Mangiati vivi! (1980)

Director:

Umberto Lenzi

Writer:

Umberto Lenzi (story)

Release Date:

20 March 1980 (Italy)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror

Tagline:

They didn't have a chance!

Plot:

A young woman teams up with an adventurer to find her missing sister in the jungles of New Guinea and they stumble upon a religious cult led by a deranged preacher whom has located his commune in an area inhabited by cannibals.

Plot Keywords:

Cannibal | Jungle | New York | New Guinea | Dart

Cast

Robert Kerman	...	Mark Butler
Janet Agren	...	Sheila Morris
Ivan Rassimov	...	Jonas Melvyn
Paola Senatore	...	Diana Morris
Me Me Lai	...	Mowara
Fiamma Maglione	...	Alma (as Mag Fleming)
Franco Fantasia	...	Brother Reeves
Franco Coduti	...	Karan (as Gianfranco Coduti)
Alfred Joseph Berry
Michele Schmiegelm	...	Native girl
Mel Ferrer	...	Professor Carter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gerald Grant	...	Lt. Creal (uncredited)
Carlo Longhi	...	Dick (follower of Jonas) (uncredited)
Edward Mannix	...	Inspector Logan (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Susan Spafford	...	Sheila Morris (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Jake Teague	...	Inspector Logan (uncredited)
Frank von Kuegelgen	...	Lt. Creal (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Umberto Lenzi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Umberto Lenzi		story and screenplay

Produced by
Mino Loy	....	producer
Luciano Martino	....	producer

Original Music by
Roberto Donati		(as Budy)
Fiamma Maglione		(as Maglione)

Cinematography by
Federico Zanni

Film Editing by
Eugenio Alabiso

Production Design by
Massimo Antonello Geleng

Costume Design by
Massimo Antonello Geleng

Makeup Department
Raul Ranieri	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Franco Coduti	....	unit manager (as Gianfranco Coduti)
Evi Farinelli	....	unit manager
Giovanni Masini	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Franco Fantasia	....	assistant director (as Francesco Fantasia)

Art Department
Rodolfo Ruzza	....	prop man

Sound Department
Massimo Mariani	....	sound engineer
Bruno Moreal	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Paolo Ricci	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Roberto Belli	....	chief electrician
Gianni Maddaleni	....	camera operator
Francesco Narducci	....	still photographer
Mario Pastorini	....	assistant camera
Giancarlo Serravalli	....	key grip

Editorial Department
Brigida Mastrolillo	....	assistant editor
Teresa Negozio	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Carlo Maria Cordio	....	conductor
Carlo Maria Cordio	....	music arranger

Other crew
Franco Galizi	....	production secretary

Distributors

• Eagle Films (1981) (UK) (theatrical)
• VideoMedia (1981) (UK) (VHS)
• Continental Video (1986) (USA) (VHS) (as "The Emerald Jungle")
• Elephant Video Ltd. (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Video Instant Picture Company (VIPCO) (1992) (UK) (VHS)
• Professional Cine Media (1994) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• EC Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Shriek Show (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Alemannia-Filmverleih (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• EuroVideo (????) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• IVC (????) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Another World Entertainment (2006) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Firebox (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• LD Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• SBP (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Video Classics (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Video Invest AB (????) (Sweden) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Doomed to Die (USA)
Eaten Alive by the Cannibals! (Europe: English title)
Eaten Alive! (International: English title)
Eaten Alive: Mangiati vivi! (USA) (DVD box title)
Mangiati vivi dai cannibali (Italy) (alternative title)
The Emerald Jungle (USA) (video title)
Ad kannibalov 2 (Russia) (DVD title) [ru]
Antropofagos (comidos vivos) (Spain) (poster title) [es]
Cannibal holocausto 2 (Argentina) (video title) [es]
Comidos vivos! (Spain) [es]
Fate tous zontanous (Greece) [el]
La secte des cannibales (France) [fr]
Lebendig gefressen (West Germany) [de]
Massakren i junglens dyb (Denmark) [da]
Omänsklig fasa (Sweden) (video title) [sv]
To ourliahto ton kannivalon (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Vivos Serão Devorados (Brazil) [pt]

Runtime:

92 min | UK:85 min (heavily cut)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | UK:18 (re-rating: 1987) (heavily cut) | UK:X (original rating: 1981) (heavily cut) | Italy:VM14 | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Argentina:16 | Ireland:18 (cut UK version) | Norway:(Banned) | South Korea:18 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:(Banned) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Italy

Trivia:

Scenes originally from the movies Il paese del sesso selvaggio (1972) (crocodile being killed with a small knife, and a woman being killed and eaten by cannibals), Ultimo mondo cannibale (1977) (Me Me Lay's death sequence), and La montagna del dio cannibale (1978) (castration scene, footage of a snake eating a monkey, and a man being pulled into the water by a crocodile), were edited into this movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the end, when Mark throws a spear just before entering the helicopter, the spear flies sideways and into the ground, but it is then shown to impale someone yards away.

Quotes:

Professor Carter: Cannibals. Instead of buying frozen meat in the supermarket, they get theirs fresh from people like you. One way to solve the problem of starvation in the world.
Inspector Logan: Is this any time for wisecracks?

Movie Connections:

Edited from La montagna del dio cannibale (1978)

Soundtrack:

Battle Hymn of the Republic

An OK waste of time

While I don't think that Eaten Alive is particularly very good, it's an OK waste of time. If you're used to cannibal films like Cannibal Holocaust then this will seem tame in comparison. It's not a particularly interesting or original story and you don't care much for the characters. But there are a few nice gore touches and shocking rape sequences to keep you awake (if that's your sort of thing). There's also a few decent action and fight sequences. The best scene is probably when one girl is literally eaten alive and her skeleton turned inside out. There's not a lot of gore and it's rather amateur, but it's not too bad.

Since this isn't my sort of film, I wouldn't recommend seeking it out unless you're a die-hard fan of the cannibal horror genre.