Eaten Alive [Blu-ray]

Though Ruggero Deodato is perhaps Italy's (if not the world's) most "famous" director of gory cannibal movies, the entire bloody movie subgenre can be attributed to the late great Umberto Lenzi (Eyeball, Cannibal Ferox). Eight years after accidentally forming the concept with his 1972 shocker The Man from Deep River ‒ a strange "mondo" take on A Man Called Horse ‒ Lenzi returned to the jungle for something even stranger. Fusing the cannibal flick with a literal cult movie, Eaten Alive! (Mangiati vivi!) manages to exploit the real-life horrors of Jim Jones and the Jonestown Massacre. It also serves as a fitting follow-up to Deodato's previous entry, Jungle Holocaust ‒ a film Lenzi was originally slated to helm ‒ and, in order to confuse the uninitiated even more, features the same male lead as Deodato's still-controversial Cannibal Holocaust: American porn star Robert Kerman (who appeared in numerous classic adult films under the name R. Bolla). That in itself should give you an idea of what you're in for here. Even if nothing will probably truly prepare you for it. The guerrilla-style opening montage is sheer Lenzi, as a weird wave of poisonous blow-dart assassinations somehow ties in to the mysterious disappearance of a young woman. The authorities prove useless in the matter (naturally), leading the missing lady's sister, played by Janet Ågren (whose limited screen appearances nevertheless included movies such as Pulp, Avanti!, and Lucio Fulci's City of the Living Dead), to wander off in search of her sibling. But in order to do so, she first has to introduce audiences to the movie's marquee value actor, guest star Mel Ferrer (in one of two movies he appeared in entitled Eaten Alive!). Somehow retaining most of what little dignity he still had at this point in his career (Mel also popped up in Lenzi's hilariously awful feverish wet dream about radioactive zombies, Nightmare City), Mel does a grand job of phoning it in. When he's on-screen, that is. When he is nowhere to be seen (which is frequent), we get the amazing talents of adult legend Kerman and Euro actor Ivan Rassimov (who, not surprisingly enough, was also the star of Lenzi's The Man from Deep River) as Ågren's hired adventurer and the Jones-like cult leader named ‒ wait for it ‒ Jonas. It almost makes you wonder is his devout followers are called the Jonas Brothers. Like seemingly every other Italian horror movie from the same timeframe (Zombie, Doctor Butcher M.D., Contamination), Eaten Alive! starts out in New York City before moving on to the exotic locations of Sri Lanka, where the depraved Jonas has relocated his followers, far removed from safety and sense, and all the closer to mass suicide. But even Jonas' sadistic treatment of other human beings ‒ a moment where he violates a woman with a giant dildo dipped in snake blood is one of the "highlights" here ‒ cannot compare to the horror which awaits those who dare venture (or are banished) to the green inferno beyond, as there be cannibals out there! If some of the gut-munchin' bits seem strangely familiar to the slightly experienced viewers amongst you, there's a fairly good reason for it: several gory moments from the film were lifted from Deodato's Jungle Holocaust ‒ one of which provides a convenient (budget-wise, that is) demise for the subgenre's leading lady, Me Me Lai, the frequently nekkid Burmese-British beauty who also starred in The Man from Deep River and Jungle Holocaust. While Ms. Lai does not receive a prominent of a role here as she did in her two previous cannibal films, her presence in Eaten Alive! is a delight just the same. Even if it confuses some folk. Speaking of confusion, Eaten Alive! was also released in the US ‒ primarily on videocassette ‒ under the name Doomed to Die, presumably in order to avoid confusion with Tobe Hooper's previously-released Eaten Alive (with Mel Ferrer). Interestingly, that very alternate title had already been used 40 years prior for one of Boris Karloff's Mr. Wong movies, which undoubtedly caused its own share of perplexity to parties who may have unwittingly ordered or rented the wrong videocassette. But then, were it not for various states of sheer shock and baffling bewilderment, Eaten Alive! would not be the magnificent cult classic it is today. An unabashedly shameless insult to just about every established form of good taste everywhere laced rape, dismemberment, nudity, violence, awful voice overs, bad choral arrangements, a delightfully laissez-faire Mel Ferrer, and a '70s porn icon playing the action hero (and doing a very good job at it, I might add), there are few movies which can hold a candle to Eaten Alive!. Granted, that may be of blessing to some. To those of us who discovered the sublime joys of Italian horror at a tender early age, however, there is no greater compliment to the movie (and to its fans) than to see this horribly fun movie in 1080p HD courtesy the fine folks at Severin Films. Presented in an MPEG-4 AVC codec and framed at an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, Severin's Blu-ray of Eaten Alive! is a major improvement over the previously-issued Shriek Show DVD (ugh) released in 2002. Presumably culled from a film source, the transfer features a fair bit of grain and debris. In all honesty, this only adds to the outrageous experience. DTS-HD 2.0 Mono tracks in English, Italian, and Spanish audio tracks are included. Out of the three, the bad English dubbing brings the most of that je n'ais se quoi to the table, and is this fella's preferred method of amusement. Optional English (SDH) subs are served up for the English and Italian versions of the film. Special features for Eaten Alive! begin with some final words from Signori Umberto Lenzi himself. Filmed shortly before his passing in late 2017, Welcome to the Jungle finds the Italian exploitation movie guru recollecting about his time spent on this and other cannibal/horror movies. Next up is the 80-minute documentary about "The Queen of Cannibal Movies" herself, Me Me Lai Bites Back, which makes its US debut here. (Weird but true: Ms. Lai, upon her retirement, became a copper in her native U.K.) A great doc that's worth the purchase. Lastly we get a new sit-down chat with production designer Antonello Geleng, archival interviews with actors Robert Kerman and Ivan Rassimov, a 2013 Q&A with Mr. Lenzi, and the original (international) theatrical trailer. I'd recommend the Limited Edition release of the title from Severin Films is also available, and includes a slipcover and bonus soundtrack CD. The set is limited to only 2,500 copies, and comes just as recommended to lifelong (or remotely curious) fans of classic Italian horror movies as does the standard edition.

