If you’ve ever fallen down the rabbit hole of 1970s Italian exploitation cinema, you know it’s a weird, sweaty, and often genuinely uncomfortable place to be. It was a time when directors were throwing everything at the wall to see what stuck—or what got banned. Right in the middle of that chaos sits Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals 1977. It’s a movie that basically functions as a "greatest hits" of everything that made the "Grindhouse" era both fascinating and deeply problematic. Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle it even exists in its current form.
Joe D'Amato, the man behind the camera, was a workhorse. He didn't care about "prestige." He cared about getting shots that would make people gasp, scream, or look away. By 1977, the "Black Emanuelle" series—starring the iconic Laura Gemser—was already a massive global brand. But D'Amato decided that just being an erotic travelogue wasn't enough anymore. He saw the success of movies like Deep River Savages and figured, "Why not mix high-end fashion photography vibes with gut-wrenching cannibalism?"
It's a bizarre cocktail.
What Actually Happens in Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals 1977
The plot is actually pretty straightforward, even if the execution is anything but. Gemser plays Emanuelle, a world-class photojournalist who finds herself in a mental hospital in New York. While she's there, she sees a girl who has been found in the Amazon with a very specific, very gruesome tattoo—and some even more gruesome eating habits. This discovery triggers Emanuelle's "investigative" instincts. She decides she has to go to the heart of the Amazon to find this supposedly extinct tribe of cannibals.
She isn't alone. She teams up with an anthropologist, Professor Mark Lester, played by Gabriele Tinti (who was actually Gemser's husband in real life). They head into the jungle with a small crew, and you can probably guess how that goes. It’s a slow burn until it isn't. The film shifts gears from a somewhat standard "adventure" flick into a full-blown survival horror movie that spares no one's feelings.
D'Amato’s style is unmistakable here. He does his own cinematography under the name Aristide Massaccesi. The lighting is often beautiful—rich greens and deep shadows—which makes the sudden bursts of practical gore effects feel even more jarring. It’s that contrast that keeps people talking about Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals 1977 decades later. You’re looking at a stunning landscape one second and a practical effects stomach-churning moment the next.
The Laura Gemser Factor
You can't talk about this movie without talking about Laura Gemser. She was a different kind of star. Unlike the original "Emmanuelle" (Sylvia Kristel), Gemser’s Emanuelle was proactive. She was smart. She was the one driving the plot. Gemser had this incredibly calm, almost detached screen presence that acted as an anchor for the insanity happening around her. Even when the world is literally falling apart and people are being eaten, she remains the cool professional.
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It's this weirdly dignified performance in a movie that is, by design, undignified. That’s the Joe D'Amato magic, I guess. He took a legitimate star and threw her into the most extreme situations imaginable.
Why This Film Is Constant Controversial
Let’s be real: this isn't a movie for everyone. In fact, it’s a movie for very few people. It’s often lumped in with the "Cannibal Holocaust" crowd, and for good reason. It pushes boundaries that modern cinema doesn't even want to touch. One of the biggest hurdles for modern viewers is the inclusion of real animal cruelty. It was a staple of the Italian cannibal genre—a misguided attempt to add "documentary realism" to these fictional stories. Today, it’s the primary reason many people refuse to watch the uncut versions. It’s a dark stain on the genre’s history.
Then there’s the gore. D'Amato didn't believe in subtlety. We're talking about practical effects that, while dated, are still intensely visceral. There's a scene involving a human ribcage that is still cited by horror fans as one of the most effective pieces of low-budget makeup from that era.
It’s also worth noting the "Emanuelle" branding. By 1977, the series was leaning heavily into the "harder" side of exploitation. Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals 1977 is basically the bridge between the soft-core eroticism of the earlier films and the "video nasty" era that would follow in the early 80s. It exists in this strange liminal space. It’s trying to be a sexy adventure, a serious ethnography (sorta), and a shocking horror movie all at once. It succeeds at being shocking, if nothing else.
The Musical Score by Nico Fidenco
One thing that genuinely elevates the film is the music. Nico Fidenco was a master of the Italian lounge-meets-tension sound. The score for this movie is surprisingly lush. It’s got these soaring, melodic themes that make you feel like you’re watching a high-budget epic. Then, when the tension ramps up, it shifts into these rhythmic, tribal beats that get under your skin. Without Fidenco’s music, the movie would feel much cheaper. It provides a level of atmosphere that D’Amato’s rapid-fire shooting schedule probably didn't allow for on set.
