The Green Inferno (film)

The Green Inferno

Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2013 (2013)
Founder	Eli Roth, Guillermo Amoedo
Products	Horror film

The Green Inferno is a 2013 horror film centered on cannibalism, directed by Eli Roth and co-written by Roth alongside Guillermo Amoedo. The cast includes Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Daryl Sabara, Kirby Bliss Blanton, and Sky Ferreira, among others. The narrative follows a young activist who joins a group traveling abroad, where they encounter an indigenous tribe practicing cannibalism.

Drawing inspiration from Italian cannibal genre films from the late 1970s and early 1980s—most notably Cannibal Holocaust (1980)—The Green Inferno serves as a tribute to the "cannibal boom" period of that era.

The film debuted at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2013, before receiving a theatrical release on September 25, 2015, through High Top Releasing, BH Tilt, and Universal Pictures. Produced on a budget of $5 million, it earned $12.9 million globally. Although it faced predominantly unfavorable reviews from critics, the movie experienced moderate box office success. Its depiction of indigenous people sparked controversy, with human rights organizations condemning it for reinforcing racist stereotypes portraying uncontacted tribes as "savage."

Plot

Justine, a college freshman, becomes involved with a student social activism group led by Alejandro and his partner Kara. The group organizes a trip to the Amazon rainforest to protest against a petrochemical company that is deforesting land and displacing native communities. Their plan involves documenting and live-streaming their demonstration to raise public awareness. Justine offers to utilize her father’s position as a United Nations attorney to amplify their message.

Their expedition is financed by Carlos, a drug dealer they encounter in Peru. Traveling by boat to the site of the environmental destruction, they initiate their protest by chaining themselves to bulldozers while recording footage. A private security force hired by the company arrives; during the conflict, Justine narrowly escapes death, causing their protest to gain viral attention. Although arrested, they are freed after Carlos bribes local law enforcement. However, their plane crashes in the jungle, resulting in multiple fatalities including Carlos.

The survivors search for a GPS-enabled phone but are captured by an indigenous tribe that kills Kara and imprisons the others. Alejandro confesses that the protest was orchestrated to benefit his father’s competing petrochemical firm, disappointing the group. The tribe subjects Justine, Amy, and Samantha to virginity tests; upon discovering Justine’s virginity, they take her for a genital mutilation ritual while releasing the others. Alejandro suggests waiting for another clearing crew’s arrival, but they attempt to escape. Samantha runs away during heavy rain; Justine returns with no recollection of what occurred.

The tribe feeds the captives unusual meat; Amy realizes it contains Samantha’s remains and subsequently takes her own life. Lars attempts to intoxicate the tribe by mixing marijuana with Amy’s remains in their food. This strategy succeeds, enabling Justine and Daniel to flee; however, Alejandro tranquilizes Lars who is then consumed by the tribe.

Justine and Daniel locate a phone at the crash location but are captured once more. The tribe adorns Justine in traditional attire and leaves Daniel bound to be attacked by ants. When forest clearers arrive, the tribe confronts them, creating an opportunity for Justine to escape with assistance from a sympathetic child who later kills Daniel at his request. Alejandro pleads for rescue but Justine abandons him and encounters a black cat that spares her during her flight.

She discovers militia forces engaged in combat with the tribe; after most warriors are killed, she persuades the militia leader she is American and uses the phone to simulate filming their battle, which leads to a peaceful resolution. She is then evacuated by air.

Back in New York City, Justine gives an interview claiming she was the only survivor and that indigenous people were friendly and helpful before being massacred by the militia. Later, she notices activists wearing shirts featuring Alejandro’s face.

In a post-credits scene, Alejandro’s sister Lucia contacts Justine with satellite images revealing Alejandro alive in the jungle adorned with black tribal paint.

