Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Monster Bash Blog's Evolution of Feelings About Cannibal Holocaust

I once heard that there was a movie called "Cannibal Holocaust".
When I searched it, I was surprised that it was real...and then I was intrigued...
Cannibal Holocaust Poster Pictures, Images and Photos
What is this movie? I asked myself... "The Most Controversial Move Ever Made"?!

Then I watched the trailer, and I was confused...and appalled.


I wasn't sure what was more disturbing:
1. The full-frontal male native/female filmmaker nudity
2. The amount of gross huge bugs, dead bodies being eaten by maggots, and animal death
cannibal holocaust Pictures, Images and Photos
3. The inappropriate elevator music playing during the trailer?
4. That this was true?!

Was this really true?!

I couldn't bear it. I mean, I've fallen trap to that ploy before...with The Strangers, The Blair Witch Project, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Exorcist. I am so easily toyed with. You put "Based on a True Story" or "Based on True Events" and I am all over it. Reality is frightening.

What was more confusing was why this movie was so expensive in stores. What is it about this movie? Were these people really dead and eaten by cannibals? Was this footage the last known footage of these people? Can they really put that in a movie? What about their families?

I then discovered that the director of the film, Ruggero Deodato (this film is Italian, btw), was arrested for making this film. ARRESTED?!?!?!
Ruggero Deodato Point Pictures, Images and Photos

ruggero Pictures, Images and Photos
This guy was arrested??!?!? He looks like my old pediatrician. How could this sweet old man have such a sadistic mind?

He was arrested, according to Wikipedia, for "obscenity charges", which he was later cleared for, yet the film was still banned in major countries for a long time after that.

**Side Note** In writing this blog, I found out a lot of crazy shit about Ruggero Deodato. I mean, not really "crazy shit"...more like "fun facts". First of all, after Deodato was allowed to make movies again, he made the film "The House on the Edge of the Park" which features David Hess...who also happens to be in "The Last House on the Left" (based off of Deodato's film). The House on the Edge of the Park was actually created after The Last House on the Left, but both have simliar qualities (i.e. controversial, graphic scenes).
Deodato is so closely associated with cannibalism that he also had a cameo in Hostel II as a cannibal gnawing on a person's leg. I found one clip of it, but it was extraordinarily difficult for me to watch the rest of the video, so I will just post the link here in case you are braver than me. **End Side Note**

Anyway, for some reason, knowing the director got arrested for creating a film makes the film that much more interesting and exciting to me. I mean, how horrifying is this movie that the director fooled people enough into getting himself arrested?!

I went into full research mode, surely there was some catch as to why I haven't seen this movie. Why have I not heard of this movie more? I felt a deep rooted desire to see this movie.

And then, I found it.

Because the movie is from Italy in 1980, there were no laws about cruelty to animals, and therefore, the animals in this movie (6 of them) were brutally killed on camera.

Well, that's enough reason for me. I mean, I love horror, but I also love puppies:


kittens:

and the rest of the animal kingdom...and I don't think that they deserve to be tortured and killed for the sake of anything...let alone a movie. Monster Bash Blog loves animals (especially those dressed like adorable pumpkins).



Amd there you have it. I went from:


"What is Cannibal Holocaust?"

to "This trailor makes me nauseous"

to "ARRESTED!!?? I must see it!"

to "Nope."

And what is Deodato's next project? According to IMDB, it's a film called "Cannibals" due out sometime in 2009. It's a "companion piece" to...you guessed it: Cannibal Holocaust. Go figure.
Cannibal Holocaust - Remake poster Pictures, Images and Photos
Let's hope he doesn't use real animals this time, huh?



Aw. They're SpoOoOoOooktacular in their costumes, aren't they?

5 comments:

Jim said...

I know for a fact that the Animal Kingdom <3's Monster Bash Blog back.

That last picture is hysterical given the cannibal context if the rest of the blog.

Any time you put puppies and kittens in a blog about cannibals, it makes you feel dirty and wrong for wanting to see a movie about cannibals.

Monster Bash Blog said...

Shouts to the animal kingdom!

We need to cherish the animals, especially ones that go trick-or-treating.

Glad you liked the pics Jim!

Congrats on passing your Praxis too! Maybe now you can blog about things other than magnets and coke zero labels!

Your pal,
Monster Bash Blog

Anonymous said...

Apparently the DVD lets you view an 'animal cruelty free' version of the film. But, I suppose, that doesn't negate the fact that it happened in the first place.

I'm kind of curious about this movie myself. I think I'm worried about the gore, most of all.

Monster Bash Blog said...

Anon, I know what you mean. I wonder if they replace the real animals with stuffed animals or if they just cut away? I'm interested in knowing that.

The gore is definitely another factor in this one to make me almost invoke my gag reflexes. After all, the "mascot" I guess you could say, of the movie is some woman with a steak through her body and out her mouth. GROSS.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe they used real animals, this makes me sick-they should make a movie called "domestic abuser holocaust" and use real abusers, there's something I would watch. My idea, just kidding.