Quick Info
Ravenous is one of those late-90s horror movies that flew under the radar, and honestly, it’s hard to pin down — part cannibal thriller, part black comedy, with a dose of frontier survival. Set during the Mexican-American War, it follows a disgraced Army officer sent to an isolated outpost in the snowy Sierra Nevadas, where things go sideways after a stranger appears with a grisly tale of being stalked by a Wendigo-like cannibal spirit. The plot goes pretty wild from there, never letting you settle into any one genre for too long.
What I really love about this film is its tone: it constantly shifts between grotesque gore and jet-black humor. Guy Pearce is perfectly understated in the lead, and Robert Carlyle chews scenery (no pun intended) as one of the most unpredictable villains I’ve seen. The offbeat, experimental score by Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman gives the whole thing a strange, jagged energy that keeps you off balance. There are some genuinely tense scenes, particularly whenever the characters are out in the snow, alone with the fear of what’s lurking nearby.
But the movie isn’t for everyone. The humor is so dark that if you’re not ready for it, it can feel jarring or out of place — one minute people are getting picked off one by one, the next it’s almost slapstick in its absurdity. Some of the supporting cast are a little over-the-top and cartoonish, which undercuts the horror at times. The pace can also drag in the middle third, as it tries to stretch out a premise that might’ve been tighter with a few edits.
The cinematography stands out: cold, bleak landscapes punctuated by bursts of violence, with some surprisingly beautiful shots for a movie this grimy. The period setting is refreshing, too, with muddy uniforms and grimy faces adding to the sense of isolation. Despite the flaws, there’s something unique about Ravenous — it manages to say something interesting about power, hunger, and what people are willing to do to survive, even if it’s wrapped in a surreal cannibal package.
You would enjoy this if you appreciate dark satire mixed with horror, you like movies that take risks with tone, or you want something weirder than your typical haunted house or slasher flick. It’s probably not for the squeamish, but for anyone looking to dig up an offbeat cult gem, Ravenous is worth sinking your teeth into.
