Why is RAVENOUS So Messed Up?!

[@RyanHollinger]

*Other than Bone Tomahawk, that is the BEST western (genre) horror?!* Go to buyraycon.com/ryan and use code HOLIDAY for 15% off sitewide! Brought to you by Raycon.

[@gaboestevez718]

I heard of bone tomahawk after watching this movie, and I loved both. I’m so glad you took my recommendation.

[@marchingham]

Does Near Dark count? That always felt like kind of a western to me. If not, then maybe Westworld?

[@michachmielowiecki4205]

Dead in Tombstone, a B movie mixture of ghost rider and death wish set in the wild west, starring the machéte himself as well as Mickey Rourke portraying satan.

[@thecreepoid901]

Not a movie, but I'd suggest looking into the Deadland: West West rpg.

[@alexgiron442]

I’d recommend Bacurau, a Brazilian ‘Weird Western’ from 2019. It’s not a horror western in the conventional sense, but it blew me away with its eccentricities.

[@wahbegan]

Ravenous is literally the only Wendigo movie that i feel like stays respectful to Algonquian culture and really GETS what the Wendigo is

[@Dreigonix]

80% of them don’t even include the cannibalism/insatiable hunger aspect and it’s like WHAT THE HELL-

[@loganwendigo937]

I can confirm this is true

[@TeatroGrotesco]

True point redm.

[@UncleAnaesthesia]

Actual Algonquin here and yes, Ravenous is one of my favourite movies because of its historical accuracy. In our culture, the windigo is a cautionary tale, a euphemism about greed and an insatiable hunger that cannot be satiated. It additionally examines the depictions of cannibalism in organized religion with that clever line about "man eats the body of Christ every Sunday."

[@Talldiva4528]

Right on!

[@justinriley]

Finally, Ryan covers one of the most underrated horror movies out there.

[@RyanHollinger]

Perhaps the most deserving of that title.

[@neuralmute]

@@RyanHollinger Absolutely! I first saw this in a nearly empty theatre, and I *still* have no idea why this isn't one of the classics of that era of horror.

[@alexandresobreiramartins9461]

Great comedy.

[@TechnicJunglist]

I was ironically just talking about this film the other day. More incentive for a rewatch

[@Kane.JimLahey.]

Nah man, the most underrated horror movie is "The Lawnmower man"

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

Guy Pearce, Neal McDonough, Robert Carlyle, David Arquette...that's one heck of a cast in this snow-born Western. 🤠

[@sambaker125]

Also Jeremy Davies, man's great in everything he's in

[@alexithyme3511]

Also a great job by a female director. Antonia Bird

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

@@alexithyme3511 Mmm, I didn't know that before this video, which makes the film even more of an intriguing watch! 😊

[@MrGuggisberg]

And like Bone Tomahawk, they tactfully limited the screen time of David Arquette. Horrible actor but nice guy.

[@alessandrobaggi6129]

Please, don't forget the great Jeffrey Jones, one of the best imo.

[@Neverfate]

I remember renting this from Blockbuster in the early 2000s. And immediately my best friend and I were like "what is this score? What is the TONE of the movie?" and weren't sure we'd stick with it, but we did and we slowly realized how darkly brilliant the movie was. Such a gem.

[@canyonfox45thisismygoodsid68]

That's cool of you to acknowledge the music. As underrated a film ravenous is, the music is definitely overlooked. Such a fun soundtrack

[@petergivenbless900]

Also worth mentioning that Albarn's collaborator was Michael Nyman.

[@RatSawGod]

@@petergivenbless900 , I came here to say the same. An experimental classical composer akin to John Gage collaborating with a the rock and roll Blur frontman made for this insanely diverse bizzare-ass score.

[@jculver1674]

I've owned the soundtrack ever since it came out in the '90s, it's one of my favorites.

[@durden2480]

It’s fantastic

[@chaddelong998]

the soundtrack was a character of its own. to me, it was the madness that crept around the scenes contemplating who it wanted to consume, or offer itself up for whomever may have wanted it.

[@Bemwidood]

I grew up listening to stories of the wiindigoo from my dad on my Ojibwe reserve. I always loved learning mythology of different cultures and my own. It really means a lot to me when you say you theorize this movie has a more accurate representation of the wiindigoo because according to my research and what I was raised on, it totally does! I’m discouraged by all the antler wearing creatures in hollywood deemed wiindigoog when I haven’t traditionally heard any told with horns/antlers. This review really means a lot to me thank you so much for shining a spotlight on it ❤️

[@Bemwidood]

Also I super appreciate how you cited a notable elder amongst Ojibwe people in Basil Johnstonban. The -ban at the end of his name is an Ojibwe language suffix that indicates he has passed on.

