A mondo journey into Papua New Guinea's rituals, rites, and raw realities.
NEW GUINEA: ISLAND OF CANNIBALS
Mondo-style documentary in which a movie crew travels to newly independent Papua New Guinea to capture the customs and culture of the cannibal natives. Prepare yourself for death rituals, war costumery, crude tattoos, animal killings, and cannibalism.
Quick Answer
New Guinea: Island of Cannibals is a 1974 Japan-Italy documentary horror film directed by Akira Ide about a film crew documenting the customs and traditions of Papua New Guinea’s native cannibal tribes.
Programmer's Pick
Part ethnographic document, part exploitation exercise, this mondo shocker doesn’t blink at the taboos—animal sacrifices and cannibal rites included. If you want your documentaries with a side of controversy, this one delivers the jungle heat.
— SassyFlix Programmer
Overview
Details & Specs
- Director
- Akira Ide
- Writers
- Shinjirô Kanazawa, Annibale Roccasecca
- Release
- 1974
- Runtime
- 1h 40m
- Country
- Japan, Italy
- Language
- Italian
- Genres
- Documentary, Horror
- Also Known As
- Guinea Ama, Gesichter des Sterbens: Kannibalismus und blutige Rituale, Guinea Ama: Kannibalismus und blutige Rituale, Zankoku hitokui tairiku, The Real Cannibal Holocaust
Why Cult
Experience the infamous mondo documentary style that blends shock, spectacle, and staged reality to unsettling effect.
From cannibal feasts to tattooing and war costumery, the film puts rarely-seen tribal rites front and center.
The documentary doesn’t shy away from showing animal deaths as part of ritual and daily life, a hallmark of shockumentary cinema.
Set at the moment of Papua New Guinea’s independence, the film captures a culture at a crossroads between tradition and modernity.
Scene Gallery
Questions from the Vault
When was New Guinea: Island of Cannibals released? +
New Guinea: Island of Cannibals was released in 1974.
Who directed New Guinea: Island of Cannibals? +
Akira Ide directed New Guinea: Island of Cannibals.
How long is New Guinea: Island of Cannibals? +
The film runs for 100 minutes.
What genre is New Guinea: Island of Cannibals? +
It is a documentary and horror film, sometimes classified as a mondo shockumentary.
Where can I watch New Guinea: Island of Cannibals? +
New Guinea: Island of Cannibals is available to stream on SassyFlix.
