SYNOPSIS
A coward, a maniac, a nerd, and a priest set out, with a terrified survivor, to find the remnants of an expedition
that resorted to cannibalism.
OPINION
Perhaps the definining film of my adolescence, Ravenous takes what should have been a rote slasher and twists it upside-down while shaking, until it turns into something very different, very new, and more than a little queer. Fusing Western notions of cannibalism and vampirism with the Indigenous wendigo myth, Ravenous folds more than a little sexuality into its horror as Carlyle's delightful, insidious Colonel Ives happily munches away on man and woman alike. With a stunningly brutal ending and an incredible score - equal parts untrained, dissonant bluegrass clanging + late-90s triphop loops of Silent Hill - it's an intense horror-adventure like none you've ever seen.
CAST + CREW
Director: Antonia Bird (Priest, Mad Love, Face)
Cast: Guy Pearce (Factory Girl, Iron Man 3, L.A. Confidential)
Sheila Tousey (Thunderheart, Lord of Illusions, Skinwalkers)
Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later, The 51st State, Face)
CONTENT (spoilered; highlight for warnings)
violence against women, violence against animals, violence against children, war violence, cannibalism, raw meat
CAREER STATS [on a scale from 1 (least) to 10 (most)]
FUN: 8
Robert Carlyle chewing scenery is so very delightful.
SCARINESS: 4
Less scary, but literally filled with dread by the third act.
INTENSITY: 9
Oppressive snowscapes isolate, but the threat is already here.
RECOMMENDABILITY: 8
Revolting, darkly-comic fun for just about anyone.
SEE ALSO:
The Thing, Ginger Snaps III, Bone Tomahawk, The Witch