This might be my third favorite by Umberto Lenzi film. One blu-ray disc and the other is a CD disc of score music. Tons of great special features. This is a gut-renching and severe graphic of cannibal eating and plenty of nudity and sex scenes. Me Me Lai (Jungle Holocaust) is the cutest, gorgeous and vibrant actress. It's definitely hard to watch at times but extremely horror entertaining to me. Highly recommend it.

I am not sure if this can be truly categorized as "cannibalism" movie. Yes, there are some scenes of cannibalism but it's not the center of the story. This movie is more about a crazy cult living deep in the jungles of Amazon. There is a cult leader who hypnotizes its followers through use of toxic potion. The story is inspired by the famous cult and its leader who made his disciples commit suicide by drinking poison. They just situated the story in the jungles of Amazon instead of California. A woman is searching for her sister who got lost in the jungle and while looking for her with the help of a guide, they find themselves in the hands of a cult. Cannibals are outside the area of where the cult is situated. Overall, I think it's a good story, B-movie so the budget is low, extras are ok, acting is not so good but the movie does deliver suspense. If you want a real shocking, horror, then you go with Cannibal Holocaust. This one is a much lighter cannibal movie.

Typical cannibal film. If you've one you've pretty much seen them all.

Hardcore! Not for the faint of heart!!

It was ok. Lot of fluff, and not a fan of animals being killed to make a film. It actually ruined the film for me.

