Umberto Lenzi is one of THE names people associate with the infamous cannibal cinema of the early 1980s, which is still infamous today. The Italian exploitation giant not only made a name for himself with so-called Poliziotteschi adventures, but above all with ruthlessly explicit horror films that regularly raise concerns on the forehead of the inspection authorities around the world. In 1980/1981 he presented genre fans with two rock-hard hits that have lost none of their shocking effect to this day. It is all the more surprising that one of them is now considered rehabilitated:
Known internationally as “Eaten Alive”, the “eaten alive” is no longer confiscated and – after no less than 40 years – has even been removed from the index! For decades, the cannibal movie was not only indexed, but once classified as glorifying violence and therefore confiscated nationwide. That the film is now getting the green light should come out of nowhere for many. Unlike many other once-indexed movies released in recent years (from “Blade” to “Dawn Of The Dead”), “Eaten Alive” is actually, even measured by current viewing habits, really, really hard.
To illustrate briefly, it’s hard to get to the point here and there hard it was “eaten alive” in Germany: The almost one and a half hour long film was released in this country in the early 1980s in a shortened version to only 35 minutes (!!)! Numerous other edited releases followed over time. The scissors also had to be used for the FSK-18 rating on DVD – and no fewer than twelve minutes had to be removed. For all those who took part in the often difficult hunt for uncut film food crossing Germany’s borders, today’s news should seem downright surreal. Then:
“Alively Eaten” will be officially released for home theater in 2023, completely unabridged with revised picture and sound quality. Distributor Nameless has now confirmed this via Facebook. After the German-language uncut version has already appeared in numerous collector editions in Austria, the Nameless edition, among others, comes with a newly revised image and sound quality. More details are likely to follow in the coming months.
“Disgusting” and “Sadistic”: This is “Eaten Alive”
A series of mysterious deaths occur in Eaten Alive. The culprit can be caught, but dies before anyone can fathom his activities – until authorities finally find video footage showing the horrific rituals of a sinister cult. And a woman who is still missing: Sheila (Janet Agren).
Investigating the case, adventurer Mark Butler (Robert Kerman) joins Sheila’s sister Diana (Paola Senatore) on an expedition that takes them to the jungles of New Guinea – unaware that they are waiting there for hungry man-eating natives to wander through the jungle…
If you’re new to the movie, you should be aware of one thing: “Eaten Alive” crosses boundaries in a very questionable way and is therefore often described as disgusting, deviant and sadistic. Because not only does director Umberto Lenzi mix genre-typical exuberant bloodshed with an extra dose of generosity – he also combines both in a way that is particularly difficult to digest.
From a heartbreaking rape scene to footage of actual (!) animal killings (only one of which was filmed for Eaten Alive and the others from other cannibal movies), it’s got it all. And especially the latter is very reprehensible, since it has really been done and simply has nothing to do with cinema anymore.