[@Bemwidood]

Just occurred to me as well that it was very culturally well done that you waited until winter to publish this. From what I’ve been taught we don’t share these kinds of stories until snow is on the ground. Reason being is that most animals are either hibernating or aanzookaanag (mythological figures) are trapped under ice so the likelihood of them hearing you talk about them is greatly reduced ❤️

[@TeatroGrotesco]

Please, share what you have learned. Especially what has come in oral histories to you, most importantly if they don't line up what already exists in research!

[@leoncaw326]

I too cringe every time I get excited and then see the deer zombie. Wish that trope would die out already.

[@paulsillanpaa8268]

My understanding of the wiindigoo legends was that it was about breaking the bonds with your fellow humans. At a time when hunger was common and starvation could happen almost by accident, the one thing you could never do was to treat your fellow humans as food. No matter how desperate you got, it was better for everyone to starve together than for one person to take advantage and consume the others. If you ever crossed that line, it meant something evil had entered your soul, and you were now a danger to everyone around you. I don't know if there's actually such a thing as a wiindigoo, but I've read enough historical accounts of cannibalism (including the Donner Party) to believe that the old stories were true enough...

[@celestenova777]

Robert Carlyle is such a great actor, he puts his heart and soul into all the characters he plays.

[@lisah-p8474]

He's not afraid to put his whole ass into a role and play the most unhinged, batsh*t crazy characters you've ever seen. And you can't take your eyes off him!

[@celestenova777]

@@lisah-p8474 exactly 😊👍.

[@TeatroGrotesco]

"....after that, Well, the game was mine."

[@durden2480]

He’s terrifying

[@warandpoetry9542]

Not gonna lie, I remember watching this as a teen and the uhhh… tension between Ives and Boyd gave me butterflies

[@marvellousm]

Oh yeah I definitely saw tension there, Ives is literally looking for a companion in cannibalism.

[@magnetdance]

Gave me butterflies as an adult as well lol

[@valentinecore]

i haven't even seen the movie but even just in this video...the bear trap scene??? yeah theres something going on there

[@InTrancedState]

Gay

[@Oceanaryia]

same!!!

[@Higesgirl]

A very underrated horror classic. I remember watching this for the first time on a channel called Encore. I enjoyed it and was surprised to see it on Netflix a couple years ago. Glad it's getting some recognition that it deserves. Thank you for talking about it, Ryan. 💛

[@Boggsy.]

Absolutely agree 👍🏻

[@peckules]

I've loved this movie for almost a couple of decades now. And the soundtrack is great, thank you for mentioning it. My favorite tracks are "Colqhoun's Story"; "Run!"; "Let's Go Kill that Bastard"; and "Saveoursoulissa." As far as other western horror, The Burrowers is really good. Grim Prairie Tales is also a fun watch, it's a western horror anthology with James Earl Jones and Brad Dourif! Tremors might also be a modern take on Western Horror, with it's small desert ranching town setting.

[@nefariousgremlin7554]

the soundtrack is so good, man. I love all the tracks you listed, too, especially saveoursolissa and colqhoun's story

[@michelle.pearl.]

I love The Burrowers. Another severely underrated western horror, which is a shame because there are SO few good ones.

[@leoncaw326]

I've wanted Boyd's Journey on my playlist for years but could never find a way to purchase it 🙁

[@alessandrobaggi6129]

@Leonca W Best track! 👍

[@jonathanmulondo9206]

The combination of horror and Western makes sense considering the brutality of Western settlers and bloodshed

[@violenceisfun]

Just say you hate whites and stop trying to sound deep because you're not intelligent enough for it.

[@whatahero2337]

Neal McDonough attempt to go Super Saiyan is truly inspiring

[@frederickhogrefe7459]

One of the all time great horror/black comedies. The villains 'manifest destiny' speech also helped pass a US history test in high-school that I had in no way studied for. Don't sleep on the soundtrack either, it's a banger!

[@neuralmute]

I remember going to see this in the theatre, more or less because it was a movie that seemed to be based on the Donner Party, and both Robert Carlyle and Guy Pierce are consistently amazing actors. I left wondering what the hell I'd just seen, and it's been one of my favourite movies ever since. This movie was also the entertainment the night a friend o mine threw a cannibalism themed "Donner Party Dinner Party". Her "Ned's Head" cake, iced to look like a surprisingly realistic decapitated Sean Bean, was particularly good.

