I just watched the horror film Ravenous in the past week and it is indeed a vastly underrated horror flick. The film is gritty and realistic in its depiction of a US outpost in the 1840's in Northern California. It is disturbing and at time funny or at least bizarre. This is a must see for horror film fans but also anyone who can appreciate an original film if they can get past the gore. It is after all a film about Cannibalism and the Native American Wendigo myth .Trailer for Ravenous-
Ravenous -scene "He was licking me"
at once disturbing and darkly humorous
Ronnie Angel give the film a great positive review.
But one minor point is that there have been horror movies even one dealing with Cannibalism . For instance Troma's Cannibals The Musical which is a hoot though it could have been shorter and the more recent Dead Birds and The Burrowers.
See Burrowers (2009) Directed by J.T. Petty
Starring Clancy Brown Karl Geary William Mapother
Movie review of Ravenous by Ronnie Angel at Best Horror Movies.com
Ravenous Is a Horror Movie That Few Have Actually Seen
If you have not seen Ravenous my question to you is "Why?" This one is off the beaten path and destined to become a cult classic.
Written by The B Movie Specialist Ronnie Angel
August 7, 2007
Ravenous DVD Cover
Release: 1999
Directed by: Antonia Bird
Written by: Ted Griffin
Starring:
Guy Pearce as Capt. John Boyd
Robert Carlyle as Col. Ives/F.W. Colqhoun
David Arquette as Pvt. Cleaves
Jeremy Davies as Pvt. Toffler
Jeffrey Jones as Col. Hart
Joseph Running Fox as George
I have said it before I know, and I will say it time and time again. One of the most important elements in any type of entertainment is originality. Be it in movies, music or (cough) wrestling, originality is the key to staying ahead of the pack. Sometimes, however, too much originality can turn off the main-stream movie goers. Such is the case with Ravenous, one of the most original and most underrated horror movies ever. It is one of my favorites.
Ravenous, set in the 1800's, begins with war hero Captain Boyd (Guy Pearce.....what the hell ever happened to him anyway?) being sent to the remote, odd, cold, slightly dysfunctional military outpost of Fort Spencer in Sierra Nevada after an act of Ravenous - traditional 1800s uniforms"cowardice" in the Mexican war is found out. Boyd is reserved, quiet and usually seems deep in thought throughout Ravenous, and meets some interesting characters when he arrives at Fort Spencer.
There is the drunk Lt. Knox, the bored Col. Hart (Jeffrey Jones speaking of where the hell did they go..), the slightly psychotic tough guy soldier Pvt. Reich, “churchy” Pvt. Tofler (half retarded? Seriously, watch it and see) and the odd Pvt. Cleaves (David Arquette) along with locals George and Martha.
Boyd settles in, and for a little while, things seem alright…until one night when a mysterious man appears at the Fort, half dead, freezing and starving. He says his name is FW Calhoun and proceeds to tell the tale of Ravenous Duo how he got there. Much like a campfire tale that unfolds in similar fashion to the infamous Donner Party, he tells of his wagon party getting stranded in the mountains and having to take shelter in a cave where the leader of the party, Col Ives, proceeded to gradually kill and eat nearly the entire group. Calhoun, he says, made an escdape and found his way to the Fort.
Upon hearing that there may be another survivor up there still with Ives, Col. Hart organizes a search party to head up into the hills. Before the search party heads out local man George warns that Calhoun should not be trusted, and relays the story of the Wendigo myth which tells of a man being possessed by an evil Wendigo spirit after eating human flesh in a time of famine. This is where the insanity begins. I won't tell much more, but I will say that nothing is quite what it seems. This movie is enjoyable to watch, exciting, and (gasp!) even funny (very dark humor albeit) at times.
Ravenous Mountain Landscape
Cannibalism is not touched upon very often in horror movies, especially not set in the 1800s, making Ravenous very unique. The Wendigo Myth is also seldom the topic of a horror movie. The time period, though, is probably the most original part of the Ravenous - Cannibal Attackfilm. I can’t think of another horror film set in the 1800s, in fact. The setting is absolutely amazing, the scenery is beautiful yet quietly eerie and the musical score will transport you to that time and place in history.
Ravenous also creates a tremendous sense of isolation that you can really feel. I am sure that very few have actually seen Ravenous, so I must ask “why?” It is truly original and I am sure that, one day, it will become a cult classic. Questions or comments about Ravenous? Contact us!
Ravenous horror movie review by BHM: Highly Underrated.
The Burrowers Trailer
Burrowers (2009) Directed by J.T. Petty
Starring Clancy Brown Karl Geary William Mapother
see review at ESplatter
"The Burrowers" starts off as a slow moving Eastwood-style western, with our main character Coffey (Karl Geary), an Irish immigrant in love. He's shown poetically offering his heart to a young plainswoman in the film's opening scene. But when she and her entire family are carried off, it's assumed some damn Injuns were responsible. So a rescue team is put together to bring them back.
As the party rides off into the wild west, torturing Indians they come across, it slowly becomes clear that something else entirely dragged away the family -- and threatens to kill off the would-be rescuers. That would be a group of creatures known as "The Burrowers," which basically poison their victims, paralyzing them, then burying them alive for future feeding purposes. These creatures have been operating in the west since before the white man arrived. Even before the Injuns.
The performances in this film are all top notch, particularly William Mapother of "Lost" fame as a ruthless, bullying cowboy. Also, the movie's subtext that it's always easier to blame an enemy you know -- in this case Indians -- than an enemy you don't know, or are maybe too afraid to fight, actually has some relevance with the Iraq war, in which the United States blamed Iraq for 911.
As a western and a drama, it's rock solid and believable. As a horror film, however, it just doesn't quite stack up. The Burrowers themselves aren't particularly interesting as movie monsters. Much of the film's budget is spent during its climax when we get to see the monsters close up. Yeah, the effects are pretty impressive and all. But there's something rudimentary and un-scary about the proceedings.
A good, but far from great, horror movie that proves once again that the old west still isn't the ideal place to set a monster movie.
DEAD BIRDS takes place in 1863 during the American Civil War. A group of Confederate soldiers hide out in an abandoned plantation after robbing a bank and find themselves at the mercy of supernatural forces.
and one of the more bizarre films funny twisted Cannibals:the Musical
Cannibal :the Musical ... Trailer from Troma
Cannibal! The Musical : Funny Scenes
Websites of Note; GoreZone.net
About.com www.Horrorfest Online
Esplatter.com
The Best Horror Movies.com/
Have a nice day!
No comments:
Post a Comment