Cursed Films II has gone in a new direction the latter half of its second season. Focusing more on overall impact than rumors and whispers has led to episodes that have been much more interesting. There is nothing wrong with hearing strange occurrences that seem to follow a movie, but the docuseries has taken a much broader look at its subjects.
This is seen most in the season finale. Cannibal Holocaust is one of the most controversial – if not the most controversial – movies of all time. From the real killing of actual animals to stories of court cases with surprise witnesses, it has earned a place in infamy for a number of reasons. It is so notorious that when it was screened on The Last Drive-In, Shudder released a version of the episode that included all the commentary with Joe Bob and excluded the actual movie.
A movie with this kind of past has a lot to uncover and Cursed Films does its best to get to it all. This includes talking to many of the cast and the crew of Cannibal Holocaust. Unsurprisingly, the entire cast hates having had anything to do with the filming. The nicest thing anyone is able to say about it is it was all “rock ‘n’ roll.” The members of the crew halfheartedly try to figure out what Ruggero Deodato had planned while saying they only participated for the money. (This is a running theme of the show.)
The director seems very proud of his most well-known work. He leans into the notoriety questioning why anyone would take his movie so seriously. Even when Cursed Films discusses the way the film is marketed, Deodato is at a loss why the public would be so upset about his cannibal movie. As charming as the director can be, he comes off as the biggest problem of the movie one critic refers to as the end of Italian cinema.
Cursed Films II airs Thursdays on Shudder
You must be logged in to post a comment Login