[@spo0ky_katja726]

I caught this YEARS ago on SyFy when it was still the Sci-Fi channel (where I'd watch MST3K every Saturday morning, if you're a millennial like me). I caught the last quarter of the movie and was enthralled. Thankfully for me, they had it on again later that night and I was able to watch the full movie. I was in love from the start. I've introduced a few people to this little gem since then. Such a good movie that still, I think, holds up years later. That stew at the end, human remains or not, looked delicous! Come on Col. Ives, drop that recipe!!

[@rockinbobokkin7831]

IMO the finest telling of the Wendigo myth ever committed to film. Possibly the best even written. The monster is on the inside, praying on greed, avarice, laziness, starvation, and cowardice. I love this movie. It is also the perfect blend of dark comedy, horror, gore, and drama.

[@hossosplitternacken7819]

wendigo aka White people ..or how the natives said

[@1987Liono]

Antonia Bird was a great director who saved this film. The last director left at the last minute and she came in at Robert Carlyle's request. She had no preproduction on this film and had to piece it together.

[@willd.4808]

At first I was like "oh no, it's another generic 'Native American lore is creepy' horror film" but learning that it's actually a critique of colonialist violence through the lens of Native American lore was very cool

[@sapphiredragon5152]

I remember hearing that for one part of the score, where Calhoun turns into Ives, that they whistled through a disconnected oboe reed to create this really freaky discordant sound. Kinda like how the Joker's 'theme' from The Dark Knight is just an extended grating note.

[@Verrill82]

A friend and I were bored onenday and decided to go to the cinema with no real idea what to watch. The next showing was ravenous, so we gave it a try. I'm so glad we were bored that day because it became one of my favourite horrors and introduced me to the true culture around a Wendigo. Brilliant film that deserved so much more recognition

[@phantomsbullet2960]

The Finnish translation for the name of the movie is genious. It’s called ”Erämaa syö miestä” which roughly translates to ”wilderness eats man”. Wilderness truly eats man figuratively and literally.

[@beastiegrl4eva]

This movie is a treasure on so many levels, from the production issues, the amazing direction, witty af script, great acting, amazing score by Damon Albarn (Blur,, the Gorillaz) I've loved this flick for 2 decades

[@chancemartin4737]

Thanks for covering this. It is one of my all time favs. I love the score. The black comedy mixed with moments of sheer horror. The "He was licking me" scene always gets under my skin. Another thing I realized on a more recent viewing was the background metaphor of consumption of people and manifest destiny. The US just took everything from native Americans. Their greed and hunger destroyed things and their own identity. I love how the movie plays with this idea. One correction though, Boyd first ate people when he was buried in bodies. The blood in his mouth gave him the strength to get out and attack the enemy. Loved the video. Great take

[@dropboxmoabit384]

oh my sweet goodness! finally this movie gets appreciated the way it deserves. is is not only one of my favorite horror but one of my favorite films - period. it has great setting, fantastic characters, amazing music, a fantastic story, incredible nerve-wrecking tension, true character development, magnificient atmosphere and to top it off, it has comedy that works. and that scene where they enter the cave will forever haunt me. I come back to this masterpiece every now and so often since I first saw it more than 20 years ago. it moves me to see it getting praised by people who know what they talk about. such an under appreciated gem!

[@wstine79]

I hope Ryan does a retrospective on "Cannibal: The Musical." A different kind of western cannibal movie.

[@charlesfarley28]

Me, too! It sure is a shpadoinkle movie.

[@tobewanad]

That movies makes me feel warm like a baked potato

[@hislairdship8961]

Fudge, Packer?

[@embercoral]

Yes, please. My dad introduced me to the movie in bite-sized pieces when I was young, especially the Let's Build a Snowman song. However, I never actually watched the whole thing cuz I was a wimp with gore (still kinda am tbh), and now that my dad is gone, I wanna know just how bonkers the musical is and watch it in his memory.

[@DesperoVitae]

This is one of my family's favorite movies. I discovered it shortly after it hit DVD and it's been in our movie rotation to this day. It's so strange and charming and is one of my favorite types of movies: A small group of interesting and flawed people in a small, fixed location with a single, dire goal. It has also instilled in me a lifelong respect for Robert Carlisle. We also refer to the utterly disturbing soundtrack as "Plinky Music".

