This film is often confused with Eli Roth's 2013 movie of the same name, but they are very different: the 1988 version is a "lighthearted" adventure film that actually lacks the extreme gore its title implies.
Antonio Climati Also Known As: Natura contro , Against Nature , Cannibal Holocaust II Plot Summary: The story follows investigative journalist Jemma Demien and her team—anthropologist Pete and his friends Mark and Fred—as they journey into the Amazon jungle. Their mission is to find a missing professor believed to be living with the legendary Imas tribe. Along the way, they encounter various jungle dangers, but the primary conflict arises not from cannibals, but from greedy gold hunters and traffickers who are exploiting the indigenous people. Key Analytical Points
Modern reviews, such as those from 88 Films' Italian Collection , view it as an "unexpectedly likable" oddity. It is praised for its crisp HD remasters and infectious, albeit ludicrous, episodic segments—like the infamous scene involving an electric ray and a guide's anatomy. Summary Table The Green Inferno (1988) - IMDb
While the title suggests a hellish landscape, the film explores the conflict between "civilization" and nature. The villains are European colonizers and gold hunters, shifting the focus from "savage" tribes to the cruelty of modern greed. Interestingly, many of the indigenous characters in the film inexplicably speak perfect English, a quirk often mocked by critics as part of its "80s cheese" charm.
This film is often cited as the "death knell" of the Italian cannibal subgenre. By 1988, the public's appetite for extreme "junglesploitation" had faded. Climati's film reflects this shift by being significantly toned down, focusing more on survival action and scenic Amazonian photography than on the graphic "gore-fests" of the early '80s.