A group of small time conmen decide to up their game by kidnapping the little girl of a wealthy businessman. When they realise they have bitten-off more than they can chew, they contact a big-time gangster who tells then to hide out in the Amazon. They manage to negotiate the border but their aid is caught by cannibals. They get to their point of contact at an isolated house, but fall foul of the owner when one of them rapes the man’s wife. The authorities are alerted and the little girl’s parents arrive. A chase ensues… right through the territory of the cannibals...

Again, 88 Films in the UK have cleaned this up very nicely. However,  I have to wonder why they didn’t bother with the opening titles, which are a mess of scratches, streaks, sound marks and blemishes. Sound dubs into English are invariably bad. In this one words are often added when the characters quite obviously don’t open their mouths. The ridiculously squeaky voice of the little girl is undoubtedly supplied by an adult woman trying (and failing) to sound like a young girl. The little girl is totally unfazed by all events, and just accepts any person or situation without question. She is as equally at home with the villains and cannibals as her own parents. Ambient noises sometimes abruptly stop to show stock footage of birds in a tree or a crocodile surfacing.

There is lots of nonsensical wandering around or partying which seeks to cheaply use-up the running time. The cannibals are a curious lot. All shapes and sizes – even a  big-bellied hairy guy who obviously ate all the human pies. Their painted faces are so bright, colourful and varied they look as though they’re warming up for a kid’s party. Perhaps one of them is Ed Gacy. Hierarchy is alive and well in this fake Amazon. When the cannibals have a victim, the body is taken into the leader’s tent where a privileged few get to eat the raw innards – while the rest of the tribe are obliged to partake in a free-for-all ceremonial dance and wait for the leader to emerge with a severed limb. Nevertheless, it seems they have a moral compass and only eat the bad buys.

Extras include a deleted scene and an amusing and informative documentary called That’s Not the Amazon! – The Strange Story of the Eurocine Cannibal Film Cycle. It was a company where directors came and went, and even finished each other’s films.

4

Ty Power