For years I’d heard about this film, and how over-the-top and controversial it supposedly was. But every time I tried to see it, something would always curtail my plans. From shoddy VHS tapes sticking to the VCR, to lady friends with weak stomachs, it seemed like I was never going to catch this infamous flick. So when I heard Grindhouse was about to release a deluxe reissue of the 1980 film, my interest was piqued.

This DVD is the deluxe “25th Anniversary” issue, but in reality it may not have actually been planned that way. It turns out the studio has been trying to release the DVD proper for years, but ran into stumbling blocks left and right, from printers refusing to work on it, to retail objections—all stemming from the film’s dubious reputation. So what’s all the fuss about? It’s not so much the cannibal scenes or the general cruelty inflicted on humans by humans—after all, most horror and gore aficionados are used to that kind of stuff. What makes this movie so repugnant in spots is its horrendous use of animals. These living, breathing props are literally tortured in front of our very eyes, and for no good reason other than the director’s desire to stir shit up.

The Italians were big on the Amazonian cannibal trend at the time, and director Ruggero Deodato obviously must’ve felt he had to outdo the competition. So to up the ante, he subjected innocent animals to graphic torture at the hands of the hapless actors. This was not only without any cinematic justification, but a disgraceful attempt at achieving cheap shocks. And who knows how many animals suffered off-screen to achieve the perfect shot…

Aside from the film’s litany of faults, the narrative itself isn’t half bad. Without giving away too much, the story follows the disappearance of a group of documentary filmmakers who set out to demystify the cannibal tribes of “Green Hell.” Professor Monroe—played by Robert Kerman, aka porn-star R. Bolla—hires a crew and makes the trip to find them. He ends up finding film footage left behind by the filmmakers. And oh yeah, he actually has to barter with the native tribe for it, which makes for an interesting scene. What the professor finds in the footage forms the basis for the film’s moronic, moralistic platitudes at its conclusion—as the missing filmmakers themselves, were not exactly civilized. The main high points of the film are its creepy makeup and special effects, courtesy of Aldo Gasparri, as well as Riz Ortolani's surprisingly mellow, but effective score.