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If there is any doubt that truth in advertising exists, Cannibal Holocaust should put an end to the argument. Cannibal Holocaust delivers on every promise it makes, on every positive and negative word that has ever been spit out of the mouths of its fans and opponents. Everything you’ve heard about the film is true, and that should give you a very good idea whether or not this is a film for you.
 Oh, except for the fact that it was originally advertised as a true story. Yeah… That was fake.
Cannibal Holocaust (for the uninitiated) can be seen as the prototype for things like The Blair Witch Project, reality TV, or, for the far more cynical (or level-headed depending on who you talk to), even Michael Moore documentaries. When four American documentary filmmakers disappear in the bowels of the Amazon’s Green Inferno, Professor Harold Monroe must travel the same route, interact with the people who led the documentarians to their doom, and come face-to-face with cannibals who have no problem with de-fetusing a woman and all sorts of other crazy, wacky shit like that.
 Monroe and his group manage to make good with the Yanomamo tribe by distracting them with technology that consists of a switchblade, a tape recorder, and cocaine. Okay, I’ll buy that cannibals are easily impressed with technology that surpasses a sharp rock, but is it really wise to give them switchblades and blow? Cannibals alone are pretty scary, but coked up cannibals? That would be like giving zombies fully operational chainsaw arms and legs(I call them Chainsawbies!).
Thankfully all of Monroe’s questions are answered when he spies a sculpture made out of skeletal remains and camera equipment, along with a collection of film canisters. The Yanomamo allows the group to take the material home after Monroe enjoys a late night snack. Monroe makes his way to New York to review the footage with the  producers of the film. But what Monroe finds isn’t exactly what he expected.
While the footage starts off with a few serene shots of jungle landscape, things start to devolve into madness. The group depicted on film finds themselves killing and eating a turtle. What should come off as an honest need for sustenance turns into a snuff film: the camera lingering on the turtle, the group smiling for the camera, and an axe chopping through the underside of the turtle’s shell. Another blow is dealt when Felipe the navigator dies of a nasty snakebite. It’s obvious to see that Alan Yates, the director of the found footage, is far more concerned with capturing the moment of Felipe’s agonizing death than with helping the man. Yes, something is wrong with this picture. (If that isn't  enough to suggest that these guys were colossal twats, witness as they torch an entire village full of natives for a good shot.)
Like all good love stories, the villains must be brutally tortured, raped and killed by the end of the film. Cannibal Holocaust turns into a frantic orgy of castration, decapitation, rape, and gut munching. Monroe reflects on the actions taken by the young group of filmmakers and asks himself, “I wonder who the real cannibals are?” I’m surprised a big red flashing sign saying, “PAY ATTENTION, THIS IS THE MORAL OF THE STORY,” didn’t flash on screen.
I have to admit my first and only experience with Cannibal Holocaust was in the form of a heavily edited, 10th generation, unsubtitled German dub. Needless to say I was slightly lost. Finally seeing the film complete and uncut, in English, is pretty much an eye-opening experience. While the social commentary is distributed with the grace and dignity of a jackhammer being driven through sheet metal in a bullhorn factory, all the concentration has been placed on the “found” documentary footage. And rightfully so - the carnage that takes place on screen is some of the most horrifying I’ve ever seen in a film. I can’t imagine the film being any less than a punch to the gut for most people. While the crew is set up as the most despicable human waste imaginable, no one deserves their fate. This is a film that dares you to root for their deaths, then delivers with such ruthlessness that you’re almost ashamed of yourself.
The back of the DVD case claims that this is “the one that goes all the way!” They’re not kidding.
Image Quality:
A surprisingly pleasing transfer, clear and sharp with very good color (The greens in the jungle scenes are particularly striking). Though there’s a slight amount of grain (or quite a bit if it’s from the film-within-a-film documentary footage) throughout the 35mm material, the 16mm footage is a heavy contrast full of intentional grain and dirt specks for an authentic, atmospheric look.
Sound Quality
While the original Mono soundtrack has received a 2.0 stereo remix, there’s nothing much to write about. It’s clear. The dialogue is easy to understand. The  soundtrack blares its ‘70s Italian horror-ness with a nice amount of bass. For purists, there’s even the original soundtrack included. Nothing to complain about here.
Extras
Coming in a sturdy hardbound-book case, this two-disc set has a nice selection of goodies. Most important to a lot of people is going to be the Animal Cruelty-free version which edits outs the real animal violence. Enjoy all the harmless human decapitations while avoiding the killing-for-food scenes!
Also available on Disc 1 is an audio commentary featuring director Ruggero Deodato and actor Robert Kerman. If it’s more to your liking, there is also an on camera commentary, which features the two sitting in a room watching the film. Not the most visually interesting feature, but it’s a nice addition. While the back of the box might label it “provocative,” the track is fairly genial. While on the dry side, the personal opinion comes at a steady pace without much silence. Leisurely would be a good description.
Finally, there is a collection of theatrical trailers (Italian, German, American and a general international-release trailer), a collection of tongue-in-cheek biographies for the characters under Inside the Green Inferno, and a slightly extended version of The Last Road to Hell.
Over on Disc 2 you’ll find the hour-long documentary In the Jungle: The Making of Cannibal Holocaust. Covering more information than the commentary, this manages to get most of the crew to give their opinion on the film, though most of the cast is nowhere to be found.
 The interviews section features interviews with actors Robert Kerman, Gabriel Yorke, and composer Riz Ortolani. With a quicker pace than the commentary track, though not as in-depth as the documentary, these clips are well worth viewing, especially Gabriel Yorke’s interview, where he reveals that his role was won based on shoe size. Also look for Robert Kerman getting into a heated debate with Grindhouse films when he requests the company take some of the animal violence out of the film. In fact, Kerman’s interview here is a definite highlight, as he goes from soft-spoken to aggravated about two-thirds of the way through the interview. By the end, he’s asking if his interview will even show up on the DVD. Fun!
 If you want a goofy metal video, there’s Necrophagia’s Cannibal Holocaust music video. Directed by The Manson Family’s Jim Van Bebber, this little ray of sunshine runs nearly seven minutes and features a keyboard intro played by some band member’s girlfriend, I’m sure.
Rounding out the video portion of the extras is a collection of trailers featuring a few extra cannibal films (the trailers alone have a great deal of real animal violence in them), along with a bizarre mafia film titled Gone With The Pope, which managed to sell me on the upcoming disc in under two minutes flat.
And finally we have a nice music-filled still gallery that covers everything from production stills to publicity materials, and biographies/filmographies for Ruggero Deodato, Robert Kerman and Gabriel Yorke.
Overall
After 25 years, Cannibal Holocaust still manages to be controversial and horrifying, yet due to its technical achievements, the film feels fresh and undated. The disc delivers in every possible way, with great video and audio, and a wide selection of extras that allow the participants to be as candid and brutally honest as possible. One of the best cult/genre DVDs I’ve seen all year.
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