Slave of the Cannibal God

Customer Reviews:

MARGINALLY INTERESTING WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.......2006-02-01

First I should say that the copy of this movie I received had a defective soundtrack which in parts was all but inaudible. That aside, if the movie was worth keeping I might have tried to get a replacement. I didn't bother.

Italian movies are usually very well made, regardless of budget and genre. Parts of this film meet that standard, but overall it is a mess. Eighty percent of the plot consists of people hiking through jungle or wading through rapids, occasionally pausing to react to intercut scenes of nature's cruelty: crocs eating lizards, lizards eating snakes, snakes eating monkeys or birds.

My guess is that the perverse nature footage was secured first, and the rest of the movie was written around it. Although it may have been shocking and explicit for its time, there are more thrills to be found any night on the Discovery Channel than in this flick.

Thankfully, Ursula Andress has a mighty fine body, and a lovely face which provides most of the production value for the first two acts. Stacy Keach must have split the lions share of the budget with her, he obviously didn't do it for the prestige.

There are several decent EFX scenes, mostly body parts being lopped off, but aside from a few brief and ineffective shocks, there is no suspense or real drama of any kind.

Although some interesting music is used in some sections, to describe it as a score would be too kind. Instead, it seems to float along on a parallel track, with little connection to the pace of the editing or the onscreen visuals. At its worse, it is a kind of empty-headed elevator music.

The most frustrating thing is that this could have been a cult classic, if only the script and the editing had been worked a little harder. The cannibals look cool, and the locations are beautiful. Had the repulsive displays of animal cruelty been the starting point, rather than the most dramatic elements of this production, it could have been a kick ass film.

Cheesy, low-budget Italian shock cinema goodness!.......2005-02-28

After watching other classics such as Umberto Lenzi's "Cannibal Ferox" and Ruggero Deodato's "Jungle Holocaust", I decided to give this little flick a try and I've got to admit that I wasn't disappointed whatsoever! Sergio Martino's "Mountain of the Cannibal God" (AKA "Slave of the Cannibal God") is one of the best cannibal films ever made, despite the so-so acting and some weak dialogue thrown in here and there. It stars Ursula Andress (Who was also the very first Bond girl in "Dr. No" back in 1962) as beautiful Susan, who heads to New Guinea with her brother, Arthur (Antonio Marsina) in search of her husband who has been missing for three months.

With the help of anthropologist, Dr. Edward Foster (Stacy Keach) and explorer, Monolo (Claudio Cassinelli) they venture to the island of Roka, which is also the home to the Ra Ra Me. (TRANSLATION: Mountain of the Cannibal God) What they discover is the terrifying Puka, a cannibal tribe believed to have been extinct for many years. Along the way, they fall prey to all the dangerous booby-traps and cannibals lurking in the jungle in some of the most grotesque and shocking footage ever caught on film! (Who can forget the ambush and instant decapitation scene?) But when Susan and Monolo are captured by the Puka their only hope is escape, or risk becoming a sacrifice to the Cannibal God!

In my opinion, this is a VERY underrated Italian horror film and deserves more credit than what it is given. As I stated earlier, the acting is about average and the dialogue can drag here and there, but fans of the genre and gore buffs alike will definately get a kick out of the gory makeup and effects! However, as I also mentioned in my review for "Cannibal Ferox" this is absolutely NOT a movie for the faint of heart or those who are easily offended by such material! In addition, you'll also need a strong stomach to watch the whole movie and small children (Heaven forbid) should not view this film, or they may be forever traumatized! Everyone else: EAT UP! :)

Good for the novice.......2004-10-08

Sergio Martino's "Slave of the Cannibal God" is this director's entry in what ranks as one of the most fascinating horror sub-genres to ever grace the screen: the Italian cannibal craze. Starting in the early 1970s and peaking towards the end of the decade, a slew of depraved, ultragory shockers emerged from the minds of such Italian filmmakers as Ruggero Deodato and Umberto Lenzi. "Cannibal Holocaust," Deodato's grindhouse shocker and a film still considered to be one of the sickest ever made, marked the apogee of the cannibal film, but other directors continued to churn out more product. I could, and probably am, wrong in saying this, but by the time Umberto Lenzi released "Eaten Alive" in 1980, the cannibal genre was declining. Watching these films proves one immutable truth about the 1970s: this decade truly was a time when filmmakers would try anything to shake audiences up. It's impossible to even conceive of a film like this being made today unless you take into consideration the plethora of super cheap shot on video junk, which I don't. These are films shot on film, and they are definitely something to see. If you like horror pictures, be sure to check a few of these gutmunchers out. Especially since most of them have gone to DVD in the past couple of years.