[@Ariye]

THIS MOVIE! YES! I love this so very much! I first saw this movie on a horror tv channel called Chiller like 15 years ago! For the longest time I thought I'd made this movie up as a fever dream, I was so happy to find it again! (Edited for spelling, I was too excited)

[@JuniperJadePR]

I'm really glad that more KZbinrs have been giving this film exposure since Antonia Bird's directorial work (RIP) is very fascinating.

[@anthyatt6904]

Couldn't agree more. An underrated film by an underrated filmaker.

[@katiecook6006]

I wonder if the film is trying to combine the cases of the Donner Party with that of Alfred Packer. Packer, a con man and "explorer" who was stranded in the wilderness in 1874, and was the only one of his group to come back alive. He had stories of men "going insane", and he had to "fight back", and, after they'd been killed in "self defense" he was "forced to eat them". Now, that may be true, but he also stole from the people he ate, and the bodies, were very clearly murdered by blunt force trauma, doctors at the time said they were probably not in a fight, Packer was acquitted of murder tho, due to lack of evidence. The Donner party happened to practice cannibalism after the individual had died of natural causes, the story of "Cutter's Gap" matches the Donner Party, but the character of Mclough seems to be inspired by Packer. I will have to check this movie out. Sounds really interesting! Thanks for putting it on my radar.

[@J_Lavinder]

I remember seeing the movie poster for this as a child and I literally would run past it! "You are who you eat" gave me chills then and now.

[@RickardLejonhjarta]

I caught this movie by accident on tv one night a long time ago, started watching it with 0 information about it. It was an amazing experience.

[@bozerkralj]

Same here

[@Indigo_Gaming]

Man, I loved this movie when I watched it on Netflix disc rental years ago. But having said that, I wish there was a cut without the score. I can see the eccentric/absurdist take on it, but some of the flute instrumentals were comically bad and distracting, and I saw no context for which that tone was trying to be accomplished. Great breakdown, however!

[@madeleinesherer7615]

A relevant bit of historical context: much of the way we understand the massacre of the Mexican-American War today is affected by American propaganda of the time (shocking, I know). President Polk famously wanted to absorb all of contemporary Texas into the union, and ordered American soldiers to cross into highly disputed Texan territories with the express purpose of provoking the Mexican military, despite the fact that both the American soldiers in question and many Mexican citizens knew the Americans didn't belong. As a quote from Colonel Ethan Hitchcock said, "We have not one particle of right to be here. It looks as if the government sent a small force on purpose to bring on a war, so as to have a pretext for taking California and as much of this country as it chooses." Afterwards, Polk intentionally exaggerated the brutality of the "massacre," hoping to incense American citizens into supporting a war with Mexico. As far as propaganda campaigns go, this one was brutally successful.

[@coyotegaxiola4281]

SO happy to find this in my feed this morning! You made me love this amazing, blood-soaked gem all over again. As a Californian, it holds a special place in my heart.

[@NomisArchives]

One of my favourite horror films, it's just so bizarre I cannot help but love it. It's crazy underatted.

[@Sharauni]

This has been one of my favorite films for YEARS! I watch it at least twice a year in fact, though my family thinks I'm bizarre for it lol XP I just love how down-to-earth they keep the horror, like something like this could actually happen and the reasoning the people involved give sounds dangerously reasonable, in a twisted wtf way, you even feel a kind of sympathy for the villain, Colonel Ives. I think that's the biggest horror in it, that you can imagine hearing about something like it on the news and not be that surprised, thanks to the absurdity of crimes we hear about every day, many of which are way worse arguably. I like how respectful they are with the Wendigo legend, but I also think that's what makes it so terrifying. They're not playing it up, making it into some giant magical monster, it could happen to anyone. That's terrifying to me. Plus the soundtrack adds to the unsettling feeling of the whole premise, it keeps one on edge and the discordant notes make the nerves grate, upping the tenseness. I don't know, this is all how I feel about it, just my two cents! XD

[@IraLuxuria]

'Now that we're in the depths of winter...' Australians laughing in 32 degrees Celsius

[@killyfilms9924]

Hey Ryan! I love your videos and your deeply thoughtful comments on story and psychological themes. Some little movie gems I could recommend are "May" with Angela Bettis or "Shrews Nest", a Spanish Movie. An alltime classic for me is "The hand that rocks the cradle" with a fantastic Rebecca De Mornay! Have a wonderful Christmas and greetings from Germany!

