Film Review: MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD (1978)

Ursula Andress (or Dr. No) and Mike Hammer: Private Eye and Prison Break) star in the cannibal film Mountain of the Cannibal God (1978).  Susan Stevenson’s (Andress) anthropologist husband disappears into the jungles of New Guinea and she enlists the aid of fellow colleague Dr. Edward Foster (Keach) to lead her into the heart of the jungle in search for him.  On their way through the jungles to the mountain of Ra-Rami, Stevenson and Foster will encounter great jungle dangers including the locals and a tribe of cannibals who would rather be left alone.  The cannibals are just one of the many obstacles in front of them as trust and misdeeds lead them all on a journey that none of them may soon come back from. 

Stacy Keach (of TVs

There are many different things going on in this film as it is not just a film about cannibals (but that was the biggest selling point for the film in the late ‘70s) and crafting a film in which all the main characters have their own hidden agendas adds a little something to the ambiance of the film in addition to crafting a story that plays on many different levels.  This being said there is plenty of cannibal horror to be had in the film and it will satisfy fans of the genre although many of its charms will be lost on modern day audiences with no reference to this sub-genre of horror film.

I’ve never been a big fan of the cannibal film genre and I don’t particularly care for most of the films contained therein but this film is more than just a cannibal film and therefore may appeal to those audiences outside this niche genre.  This being said, it still contains most everything one would expect from an Italian cannibal film only with a higher class of actors.

Film Review: HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD (aka NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES) (1980)

An accident at a chemical plant unleashes a horrific virus turning everyone into zombies in director Bruno Maittei’s Hell of the Living Dead (1980).  An elite SWAT team is sent into New Guinea to investigate the accident but what they find is an endless supply of zombies and a reporter and her team caught in the middle of it all.  Time is running out for the SWAT team who even with their massive fire power keep coming against bigger hordes of the undead. 

Hell of the Living Dead is not one of Maittei’s best films (nor is it one of his worst) and its charms will be lost on modern day audiences as it relies on excessive gore and outrageous humor as most Italian films from the ‘80s but for those interested in an outrageous zombie film before they got all serious in the modern age then this film is a brain-dead entertaining joy ride as only Maittei can unleash.

Not a film for the casual viewer but for horror fans who know what they are getting into before they watch the film.

Film Review: THE HORROR SHOW (1989)

Max Jenke (Brion James) is a cleaver and ruthless killer responsible for more death and killing than any other known serial killer and he’s just been captured by Detective Lucus McCarthy (Lance Henrickson) and this is just the beginning of what is to come in The Horror Show (1989).  After capturing Jenke and seeing his partner die, McCarthy’s professional and personal life begins to unravel and he thinks that being present for the execution of Jenke is the only way for him to get his life back. 

There is more to death then just dying as pure evil such as Jenke just doesn’t die but can transform into something else.  Jenke becomes a being of energy that manipulates the things around him to tease and torture McCarthy.  Now McCarthy, with the help of an eccentric scientist Peter Campbell (Thom Bray) who understands what Jenke has become, must find a way to destroy Jenke before he continues on his killing spree.

James, as usual, knows how to play to his strengths as a crazed killer with menace in his blood.  Henrickson gives 110% and the two of them together make for formidable opponents.  As produced by Sean S. Cunningham (the man behind the Friday the 13^th franchise and House films (of this was originally conceived as the third film)) and directed by James Isaac this is a fun and entertaining film that should appease fans of ‘80s horror films.