Martino's film stars Ursula Andress (!) as Susan Stevenson, the wife of an intrepid explorer who went in search of a tribe of cannibals and never returned. Stevenson, concerned for the safety of her husband, begins to organize a search party. She hires Doctor Edward Foster (Stacy Keach!) to guide the expedition into the jungles of New Guinea. Susan brings along her shady brother Arthur (Antonio Marsina) to help in the search, and the group sets off with the requisite number of local guides. What follows is, sadly, a rather boring series of scenes consisting of the group endlessly tramping their way through the foliage. In true cannibal movie fashion, we do get to see several scenes of real life animal death spliced into the film stock, but we must wait awhile to see the human characters perish under nasty circumstances. Between the snake attacks on monkeys and other such useless rubbish, Foster and Stevenson stumble over a village in the interior where the group meets a European priest running a mission, and learns about a dangerous tribe of cannibals called the Puka or Puki. Keach has a run in with a couple of these guys, so the party heads back into the jungle for another interminable jaunt until they arrive at the cannibal mountain.

Stevenson gets what she wants when her expedition runs smack dab into a tribe of masked cannibals atop this mountain. We see that her husband is here too, although he's quite dead and covered in some sort of weird jelly substance. It turns out that the tribe worships this corpse as a deity, probably due to the fact that he carried a Geiger counter when he stumbled over the cannibals. This tribe is so impressed with the machine that they mounted it in his chest, where it still clicks and clacks away all these months later. Since Susan's hubby carried a picture of her in his wallet, the cannibals think she's a god too. They strip her clothes off and tie her up just as they did her husband. Finally, we see a bit of the violence that are these films' stock and trade: one of the tribal members attempts to have his way with Goddess Ursula and pays an extreme price for his insolence. A dwarf has his brains dashed out on a rock, the cannibals sit around for some good old-fashioned eating, and startling revelations about Stevenson's reasons for coming to the mountain emerge before the film glides to a watery end.

"Slave of the Cannibal God" is bound to disappoint hardcore followers of the cannibal sub-genre due simply to the fact that Martino restrained himself in the gore department. If you've seen "Cannibal Holocaust" and "Eaten Alive," you won't believe how tame this film is by comparison. Nothing much happens except for animal violence and the flurry of activity at the end. Sure, we see a couple of native guys buy the farm during a leg of the trek, and dinnertime at the mountain took on decidedly queasy dimensions, but it's not enough to keep us gorehounds interested. I suspect with a cast including Andress and Keach, Martino felt he should throttle back on the extreme gore. Too bad and too sad. I did take pleasure in seeing Ursula bare her heart and soul in preparation for her deification ceremony, and I enjoyed seeing Keach turn in a solid performance. I also liked the beautiful shots of the jungle and that waterfall the expedition had to climb to get to the cannibal lair. "Slave of the Cannibal God" succeeded in one central element common to this sub-genre, namely that Europeans in the jungle are only there to engage in evil acts. I thought Martino pulled off this plot point--revealed in full at the end--quite nicely. But I must doggedly return to the central premise of an Italian cannibal picture: it should contain over the top gore, and Martino's effort failed in that area big time.

Surprisingly, the DVD edition of the film contained a thirteen-minute interview with Sergio Martino. The other extra was a poster and stills gallery. Picture and audio quality were sharp for a film this old. Ultimately, I must recommend that "Slave of the Cannibal God" is a film best suited for newcomers who wish to understand the general themes involved in these movies. Then move on to Deodato's and Lenzi's pukers. Since I already saw "Cannibal Holocaust," "Cannibal Ferox," and "Eaten Alive" before Martino's effort, this film left me wanting more.