[@FlashNeko417]

This movie occupies a spot in my memory because I was actually an usher in a movie theater when it came out. It was the first box office bomb I'd worked and also the first time seeing a completely empty theater still playing a movie on a Friday night.

[@finpin2622]

Wow, thank you for covering this. I’d never heard of it and I happen to both love dark western(ish) stories and VERY MUCH love the thematic use of cannibalism in horror. I got like 5 minutes into this review and immediately watched the whole movie and ranted about it to my friends before finishing this video 😂 I can’t believe it has such a low rating/shitty reception, especially how some of the reviews were lambasting it for not leaning into the genre enough and others were criticizing it for being “too shocking/gorey”. For me it hit literally every box I wanted, both story wise and also visually. I mean, I can’t deny a film with a beautiful man covered in blood, BUT aside from that it was just the amount of grimy and gross and horrific that I often crave. Some modern horror ends up a bit too clean for my taste, not embracing the disgusting enough. I think it was fun how pretty much every piece of food, human or not, looked incredibly revolting as well. Also, I loved the humor in the movie, I suppose you could say it was out of place or something but again for me it hit all the right boxes.

[@yael8754]

Manifest Destiny and Colqhoun's Story are the perfect music for this movie. Horrifying, dark, yet subtly funny at times. Just perfect.

[@alessandrobaggi6129]

Boyd's Story is the best track imo

[@jstratton1981]

When I worked at Blockbuster a lifetime ago, this movie never left my 5 choices for employee picks. Always been a favorite of mine.

[@agraciotti]

I'm glad this is being rediscovered. I've only watched it recently due to the recommendations of other KZbinrs and I was amazed by it. Great performances and atmosphere. And, let's not forget, this film also came out in 1999, one of the best Hollywood years ever.

[@trifontrifonov4297]

Good review. Just a few points: There is a strong homoerotic undertone through out the whole movie, confirmed to be on purpose by both the director and actors, shame that you did not address it in the video. It really adds something to the themes and mood of the movie. Also this was the second and last Hollywood movie directed by Anthonia Bird. She did several incredibly good movies in the UK (look up Priest 1994 for maybe one of the best monologues of pure evil put on film) and TV shows directing. Sadly she passed in 2013. She also directed Mad Love, a movie butchered by producer interference and edited into a dumb subpar rom-com. Her initial idea was to use the framework of a rom-com as a vehicle for drama about a truly toxic and destructive relationship. She swore never to direct a Hollywood production again, until Robert Carlyle called her in as a personal favour to take over the filming of Ravenous. Half of the reason why the movie is a hidden classic and did not have great success initially was because the studio had written it off as a failure and marketed it as a stoner comedy.

[@jonaswhitt4322]

Was a period of my life I watched this like every other week. Easily in my top ten favorite film list. Love how layered everything is, its kind of like a Frank Henenlotter movie in a way. On one hand you have this schlocky cannibal movie, but its also oozing with deeper themes as well like manifest destiny and hollywood itself. Also the ending is really heartfelt and bittersweet, especially for a horror movie.

[@flipphone4755]

I bought a second hand vhs copy of this many years ago on a whim and was blown away by how good this movie is. Robert Carlyle always steals the scene in every movie I’ve seen him in.

[@tmamone83]

Robert Carlyle and cannibalism...what's not to love?

[@morganleanderblake678]

So, I'm pretty autistic. And part of that is face-blindness with similar faces. I don't know what it is about the mouth, cheekbones, and nose of Robert Carlyle and Guy Ritchie, but the first time I saw this movie (back when it came out pre-diagnosis) I couldn't follow it at all because I couldn't tell them apart. I'm happy to say the movie IS much easier to follow now that I know. It's way easier to tell characters apart when they wear very different clothing, but when I was 20 something I didn't realize I should be looking for that and assumed I could tell apart faces. This movie had a hard right turn for me visually when Carlyle puts on the uniform.

[@laurelsilberman5705]

“That was…..really…..sneaky” is one of my favorite lines of all time

[@theleap2946]

I absolutely love this movie. The music is what especially hooked me considering I was really into Blur and figured Damon Albarn would create something interesting. This film is also an underrated gem for an incredibly strong year of filmmaking. I just wish I could find the scene of the outpost soldiers playing their music terribly in honor of Guy Pearce showing up. It’s a hilarious scene and I swear it was on the original rental copy from Blockbuster, which means it was in the theatrical cut

[@Miika_Hakalahti]

Yes! One of my favorite movies and movie scores of all time. Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn should have been given all the awards, music related or not, including Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, and why not the Nobel Price for medicine, because their score is so ridiculously fun, scary, imaginative, immersive/immersion-breaking (in a fun way), and oozing with atmosphere, I would consider it the best antidepressant created. A one of a kind masterpiece. Love it so much.

