MS. CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (2012)

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Directed/Written by Ron Bonk

The title alone of this one made me do a double take. “Is this a sequel to the found footage pioneer?” I asked myself as I popped this in to my BluRay player, though it was quite clear under a minute in that we weren’t going to be venturing to the Amazon. Filmed on an ultra-low budget, MS. CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST is a revenge film as a victimized girl forms an army of faceless murderers who look like they stepped off MTV’s AMERICA’S BEST DANCE CREW and enacts vengeance on those who stood by and watched her being raped a year prior.

Not a bad hook to hang your hat on. Revenge films have been around for years, but though there are moments when the script feels crisp (one character points to his black friend and says, “If this were a horror movie, you’d be dead already”), the amateur acting and filmmaking ultimately shoots this film in the foot before takeoff.

As the white masked hoodie-wearing gang makes its way through an apartment complex murdering everyone in their wake, the remaining survivors find themselves stuck in a boiler room and in an over-complicated manner that reeks of contrivance and a delivery so wooden it makes Pinocchio fleshy by comparison, they figure out the gist of the female gang leader’s plans.

In order to justify the title of the film, the gang members not only murdify the tenants, but eat them as well. Otherwise, there is no similarity between MS. CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST and the original whatsoever. That said, a few sparkling bits of dialog and some decently choreographed fight scenes save this low budgeter from being a complete loss. The filmmakers have definitely done their homework and show a deep respect for the genre through the homage to revenge stories and the somewhat self-aware dialog, which is another saving grace for MS. CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST.