Cannibal Holocaust is getting a six-disc 4K UHD collector’s edition with three cuts of the controversial horror classic

Movies don’t come any more controversial than Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust. A faux documentary following a crew of filmmakers who disappeared while investigating cannibal tribes in the Amazon, it was noted for its graphic violence, which included real, unstaged footage of animals being killed. It’s still banned in several countries, and it caused such a furor when it was released in Italy that the film was seized by a local magistrate, while Deodato and his producers were convicted of obscenity.

In fact, for a while, Deodato was suspected of having made a snuff film, with the death scenes involving the mostly unknown human cast proving so graphic that it was thought they had actually been murdered. Of course, once the actors were found, these claims were dismissed, although an urban legend has sprung up around the film stating that the actors signed contracts agreeing not to appear in any films or commercials or make media appearances for a year, adding to the illusion that the murders were legitimate.

In the years since its release, Cannibal Holocaust has proven to be wildly profitable for Deodato, and now Grindhouse Releasing is giving it the 4K UHD treatment, with no fewer than three cuts included. One is a new “PG-rated” cut, which, having seen the film myself, must run about ten minutes long.

Here are the specs:

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Super-deluxe six-disc collector’s edition—one UHD, four Blu-rays, and one CD!
• Spectacular new 4K restoration from the original 35mm and 16mm camera negatives
• Three different versions—the original UNCENSORED theatrical version, a new SPECIAL EDITION, and a never-before-released “PG-rated” version
• Archival stereo DTS-HD Master Audio remix and original mono mix
• Two feature-length commentary tracks:
  • With director Ruggero Deodato and star Robert Kerman
  • With stars Carl Yorke and Francesca Ciardi
• SEARCHING FOR CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST—a new feature-length documentary by Calum Waddell
• IN THE JUNGLE: The Making of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, directed by Michele De Angelis
• In-depth interviews with director Ruggero Deodato, director of photography Sergio D’Offizi, production designer Massimo Antonello Geleng, camera operator Roberto Forges Davanzati, composer Riz Ortolani, assistant director/co-star Salvatore Basile, and stars Robert Kerman, Carl Yorke, Francesca Ciardi, and Luca Barbareschi
• Extensive still galleries and theatrical trailers
• 100-page book by Eurohorror experts Martin Beine and Jesper Mørch
• BONUS CD—soundtrack album by Riz Ortolani, remastered and expanded with ten additional tracks, including three never-before-released cues
• Super-deluxe slipcover featuring banned artwork from the original 42nd Street release by Marcus Boas
• AND OTHER SURPRISES!

There’s no news yet on when the UHD disc will be released, but the film is getting a limited theatrical re-release this fall, so it should appear before the end of the year. As for whether you should actually watch the film, it depends. It’s certainly an important title as far as horror goes, but the scenes of animal cruelty are astonishingly difficult to watch, so unless you have a very high tolerance for that kind of material, steer clear. Yet it’s a truly disturbing, nightmarish movie and, for better or worse, a pivotal title in the history of genre cinema.