Ranking the "Cannibal" Movies: Where Does This Fit?
If you’re a completionist looking at the 70s cannibal boom, you’ve got a lot of ground to cover.
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- Man from Deep River (1972) started it.
- Cannibal Holocaust (1980) perfected the "found footage" horror.
- Cannibal Ferox (1981) pushed the violence to the absolute limit.
Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals 1977 sits right in the middle of that timeline. It’s less "serious" than Cannibal Holocaust but more stylish than Cannibal Ferox. It’s a hybrid. It doesn't have the bleak, nihilistic worldview of Ruggero Deodato’s work. Instead, it feels more like a fever dream. It’s trashy, yes, but it’s trashy with a specific Italian flair that you just don't see anymore.
The "Video Nasty" Legacy
In the UK during the 80s, this film was caught up in the moral panic surrounding "Video Nasties." The Department of Public Prosecutions actually put it on the list of films that could be seized by police. Why? Because it was deemed "obscene." This, of course, did nothing but make people want to see it more. For years, the only way to watch it was through grainy, multi-generational bootleg tapes.
Now, we have 4K restorations. It’s wild to think that a movie once considered a threat to public morality is now being meticulously cleaned up frame-by-frame for boutique Blu-ray collectors. But that’s the lifecycle of cult cinema. Yesterday’s smut is today’s "cult classic."
Technical Specs and Visuals
D’Amato was famous for moving fast. He could shoot a movie in two weeks if he had to. You can see some of that haste in Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals 1977. There are continuity errors. There are moments where the acting feels... let's say "relaxed." But the 35mm film stock gives it a texture that digital can’t replicate. The grain, the saturated colors of the jungle, and the sweat on the actors' faces create an immersive experience.
The practical effects were handled by folks who knew how to stretch a dollar. They used offal and animal parts from local butchers to simulate human remains. It’s gross, but in the context of 1977, it was revolutionary. It gave the film a "wet" look that CGI just can't quite get right.
Finding the Best Version Today
If you’re going to watch this, don't just grab any random copy off a streaming site. Most of those are heavily censored or look like they were filmed through a screen door. Look for the recent restorations from labels like Severin Films. They usually include the "Uncut and Uncensored" versions, which restore the footage that was chopped out by various rating boards over the years.
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Just a fair warning: "Uncut" means everything. The animal cruelty is still there. The extreme violence is there. It’s the film as Joe D'Amato intended it, for better or worse.
Final Practical Advice for Collectors
If you're hunting for physical media, pay attention to the titles. This movie has about a dozen different names depending on the country. You might find it as:
- Trap-Them
- Emanuelle e gli ultimi cannibali
- The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (Actually, no, that’s a different movie, but you get the point—the titles are a mess).
Always check the runtime. If it’s under 90 minutes, you’re likely looking at a censored version. The full experience is right around the 93-95 minute mark.
What This Movie Says About the 1970s
Ultimately, Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals 1977 is a time capsule. It represents a period where the film industry was unregulated and experimental. It was a "Wild West" for filmmakers. They weren't worried about Twitter backlash or brand safety. They were just trying to out-shock the guy in the theater next door.
Does it hold up as a "good" movie? By traditional standards, probably not. The pacing is weird, the dialogue is dubbed (often poorly), and the logic is thin. But as a piece of exploitation history? It’s essential. It captures a very specific moment in time where the world was getting smaller, and our cinematic fears were getting bigger and more primal.
To get the most out of your viewing experience, approach it as a historical artifact. Look at the craftsmanship behind the gore. Listen to Fidenco’s incredible score. Appreciate Laura Gemser’s ability to remain the coolest person in the room while everything around her is literally being devoured. It’s a trip. Just maybe don't watch it while you're eating dinner.
Immediate Steps for the Interested Viewer:
- Verify the Version: Before buying or streaming, check the distributor. Severin Films or 88 Films usually offer the most complete, high-definition transfers.
- Research the Content Warnings: This is not a "fun" horror movie. If you are sensitive to real animal harm or extreme sexual violence, this is a firm skip.
- Contextualize the "Emanuelle" Series: If you enjoy this, look into Emanuelle in America (1977), which is often considered the peak of the series' "shock" era.
- Explore the Soundtrack: Even if the movie is too much for you, Nico Fidenco’s score is worth a listen on its own. It’s available on most major music streaming platforms and stands as a masterclass in Italian exploitation music.