While the United States was excelling in Horror cinema during the 1970s with now-classics like 1973’s The Exorcist, 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and 1975’s Jaws, the Italians were also making their own mark on the world map. Stylistically, a different type of Horror that popularized Giallo, another offshoot to emerge from Italy, was the Cannibal Horror.
A subgenre that grew in popularity through the decade, some would look to Umberto Lenzi’s Man from Deep River from 1972 as one of the earliest examples of exploration into the taboo subject manner. From here, various titles followed, with Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust from 1980 largely being considered the most shocking. However, in 1978, Sergio Martino entered the Cannibal world with his film Slave of the Cannibal God.
Keeping Sergio Martino’s filmmaking catalog diverse, many recall his contributions to the Giallo genre with compelling features like 1971’s The Case of Scorpion’s Tail or 1973’s Torso, but with Slave of the Cannibal God (La montagna del dio cannibal in Italian and translating to Mountain of the Cannibal God) he tries something completely different. A film directed and co-written by Sergio Martino, with his older brother, Luciano Martino, serving as producer, several other notable aspects of the film stand out.
Having worked together on numerous prior projects as family duo, with Slave of the Cannibal God, the brothers’ team with a well-recognized international cast including Switzerland’s Ursula Andress (known for her role as Honey Ryder in 1962’s James Bond film Dr. No), the USA’s Stacy Keach (an acclaimed actor known for a list of film/television roles), along with Italian actors Claudio Cassinelli (know for a list of films and tragically died in a helicopter accident on the set of another Sergio Martino film called Hands of Steel from 1986), as well as Antonio Marsina (known for many things, such as 1985’s Christopher Columbus mini-series).
An excellent mix of talent; perhaps the boldest advantage that Slave of the Cannibal God had going for it was the authenticity of its location, with the entire film being shot on location in the Sri Lankan jungle. Speaking of authenticity, there are many graphic scenes sprinkled throughout that might make someone’s skin crawl or at least make them woozy, including some highly controversial animal cruelty scenes that were reportedly at the encouragement of the distributors to really push the envelope. Nonetheless, this resulted in significant cuts for international releases. In fact, over in the UK (under the title Prisoner of the Cannibal God), it was even banned for a period, becoming part of their infamous “video nasties.” With many different editions roaming various parts of the world, there is a piquant morbid curiosity among select viewers.
All factors that might revolt some (and who can blame them), in truth, those versed in Cannibal genre Horror films, it could be argued that Slave of the Cannibal God is not even one of the goriest in the genre. Yes, it is full of shocking moments, some of which may have you looking away or closing your eyes, but at its heart, Slave of the Cannibal God is more of an effectively frightening jungle adventure.
Following the story of a woman named Susan Stevenson (Ursula Andress), who seeks to find her missing anthropologist husband, joined by her brother Arthur (Antonio Marsina), the two enlist Professor Edward Foster (Stacy Keach) to guide them into the jungle as a search party. An adventure filled with uncertainty, there is allegedly a cursed mountain in the sights of Susan and Arthur, which all locals advise against visiting. Reluctantly escorted by Professor Foster, they encounter dangerous animals and face life-threatening situations along the way, soon realizing they should never have ventured into the unknown land, which could be their doom.
Possessing imagery that makes you reconsider a trip into the jungle anytime soon, for those who are fans of this type of movie, Slave of the Cannibal God is arguably one of the better ones in the realm of Cannibal Horror. Released on DVD multiple times throughout the decades, in 2025, the film receives its worldwide premiere in 4K Ultra HD. Made available on June 25, 2025, through Severin Films, the new release offers Slave of the Cannibal God in 4K Ultra HD from the original camera negative.
It is a spectacular restoration, and the overall quality is better than ever before, with deeper contrast, balanced brightness, and sharper imagery. With an uncut 103-minute runtime edit, you also receive over three hours of special features, which include a brand-new interview with Sergio Martino. Offered as either a single Blu-ray edition or a single 4K UHD edition, die-hard collectors will want to go directly to the Severin Films website to pick up the special 2-disc edition (with both a 4K UHD disc, a Blu-ray disc, and an exclusive slipcase).
In the end, this new release from Severin Films is the most superior quality and content-laden home media option ever put to market of Slave of the Cannibal God, and that is why Cryptic Rock gives it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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