By Melissa Ann
In 2012, director Eli Roth started filming a cannibalistic flick called The Green Inferno, which was inspired by classic movies from the same sub-genre. The name itself pays direct tribute to 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust, which was referred to as “Green Inferno” on the script and features a movie within the movie, also called The Green Inferno. Once filming was complete, it was set to be released in September 2014 by Open Road Films. Due to financial issues with production company Worldview Entertainment, the release was delayed. A year later, The Green Inferno finally had its theatrical release thanks to High Top Releasing, Blumhouse Tilt and Universal Pictures.
College freshman Justine (Lorenza Izzo) decides to get involved in social activism with a group on campus. She meets with them and learns about a remote tribe in the Amazon rainforest that is on the brink of extinction due to development companies. Lead by a charismatic student named Alejandro (Ariel Levy), the group soon boards a plane to Peru and begin their adventure. Once they make it to the area surrounding the village, the students disguise themselves as workers who are tearing down the forest and chain themselves to trees while streaming everything live. It proves to be a success, although at the expense of almost losing Justine, and the group heads back home in celebration. The party gets cut short, however, when the plane’s engines fail and it comes crashing back down near the village. There are only a handful of survivors and they quickly come face to face with the tribe they were attempting to save. Although they had good intentions, the students quickly discover that the tribe has a certain gruesome way of dealing with outsiders.
Eli Roth is known for using extreme gore and creating grotesque situations in his movies, and The Green Inferno is no exception. The first cannibalistic killing seemed to go on forever and made me cringe throughout the entire scene. Although the film is brutal and not made for weak stomachs, I expected the violence to be pushed a bit further considering the hype surrounding the film. However, keep in mind that my inner gorehound always wants more, especially from Eli Roth.
Filmed in Peru and Chile, the village and surrounding areas are stunning, minus the mutilated bodies. While some of the acting in the beginning felt flat, the fear from the students felt real. When they were brought to the village, the scene was so chaotic and anxiety-inducing that I felt myself getting caught up in the terror. There were a few moments that felt a bit out of place, such as Alejandro masturbating in the livestock cage that the survivors are kept in and the tribe getting extremely high from weed placed in a victim’s throat. Even with a few odd instances, I am thankful that this film finally got backers and saw a theatrical release.
Rating: 8/10