Complete version of a B-movie classic.........2004-03-13

Let me start off by saying that I first saw this film many, many years ago. As a kid, I was blessed to have access to a tv station that held weekly horror and b-movie marathons, presenting many controversial films such as this one uncut and uncensored. So it was with fond memories that I sat down to watch this DVD that once again Anchor Bay has done a fine job with.
This film has been circulating with many different titles containing many different edits for several years known alternatively as Prisoner of the Cannibal God, Slave of the Cannibal God and Mountain of the Cannibal God. For hardcore cinephiles be advised that this is the most complete print containing many shocking scenes that were previously excised. This print is a full four minutes longer than the Slave of the Cannibal God print.
Now onto the film itself, I must agree with the majority of viewers in that I find the animal cruelty despicable and reprehensible, however even the most casual viewer of italian cannibal films knows that this is an unfortunate staple of these films starting with Umberto Lenzi's and Ruggero Deodato's epic cannibal films. Once you get past the horrible animal scenes in this film, you are left with a nicely crafted and reasonably well acted film that benefits greatly from the wonderful cinematography and exotic locales of Sri Lanka.
Though slow at times, the characters are interesting especially Andress and Keach, there is a good deal of action and intrigue and the gore and nudity is plentiful, though not as graphic as the softcore cannibal film Emmanuelle and the Last Cannibals. This film is certainly more enjoyable and watchable than bottom of the barrel trash like Cannibal Ferox and Eaten Alive.
The plot is simple enough: A beautiful young woman is escorted through the jungles to search for her missing and presumed dead husband, instead the search party encounters a vicious cannibal clan long thought to be extinct.
Again, I must reiterate that these films are an acquired taste but for someone looking for a good, gory and somewhat sleazy b-movie this just might fit the bill.
Anchor Bay presents this film letterboxed with theatrical trailer, photo gallery and a documentary with the director reminiscing about his film and its stars.

Worst Movie Ever?.......2004-02-23

What can I say about this movie?!? A rescue team sets out to find a woman's (Ursula Andress) husband. They spend most of the movie getting to a mountain top where her husband disappeared. Most of the rescue team is killed before they arrive (even Stacy Keach). Ursula Andress is stripped and covered with some red stuff (dye, blood, dead husband's goo??...who knows). Ursula escapes with the sole surviving man and they float down the river.

Customer Reviews:

MARGINALLY INTERESTING WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.......2006-02-01

Cheesy, low-budget Italian shock cinema goodness!.......2005-02-28

Good for the novice.......2004-10-08

Complete version of a B-movie classic.........2004-03-13

Worst Movie Ever?.......2004-02-23

Product Description

2 Movies for the price of 1, brand new, shrink wrapped. Stateline Motel-Lonely and bored in an unhappy marriage to a motel owner, a sexy and needy woman encounters an ex-con. Original release 1975, 87 minutes. Slave of the Cannibal God-This Sergio Martino film depicts an expediion in an unforgiving jungle with very graphic violence and survival in the face of cannibals. Original release 1979, 86 minutes.

Average customer rating:

MARGINALLY INTERESTING WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY
Cheesy, low-budget Italian shock cinema goodness!
Good for the novice
Complete version of a B-movie classic..
Worst Movie Ever?

Slave of the Cannibal God
Starring: Ursula Andress , Stacy Keach , Claudio Cassinelli , Antonio Marsina , and Franco Fantasia
Director: Sergio Martino
Manufacturer: Westlake Budget
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000A03KD
Release Date: 2003-06-01

Description

IN HER SEARCH FOR A MISSING EXPEDITION THAT HAD BEEN LED BY HER HUSBAND, SUSAN STEVENSON(URSULA ADDRESS) AND HER BORTHER ARTHUR(ANTONIO MARISINA)ARRIVE IN UNEXPLORED NEW GUINEA. THEY JOIN WITH SCIENTIST DR. EDWARD FOSTER(STACY KEACH),AND HEAD INTO THE DANGEROUS, FORBODING JUNGLE. AS THEY VENTURE DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO THE WILDERNESS, THEY ARE MET WITH A SHOCKING DISCOVERY-MANY OF THE NATIVES ARE BRUTAL SAVAGES, AND THE TEAM STUMBLES UPON A MURDEROUS CULT THAT FEEDS ON HUMAN FLESH!