Cast

• Lorenza Izzo portrays Justine, a freshman in college
• Ariel Levy plays Alejandro, the head of an activist organization
• Daryl Sabara appears as Lars
• Kirby Bliss Blanton takes on the role of Amy
• Magda Apanowicz features as Samantha
• Sky Ferreira acts as Kaycee, who shares a dorm room with Justine
• Nicolás Martínez is cast as Daniel
• Aaron Burns performs as Jonah
• Ignacia Allamand plays Kara, Alejandro’s partner
• Ramón Llao appears as The Bald Headhunter
• Richard Burgi is Charles, the father of Justine
• Matías López portrays Carlos
• Paz Bascuñán provides the voice of Lucia, Alejandro’s alleged sister

Production

During the 2012 Cannes Film Festival on May 17, Eli Roth revealed his intention to direct the horror thriller The Green Inferno, which was financed and produced by Worldview Entertainment. The screenplay was co-authored by Roth alongside Guillermo Amoedo. Filming commenced in the fall of 2012 across locations in Peru and Chile. Principal photography began in October 2012 in New York City, with subsequent shoots starting November 5 in Peru and Chile. The complete cast lineup was made public on October 25.

Roth sought to emulate a visual approach influenced by filmmakers Werner Herzog and Terrence Malick, while also drawing inspiration from Italian cannibal genre classics like Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox.

Release

It was announced on July 30, 2013, that The Green Inferno would debut at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Initially slated for a theatrical release on September 5, 2014, under Open Road Films, complications involving Worldview Entertainment caused the film to be pulled from that schedule. Secret screenings took place on September 22, 2013, at Fantastic Fest and later on April 25, 2014, at the Stanley Film Festival.

Ultimately, the movie was released in U.S. theaters on September 25, 2015, through distribution by High Top Releasing and BH Tilt. In the Philippines, it premiered on September 23, 2015 via Solar Pictures, offering two versions: an R-13 "sanitized" edition with five minutes cut to reduce graphic content and an unedited R-18 version.

Box office

Opening across 1,540 locations, the film earned $3.5 million during its first weekend and secured the ninth spot in domestic box office rankings. After six weeks in release, it accumulated $7.2 million in North America and $5.7 million internationally, bringing its global total to $12.9 million.

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a 38% approval rating based on 101 critiques, averaging a score of 4.9 out of 10. The consensus remarks that while The Green Inferno may not attract many new fans to writer-director Eli Roth’s work, his talent for crafting gory visuals delivers a suitably grisly experience. On Metacritic, it earned a score of 38 out of 100 from 19 reviewers, signifying "generally unfavorable reviews." Audience polling by CinemaScore assigned it a grade of "C−."

Horror author Stephen King commended the film as "a glorious throwback to the drive-in movies of my youth: bloody, gripping, hard to watch, but you can't look away." In contrast, Todd Gilchrist from The Wrap criticized Roth’s gore effects for failing "to either offend or exhilarate." Reporting from Fantasia Fest, Meredith Borders of Birth. Movies. Death. offered a more favorable perspective: "The Green Inferno charges forward with unrelenting brutality and delivers an unsubtle critique of uninformed activism, making it an absolute delight for gore enthusiasts."

Controversy

The movie attracted criticism from Survival International, an organization advocating for indigenous peoples and those living in voluntary isolation, for perpetuating stereotypes linked to colonialism and neocolonialism by depicting indigenous communities as barbaric. Roth rejected these allegations, asserting that the genuine dangers stem from corporations engaged in resource extraction rather than fictional cinematic works.

Prior to its release, the Peruvian Indigenous advocacy group AIDESEP condemned the film for presenting racist and inaccurate portrayals of isolated native tribes. The non-governmental organization Amazon Watch accused the movie of employing racist imagery and endorsing policies detrimental to isolated Amazonian indigenous populations, specifically criticizing depictions of cannibalism and female genital mutilation, practices not present in that region. Additionally, Amazon Watch refuted Roth's incorrect assertion that they had supported the film. Tara Houska of ICT News denounced the movie for reinforcing stereotypes that depict tribes as "uncivilized relics," while the Marxist-Leninist publication People's World emphasized racial clichés, especially regarding character fatalities.

In reaction to Amazon Watch’s objections, Roth collaborated with environmental outlet Mongabay and fundraising platform Prizeo to initiate a campaign aimed at supporting conservation efforts in the Amazon rainforest and protecting indigenous rights, utilizing the film’s exposure to promote awareness.

Home media

The Green Inferno became available on DVD and Blu-ray on January 5, 2016, through Universal Home Entertainment. This edition features a director's cut along with audio commentary from Roth and principal cast members.

Potential sequel

On September 7, 2013, plans for a sequel entitled Beyond the Green Inferno were announced with director Nicolás López attached. As of May 2016, no additional production details have emerged beyond initial statements and unconfirmed comments suggesting the sequel is still under consideration.