aka Last Cannibal World, Ultimo Mondo Cannibale
One of the best entries in the Italian Cannibal genre is without a doubt, JUNGLE HOLOCAUST; originally known as, LAST CANNIBAL WORLD. It’s no surprise that it was directed by, Ruggero Deodato, the director of the greatest, and most infamous cannibal flick, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. Because of Deodato’s later film, JUNGLE HOLOCAUST seems lost in its shadow—even its name was changed for the video market to cash in on its success, thus the reusing of “Holocaust” in the title—and even making it seem like a knock-off of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, though it was the predecessor to that film. Not to further take away anything from the JUNGLE HOLOCAUST, which is great on its own, but you can tell Deodato was just cutting his cannibal teeth (so to speak) on this film, to prepare him for his upcoming masterpiece. The fact that both movies are about cannibals, and feature white folks in peril, in the jungle, is actually the only similarities between the two films.
Another problem plaguing this film (and many other cannibal films) is that it is confused as a horror film, when it is an adventure/survivalist movie first and foremost. Italian Cannibal films may be gruesome, and feature horrendous imagery, but horror they are not. So when horrorhounds bop into films like this expecting a horror movie, instead they get a violent, albeit well-made exploitation movie—shit, that’s good enough for me!
Two buddies, Robert (Foschi) and Rolf (Rassimov, not the muppet dog) head into the jungles of the Philippines to meet up with some other researchers camped out there. Along with them are their pilot and his wife (or daughter? I wasn't quite sure on that one). When they arrive there they have a slight crash landing (they loose a wheel) due to the landing strip not being maintained. They also find the camp has been abandoned, and discover an ominous primitive weapon covered in blood at the site. Robert freaks out and runs through the jungle (like a bitch) looking for the others, almost getting himself and Rolf (who chases after him) lost. On their way back to their plane they stumble upon a gruesome decomposing corpse, and wisely decide to get the fuck out of there.
The pilot is able to fix the tire but they can't leave until morning due to it being too dark to safely take off. Rolf creeps everybody out with stories of primitive cannibal tribes in the area and they all sleep in the plane for the night. We get a cannibal POV shot as they stalk the plane later in the evening. One of the cannibals comes right up to the window to look in (but is not seen), and it's actually quite a creepy moment. The pilot's woman ends up having to go out and take a piss (damn women and their small bladders!), and with a howling scream she's dead. Rolf and Robert convince the pilot to not get out of the airplane, and they wait till morning (showing that they are two cowardly western white men who don't belong in the fucking jungle). By morning she's a continental breakfast for the cannibals of course, and the pilot ends up getting killed in a nasty booby-trap (spike ball on a rope from the trees, ouchy!).
The two friends end up on the run from cannibals, and this time the do get lost in the jungle. Knowing that a river ran next to the camp, they decide to make a raft (showing they may be cowards, but at least they have ingenuity), and float the river. Unfortunately, when they hit heavy rapids the raft falls apart (so much for their ingenuity), and they get separated. Robert is now alone, and the story follows his character the rest of the movie. It’s truly Robert’s loneliness and despair, but ultimate will to survive that drives the rest film, and makes him an endearing character—flaws and all. Not knowing jack about survival, Robert is soon captured by the cannibals. They decide not to kill him, but capture him instead.
He's taken to their cave dwelling and stripped of all his clothes. The tribe are very fascinated by his apparel and jewelry (and his ding-dong, which they tug on and slap around--not as fun as it sounds). Tied to a rock and naked, the cannibals seem entertained by him, and because he arrived by air, they think he can fly-- so they string him up with a rope, and pull him into the air like a poor man's Cirque de Soleil act. At first Robert thinks they may look at him like a God or something, but once they realize he can't fly, they lock him up in a cave/bamboo prison, his cellmates being a crane and an eagle. He is kept in the prison for some time, all the while fighting the crane for meat scraps, and getting pissed on by cannibal children (when they're not throwing rocks at him---what's wrong with cannibal kids today?).
Robert soon figures out that he is not being kept alive because of his charming personality, but to be used as live bait for larger game (such as alligators). Luckily he is somewhat befriended by a hot cannibal chick named Pulan (Me Me Lai). In a very hilarious scene, he begs her for water and she responds by giving him a pity handjob—the best kind of handjob (believe me, I’d know). Robert ends up using her as a guide once he makes his daring escape.
The last half of the movie is pure action/adventure, and the final confrontation with Robert and the cannibal hunters is very well done. Robert figures out, to beat a savage, you have to become a savage. The film itself is a metaphor for how we're all really just animals, no matter how civilized we become.
JUNGLE HOLOCAUST is a top-notch cannibal flick all the way, with even a touch of DELIVERANCE thrown in—substituting cornhole loving rednecks for femur chomping cannibals. My only complaint about the film is Massimo Foschi; he over acts a bit too much, whichmade the character a tad whiney, and he's not much of a leading man. Though, I think that was the point of the character. He's a hotshot L.A. rich guy thrown into the jungle to survive on his own, and through his adventure, 'truly' becomes a man. So I can excuse it, I suppose. Plus, I'm sure he probably got the lead because he agreed to do the full monty for a good chunk of the film, and allowed his dingle to be dangled by raunchy looking real life tribal dudes. I truly think Ivan Rassimov is the strongest actor in the film, and really should have played the lead.
There's not a whole lot of gore, but the gore that it has is realistic, and packs a punch. The final cannibal chow-down is very gruesome, i.e. great. Also, the cannibals are probably the most menacing, and scary cannibals I've seen in these kind of film, maybe even more so than CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. They come across very evil and creepy, and as I mentioned; even the children are mean.
Like all Italian cannibal movies, there is animal violence, though here I think it is some of the most tame—pure Wild Kingdom stuff. There is a gutting of an alligator that is quite graphic, but that his how an animal is prepared when being used for meat. Plus Deodato claims the producer, without his approval, added it all after the shoot (whether I believe that or not, I don’t know). The cannibals in the film were real tribal people, and truly lived the way shown in the film—without the cannibalism that is. JUNGLE HOLOCAUST is real 1070’s gritty filmmaking at it’s best. The crew really lived in the jungle during the shoot, there were no hotels, no restaurants, or even a catering service—no Hollywood namby-pamby bullshit—this was the real deal. For that alone, the movie is a real treasure.
JUNGLE HOLOCAUST is top notch Italian exploitation cinema for sure. I'd place it in my Top 5 cannibal movies along with CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, CANNIBAL FEROX, MAN FROM DEEP RIVER, and EATEN ALIVE.
LAST CANNIBAL WORLD trailer