WARNING: SPOILERS!!!!! Whenever Severin Films releases a new Blu-Ray of an Italian gore film, I tend to sit up and take notice (their release of DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D. [1980] is second to none). Unfortunately, my opinion of the film hasn't changed since the early' 80s as it wallows in real-life animal slaughter and the story itself is rather boring. It tries to be different by mixing religion and cannibalism, but it comes off rather hollow. The film begins in Niagra Falls, where a native-looking fellow fires a blowgun dart in to another man's throat and he dies instantly. The film then switches over to New York City (most of the best Italian gore films start out here, including Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE [1979], Ruggero Deodato's CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST [1980, which this film tries to copy to some extant], the aforementioned DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D. and many others), where the same native-looking fellow kills two more men with his blowgun before he is run over by a truck when trying to escape. The police are able to ascertain that the darts were dipped in cobra venom and the killer had a roll of 8mm film on his person. They show the footage (where a man has his back pierced by two hooks and he is then attached to a swing-like device; a tip of the hat to A MAN CALLED HORSE [1970]) to Sheila Morris (Janet Agren; CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD - 1980). Sheila, who is an heiress to an Alabama cotton mill plantation (!), is able to identify her sister Diana (Paola Senatore; THE KILLER RESERVED NINE SEATS - 1974) in the footage. She disappeared six months earlier when she joined a religious cult run by a Jim Jones-like sect leader named Jonas (Ivan Rassimov; JUNGLE HOLOCAUST - 1977 and THE MAN FROM DEEP RIVER - 1972, considered the granddaddy of the Italian cannibal genre), who now runs his "Purification Village" deep in the New Guinea jungle (One cop says this of Jonas: "A first-class nut. Dope fiend probably."). After Sheila talks to Professor Carter (a glorified cameo by Mel Ferrer; CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD - 1980) to get more information on Jonas and his jungle camp, she hires drunken Vietnam War deserter Mark Butler (Robert Kerman, who also starred in CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, as well as starring in hundreds of porno films using the name "Richard Bolla") to guide her through the jungles of New Guinea (for $20,000 cash and another $80,000 when her sister comes home). While in the jungle, the native guides are attacked by a tribe of cannibals, who hack away at their bodies and chow down on their arms and legs (all in loving close-up). Mark and Sheila make it to the camp, where they are introduced to Jonas, who keeps his brethren in line by making them drink a drugged liquid. Sheila finally meets Diana (Sheila: "She looks different. I can hardly recognize her." Mark: "She's stoned out of her mind!") and Sheila talks her into escaping the camp, but it is surrounded by the same tribe of cannibals, making escape nearly impossible. Nearly. Unfortunately, Sheila becomes hooked on Jonas' spiked cocktail and Jonas tests her devotion to him by raping her with a dildo dipped in cobra blood!. He also paints her nude body gold for reasons only known to Jonas. Mark tries to escape on his own, but when he spies the cannibal tribe cutting off the penis of one of their own and eating it (!), he goes back to the camp and begs Jonas to forgive him. Jonas is not buying it (and rightfully so), so he has Mark tied-up in the jungle sun. A member of the flock frees Mark from his binds and begs him to let him go with Mark when they try to escape. Mark tells Sheila not to drink any more of the drugged liquid, but she's hooked. Mark and Diana have to bound and gag Sheila so she doesn't warn Jonas that they are escaping. Sheila's actions cause the death of Diana (the cannibals cut off her left breast and leg and eat them; they then cut her stomach open and feast on her innards!) and when Sheila sees what's left of her sister (her severed head lying on the ground), she snaps out of her drugged stupor. Helicopters sent by Professor Carter pick up Sheila and Mark just before they are about to become cannibal chow, while Jonas makes his flock drink cobra venom (it tastes worst than Kool-Aid judging by the looks on the flock's faces!), causing a mass suicide back at Purification Village. Back in New York City, Sheila listens in her hospital bed as a news crew talk about the mass suicide and how Jonas' body has yet to be discovered. Mark never gets his $80,000 because Diana gave her fortune away to Jonas, meaning Sheila is penniless. The film ends on that note. While the film is gory as hell (besides what I have mentioned, you will see the cannibals chewing on human ears and nipples!) and full of full-frontal female nudity, it's the real-life animal violence that is a constant turn-off for me (Much of the footage of animal killings was lifted from Umberto Lenzi's THE MAN FROM DEEP RIVER [a.k.a. SACRIFICE! - 1972]). We watch as the cannibals slice the throat of a baby alligator and then slice open its stomach, while the alligator twitches in pain. I know some people are able to overlook this, but I can't. If you can fake human deaths, you can damn well fake animal deaths. Also on view are a mongoose attacking a cobra (mongoose are immune to cobra venom); a snake swallowing a monkey and a large lizard being skinned alive. The Italian's favorite drink, a bottle of J & B Scotch, also makes an appearance here. Director Umberto Lenzi, who passed away in October of 2017, has made much more entertaining films than this, including the brutal ALMOST HUMAN (1974); the weird and wonderful SPASMO (1974); and the previously mentioned CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD (a.k.a. NIGHTMARE CITY - 1980), which I love for all the wrong reasons (it was the first time I actually witnessed fast-moving zombies, which would become commonplace years later). Lenzi was also responsible for what many consider the ultimate Italian cannibal gore film, CANNIBAL FEROX (a.k.a. MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY - 1981), but, it too, wallows in real-life animal killings. So much so, that I refuse to watch it again, even though I own the stunning Grindhouse Releasing Blu-Ray set. EATEN ALIVE! is known under a myriad of titles, including the previously mentioned THE EMERALD JUNGLE, EATEN ALIVE BY THE CANNIBALS and DOOMED TO DIE, which was the title Continental Video was going to release it theatrically, but they went out of business before they could do so. Everyone but Mel Ferrer was dubbed, even though it is plain to see that all were speaking English. The voices for Sheila and Diana are a ridiculous, exaggerated Southern twang, as if all people from Alabama talk like this (they don't). The Blu-Ray from Severin Films is above reproach. The film is crystal clear and the extras, including a feature-length documentary of "Queen Of The Cannibal Films" Me Me Lai (CRUCIBLE OF TERROR - 1971; who appears here as "Mowara" a native girl whose husband committed suicide, so she is raped by her husband's three brothers, a native ritual as a way of saying goodbye!) and an interview with Lenzi (among others) and a CD of the motion picture soundtrack (music by Carlo Maria Cordio, listed in the credits as "Budy-Magliony") make this a must-own collection, even if the film is not so memorable (If you want to see a real sleazy Jim Jones-like film, I would recommend the Mexican-made GUYANA: CRIME OF THE CENTURY [1979]). The New York City footage shows Times Square as I remembered and loved it. We see billboards for the Frank Zappa concert film BABY SNAKES (1979) and the great 42nd Street Harris Theatre, which is showing a double feature, one of the films being CRY RAPE (1970). While this footage only lasts for less than a minute, it is the nostalgia factor that compelled me to watch this film again after I long decided never to watch it again. Other people may be more forgiving, but not me. Animal killing for entertainment purposes is not my cup of tea. Also starring Fiamma Maglione, Gianfranco Coduti, Franco Fantasia and Alfred Joseph Berry. A Severin Films Blu-Ray & DVD Release. Not Rated.

from umberto lenzi this is one of the cannibal genre from the 70's that has been banned or censored around the world...its great to have it on blu ray to add it to my collection