Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (Severin Films Blu Ray Review)

Is Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals a Hidden Treasure or Dumpster Fire?

Blu-ray Distributed By: Severin Films

In 1977, infamous filth auteur Joe D’Amato (BEYOND THE DARKNESS, ANTHROPOPHAGUS) combined the insane extremes of eroticism and cannibalism for the most groin-grinding, gut-munching, gore-spewing EuroSleaze saga of them all: When journalist Emanuelle (the ever-luscious Laura Gemser of BLACK EMANUELLE fame) discovers evidence of an extinct cannibal tribe in a Manhattan mental hospital, her investigation will take her to the Amazon jungle for an orgy of carnage that SexGoreMutants calls “…feral, demented and nasty. And in exploitation terms, that’s entertainment!” Gabriele Tinti (EMANUELLE IN AMERICA), Monica Zanchi (SISTER EMANUELLE) and Donald O’Brien (DOCTOR BUTCHER, M.D.) co-star in “the flesh & fear masterpiece from the late great splatter genius” (DVD Beaver) released to ‘80s grindhouses as TRAP THEM AND KILL THEM and now scanned in 2k from original vault elements.

Trashmen Rubbish Round Table

Jamie

Ok, thoughts on Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals?

Travis

I have only seen a few Black Emanuelle films, official entries or not, but this one has to be up there. It not only combines the sleaziness of cannibal films (which are always just an excuse for animal cruelty, genital mutilation, or both) but it has tons of nudity and soft core sex.

Craig

I prefer the other more straight forward Emanuelle films personally.

Jamie

I actually found this to be a more entertaining and watchable cannibal film. But is it a full blown cannibal film? Half the film is an erotic picture with reporter Emmanuelle seducing men and women left and right.

Craig

I mean, half the appeal of the film I guess is that clash but it doesn’t really work that well.

Jamie

What I found funny was that she gets caught up in this whole cannibal investigation because she was under cover as a mental patient, utilizing a fake doll that takes pictures with its eyes, trying to get the story of…what…this institution and how patients are treated? I wasn’t entirely sure. But she gets pulled into a new story once a nurse’s titty gets gnawed off by this rather attractive female patient. And what does Emanuelle do? Wait for the female patient to be in a straight jacket so she can go finger her. Talk about getting the scoop!

Travis

Blending two low respect genres is a great idea even if it was meant as a cash-in on an infamous trend.

Jamie

I agree, I thought it blended pretty well offering the viewer a hodgepodge (is that a word?) of various exploitation genres into one.

Craig

Maybe if the cannibal stuff wasn’t as extreme as it is the transition would work better? We don’t really need knives in vaginas or weiners getting chopped off to get the point across. That kind of nastiness works better for me in something like Cannibal Holocaust (obviously the gold standard of cannibal films) because the characters are kind of getting their just desserts.

Jamie

So Emanuelle meets up with a professor who studies cannibalism and they make fuckings after he shows her a film on these savages ripping apart some guy’s cock in slow motion. His Brillo pad pubes even pay the price. So watching this footage somehow convinces Emanuelle to travel with the professor and a few others in getting the “scoop” on these cannibal savages.

How would you rank this with other cannibal films?

Craig

Ranking this against other cannibal films, I’d put it below Cannibal Ferox but above the Jess Franco films, I guess.

Jamie

Joe D’Amato is one sicko as he mixes two completely different genres into one but somehow makes it work as I thought the movie, while at times incoherent and illogical, was a lot of fun to watch. It just keeps jumping back from one extreme to another.

Travis

This really doesn’t have any dull moments, even if it doesn’t make a ton of sense.

Craig

I’d disagree that there aren’t any dull moments. They spend a lot of time wandering around in the jungle between fucking and the cannibals showing up.

Jimbo

So I know nothing about these films. I thought I read somewhere that this is the fifth in the Black Emanuelle series. If true, what were the first four films? Are they any better? Did they also include cannibalism, or is this the only one?

Craig

Well I think it’s technically the 6th film in the series:

Black Emanuelle

Black Emanuelle 2 (starring Shulamith Lasri instead of Laura Gemser, a sequel in name only) then they drop the “Black” from the title for the rest of the series.

Emanuelle in Bangkok

Emanuelle in America

Emanuelle Around the World

Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals

Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade

There is usually at least one point in the films where things get dark and sleazy for some reason (D’Amato can’t help himself maybe) but this, I think, is the darkest. Though it’s been a while since I’ve seen most of the series.

Travis

In America got pretty violent and sleazy too, didn’t it??

Jamie

Emanuelle in America has a horse getting jerked off.

Travis

Yup, that’s it. I remembered something sick in that. It’s funny the stuff that is thrown into this series after a while.

Craig

The black in Black Emanuelle is all about race. There was a french film starring Sylvia Kristel called Emmanuelle (with two m’s) and it was a big hit. So then of course the Italians gotta do their thing so Black Emanuelle was made (supposedly they dropped the extra m for copyright reasons) with a black lady. Race is only an issue for the first two films (that I remember) and then they drop the ‘Black’ from the title and she just gets to be Emanuelle (very progressive of them).

Jimbo

That makes a little more sense.

Craig

Most of the films are about her being the best reporter in the world and reporting on all kinds of crazy sex and violence. As far as I remember this film is the only one to deal with cannibalism. I do have both Severin DVD box sets and the Blue Underground Emanuelle in America disc so maybe it’s time to revisit.

Jamie

As always, Severin packs the blu ray with plenty of special features with interviews with some of the actors and even the composer. For those looking to see Gemser as she is now will be disappointed as there is only an audio interview of the reclusive actress.

Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?

Jamie:	(3.5 / 5)
Travis:	(4.0 / 5)
Craig:	(3.0 / 5)
Average:	(3.5 / 5)

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