is put to fantastic use.The score by Damon Albarn(of British band Blur)and Michael Nyman is very spooky and atmospheric.The film is loaded with brutal violence and gore,so if you're squeamish give it a miss.However if you're a horror fan with a taste for something dark and sinister,then you're in for a rare treat.Highly recommended.