Cannibal Holocaust

A young film crew vanishes in the Colombian rainforest while shooting an anthropology documentary. Their footage, boldly retrieved by a university prof (Kerman), reveals the horrible truth behind their disappearance. Slightly foreshadowing Blair Witch then, but here the evils wrought by - and significantly upon - a barbaric tribe of cannibals are not left to the imagination. Despite poor dubbing, this is a more interesting and unusual film than its schlock-horror title and subject matter might suggest. The intense climax is approached with excellent cinematography and editing, as savage cruelty is eerily juxtaposed with beautiful scenery and Riz Ortolani's terrific score. Its pointed attack on exploitative film-making seems somewhat rich in the circumstances, but this is well made, uniquely unpleasant and almost deserving of its huge cult status.