The Film (4/5)

     Umberto Lenzi is basically the man that kick started the Italian cannibal cycle with his film Man from Deep River.  That film was hugely popular and started for a time a back and forth between Lenzi and director Ruggero Deodato.  Deodato would make his Jungle Holocaust following on from Man from Deep River before Lenzi would return with this film Eaten Alive! He would bring back his Man from Deep River stars Ivan Rassimov and Me Me Lai for the ride as well. Man from Deep River while essentially kick starting the genre was not an over the top film , but with each subsequent film in Lenzi's three film cannibal cycle (the final being the notorious Cannibal Ferox). The violence and just sheer insanity was ramped up making for a more bizarrely entertaining experience.

   Eaten Alive opens with  a Polynesian man, assassinating 3 people, 1 of them in Niagara Falls, 2 in New York City. He is then hit by a truck while being pursued by police. On his person is a tiny reel of 8mm film, which is addressed to Diana Morris.  Morris was involved with a cult lead by a psycho named Jonas, who believes pain brings a person closer to nature. The authorities find her sister Sheila (Janet Agren), who promptly heads to New Guinea to find her and save her. To this end she recruits a man named Mark (Robert Kerman) to help her get through the jungle and survive.   Unfortunately, when they get there, they discover the cults compound is surrounded by a cannibal  tribe, and their options are join the cult of pain, or get EATEN ALIVE!

    Eaten Alive is considered one of the more minor films in the Italian cannibal cycle, overshadowed by the likes of Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox. However, watching it now many years after my last viewing I couldn't help but wonder why? The film is Lenzi running on full gonzo.

    From the opening scene with the cannibal assassin all the way through the film, Eaten Alive is just one long bizarre exploitation horror experience, chocked full of violence and strange terror. Yeah,  Lenzi does use stock footage, and there is the typical animal violence that is present in these films, but putting those aside once the film gets going it really never slows down. The performances from Agren and Kerman are solid, and Kerman's character especially amused me entirely all the way through.  It was a over a decade between my last watch of Eaten Alive and this one. I won't make that mistake again.

Audo/Video  (3.5/5)

    Severin Films presents Eaten Alive in an excellent 1:66:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer that preserves the OAR of the film. The Blu-ray looks and sounds quite solid. The natural colors of the jungle are well reproduced, but are quite muted as this is a dry landscape for much of the running time. Detail is fine throughout, flesh tones are accurate.  Grain is natural, but kept in check. There is minor speckling and instances of damages from the source, but they are never overwhelming.

    There are 3 DTS-HD MA Audio tracks in English, Italian, and Spanish. The audio on all 3 (I alternated through my play through) sounded for the most part clear and concise, and I did not detect any issues.

Extras (3.5/5)

    We have multiple interviews with the cast and crew of the film presented here. There is an interview with Umberto Lenzi that looks like it was taken shortly before he passed. We also get a documentary on Me Me Lai, an interview with the production designer, and archival interviews with Robert Kerman and Ivan Rassimov.  There is also a Q&A with Umberto Lenzi from the UK Festival of Fantastic Films in 2014.

Overall

   Eaten Alive is a huge blast of trashy cannibal cinema. The Blu-ray from Severin Films looks and sounds fantastic, and has a solid extras slate. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.