So convincing was 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust the original found-footage film that director Ruggero Deodato faced charges for murdering the actors. The Italian courts evidently weren’t aware of the “cannibal boom” sweeping grindhouse cinemas. The film was the latest chapter in a provoking genre initiated by 1962’s Mondo Cane. It was because of his soundtrack credit on Mondo Cane that Deodato enlisted Riz Ortolani to produce the music for Cannibal Holocaust.
Like many soundtracks the title theme gets revisited throughout but with its haunting melody and perfectly dialed-in synth tone it never wears thin. The ominous tracks comprised of saw tooth surges and orchestral tension are carried along by throbs that sound like a cross between synthesized tribal drums and laser guns. The upbeat funk songs aren’t extraordinary but to the film viewer they would signal a welcome reprieve from the cannibalism gore and genuine animal death footage that caused this film to be banned in several countries. Strikingly the gentlest song on the album is a delicate orchestral embrace titled after the Crucified Woman who adorns the packaging of possibly every release of Cannibal Holocaust or its soundtrack.
This soundtrack remained unreleased for 15 years and has only seen a handful of CD versions since. Perhaps as atonement three labels released unique vinyl editions on Friday the 13th each more deluxe than the last.
