That passion project finally materialized in . Released initially at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2013 (before a delayed theatrical run in 2015 due to distribution issues), the film is Roth’s love letter—and modern update—to the infamous Italian "cannibal boom" subgenre, most notably Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust (1980).
Common criticism: "It wants to be a political satire and a cannibal movie, and it fails at both." Common praise: "No one directs visceral, tactile horror like Eli Roth. You feel every cut."
Just don’t watch it while you are eating dinner. ★★★☆☆ (3/5 – Recommended for extreme horror aficionados only) The Green Inferno -2013-
While critics were lukewarm, the film was a modest financial success. Made for approximately $5 million, it grossed over $12 million worldwide—by no means a blockbuster, but profitable enough for Roth to later produce a sequel (which remains in development hell as of 2025). In an era of "elevated horror" (think Hereditary or The Witch ), The Green Inferno stands as a defiant throwback. It is not subtle. It is not psychologically complex in the modern sense. It is a visceral, gut-churning experience designed to test the limits of the audience’s stomach.
Emboldened by their viral victory, the group—calling themselves "ACT" (Action Against Tragedy)—decides to take their mission to the Amazon rainforest. Their goal: to chain themselves to bulldozers and halt the construction of a pipeline that will destroy a remote indigenous village. That passion project finally materialized in
When audiences think of the "torture porn" boom of the mid-2000s, Eli Roth’s name sits near the top of the list. With Hostel (2005) and its sequel, Roth redefined American horror for the post-9/11 era—gritty, realistic, and relentlessly cruel. But for nearly a decade, Roth had been nurturing a different kind of nightmare: a return to the gritty, documentary-style shockers of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
However, their plane crashes deep in the jungle. The surviving students, including Justine, wake up inside a cage. They quickly discover that the very tribe they sought to save is not a gentle, noble collective. They are starving. They are ruthless. And they have a longstanding tradition of ritualistic cannibalism. You feel every cut
Here is everything you need to know about the production, plot, controversy, and lasting legacy of . The Plot: Activism Gone Horribly Wrong The film follows Justine (Lorenza Izzo), a naive college freshman from New York City. Eager to impress Alejandro (Ariel Levy), a charismatic but manipulative activist, she joins a student protest that successfully disrupts a court case for a corrupt corporation.