Customer Reviews:

MARGINALLY INTERESTING WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.......2006-02-01

Cheesy, low-budget Italian shock cinema goodness!.......2005-02-28

Good for the novice.......2004-10-08

Complete version of a B-movie classic.........2004-03-13

Worst Movie Ever?.......2004-02-23

Description

A young woman and her brother Arthur get off a plane somewhere in South America, allegedly in search of her husband. They team up with a doctor and head into the jungle, and get in more than a few fights amongst themselves while fighting off an unspeakable cannibalistic horror in the jungle.

Customer Reviews:

MARGINALLY INTERESTING WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.......2006-02-01

Cheesy, low-budget Italian shock cinema goodness!.......2005-02-28

Good for the novice.......2004-10-08

Complete version of a B-movie classic.........2004-03-13

Worst Movie Ever?.......2004-02-23

Customer Reviews:

MARGINALLY INTERESTING WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.......2006-02-01

Cheesy, low-budget Italian shock cinema goodness!.......2005-02-28

Good for the novice.......2004-10-08

Complete version of a B-movie classic.........2004-03-13

Worst Movie Ever?.......2004-02-23

Customer Reviews:

What a Stinker !.......2004-09-18

This movie is awful.

Sound quality wasn't very good, video quality was mediocre to poor, the story line was garbage, the characters were pathetic or disgusting, the acting was so sad.

This movie is one of the lamest I've seen in my life. It wasn't worth the time I spent watching it. I regret paying $2 for this turkey. Now, I can't sell it 'cause I don't want to screw the next person.

Ursula looks pretty good, and one scene where she's tied up while two girls rub her down with oil was erotic, but it sure didn't make up for the rest of this clunker.

Go find something else to spend your money on.

Horror Multi Pack: Slave Of the Cannibal God/Count Dracula and His Vampire Brides/House By the CEme

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Horror Multi Pack: Slave Of the Cannibal God/Count Dracula and His Vampire Brides/House By the CEme

Manufacturer: Diamond Ent. Corp.
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TALES OF HORROR: Little Shop of Horrors, Night Tide, The Terror, Slave of the Cannibal God

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TALES OF HORROR: Little Shop of Horrors, Night Tide, The Terror, Slave of the Cannibal God

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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4 MOVIES FOR THE PRICE OF 1
Little Shop of Horrors
Night Tide
The Terror
Slave of the Cannibal God

ASIN: B000RWJ5O8

Thriller Movie Marathon Volume 1: 8 Movie Pack

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Thriller Movie Marathon Volume 1: 8 Movie Pack

Manufacturer: RightNow Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

BONUS: Each movie comes with a portable-media friendly version that can be downloaded to your Apple iPod!
Eight feature films on four DVDs
Blue Beard;The House on Haunted Hill;British Intelligence;Slave of the Cannibal God;Inner Sanctum;Medusa;Gothic;I Bury the Living

ASIN: B000GW7WFS

Product Description

The legends of Thriller are gathered here for you in this definitive DVD collection of some of the greatest Thriller classics to ever come out of Hollywood. This 8 DVD collection is sure to provide you with countless hours of entertainment. Thriller Movie Marathon Volume 1: 8 Movie Pack includes: Blue Beard directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and starring John Carradine; The House on Haunted Hill directed by William Castle and starring Vincent Price; British Intelligence directed by Terry O'Morse and starring Boris Karloff; Slave of the Cannibal God directed by Sergio Martino and starring Ursula Andress; Inner Sanctum directed by Lew Landers and starring Mary Beth Hughes; Medusa directed by Gordon Hessler and starring George Hamilton; Gothic directed by Ken Russell and starring Julian Sands; I Bury the Living directed by Albert Band and starring Richard Boone

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