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: JINN (2014)

God created the three – man, angel and the Jinn.  And the Jinn have been waiting for their time to rule again over the dominion of man.  This is the basic premise of the horror thriller Jinn (2014) in which Shawn Walker (Dominic Rains) finds himself the unlucky warrior destined to battle the Jinn and be man’s savior. 

As written by Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad (who also directed) this is a fairly basic premise as the reluctant hero/savior must go through personal challenges before he is able to open his eyes and face his destiny.  What actually works in the film’s favor is the rich back story and mythology associated with this version of the Jinn.  Ahmad both through writing and art direction have created a cinematic world that actually makes you believe that this could all be true.

What hampers the film down the most is the fact that it sacrifices suspense and any sense of immediacy in a story that relies too much on the visuals and CGI enhancements.  Don’t get me wrong, this is a visually stunning film even on its budget but it takes its pages from the book of such visually stunning yet uninteresting films like Priest (2011) or the Resident Evil films.  This would be fine if it was on the entertaining level of those films but there is a lot of set up before you get to any real action and when you do it feels out of place as if you are watching two separate films.

The film follows the tropes of a horror film without being suspenseful but it also tries to marry that with an action film.  It is a particularly inventive film and the special FX makeup are top notch with a very haunting look for the “possessed” Jinn as well as the Jinn in its native state as seen at the climax of the film.  One is left wondering if this is just a set up for subsequent films and if it is then it would be those films where the franchise would truly shine.