[@thecreepoid901]

As a big horror junkie and having a soft spot for westerns, this is easily one of my favorite movies.

[@leoncaw326]

Thanks for bringing attention to one of my favorite movies! 👏I would argue that the conflict between good and evil is central to the story's theme though. One of the core concepts behind the wendigo is the belief that there are fates worse than death. Self-sacrifice is preferable to harming your community. Despite his fear of death Ives does not get a pass from being considered a true villain. He committed murder to survive tuberculosis, and because his loss had twisted him into a hateful being before any supernatural element interfered. Boyd's decision that he will only play along to prevent the evil from spreading is a beautiful story of sacrifice.

[@watchdogsplaythroughs9852]

The cave sequence! Omfg. That scene legit terrified me and had me on the edge of my seat. And thank you for covering this gem of an underrated horror flick.

[@bassvibasics479]

First "hoyevver" drops at 1:19, and we are rewarded with human flesh.

[@patrickmckenna2024]

Thanks for this one Ryan. This film really had it all. I regard this as a more complex, disturbing, and yet lighthearted companion piece to Bone Tomahawk. At the end of the day it's thoughtful, horrific, humourous and wildly entertaining all in one package. 10 out of 10

[@Mad_Oph]

Ravenous is one of my favorite films, and has been for a very long time. It's smart, weird, and beautiful in its very own way, and I've never met a single person who didn't find it compelling when they saw it. I'm glad you featured this film, and I hope it keeps getting attention so it can get the admiration it deserves as a weird, unpopular yet wholly fascinating and ingenious piece of movie-making.

[@Wandergirl108]

If I may be allowed to go off on a tangent here…things like honor, morality, good and bad, can only apply to humans - we didn't entirely make them up, per se, but they can only exist in a setting where survival isn't a primary focus, which is honestly why I as a writer find clinical sociopaths so interesting to write: take someone who is not capable of empathy or shame, of being motivated by the thoughts or feelings of others, put them in a world where that's the only motivation and limit acting on everyone around them, and ask, without those motives, what exactly matters to them? I suppose, then, I can understand an interest in writing the converse: take someone used to being motivated by morality, by the thoughts and feelings of others, and put them in a situation where they have to fight to survive, and ask, what do they do in that situation? Heck, is it possible to be morally good in a setting where mere survival is a struggle? In a lot of ways, morality runs contrary to survival; how does one consolidate the two if forced into an extreme position? I don't have answers, it's just fun to think about.

[@wstine79]

It's been too long since we had a horror retrospective from Ryan Hollinger. Sprinkled with festive HOYEVERS.

[@Fenrirthewolfking66]

Holy crap this movie wasn't some fever dream that I had as a kid. I remember watching this when I was like 11 or 12 and being so freaked out by the aspect of a man being able to be driven to eat someone else that this movie has always been stuck in my memories. But every time I have tried to look it up or find it on a streaming service some other weird movies pop up that have nothing to due with cannibalisms or any of the other themes of this movie.

[@johnnybensonitis7853]

AWESOME! I'm so glad you give movies attention that might have gone under our collective radar or in this case for me personally, had pretty much forgotten exists. I seen this years ago as a wee little teenager, but once I scrolled to your vid and seen the title I immediately went to watch the movie and just now got back to watch this vid. Much appreciated sir, the movie still holds up very well despite it's complete clusterfuck of a production!

[@zatoichikenku8291]

I was channel surfing at 2am when I came upon this right as Robert starts slowly huffing at the cave. When the banjo music kicked in, I KNEW I'd found a new favourite horror movie. It's next to The Thing for me for gory paranoia fuelled isolation horrors - that would still be stunning and scary AF based on script and acting alone. And, of course, the bloody good music.

[@lacrimatorium]

The genre is quite clear to me, it's the mega genre American Gothic. Not to be confused with Goth or any other European Gothic related film. Texas Chainsaw is American Gothic, Psycho is American Gothic, To Kill a Mockingbird is American Gothic (Southern Gothic division), Stephen King books are often American Gothic, Taxi Driver is American Gothic. Repo Man is American Gothic. Jeremiah Johnson is American Gothic. Unforgiven is American Gothic. Illustrator Bernie Wrightson was often American Gothic. Cormas McCarthy's Blood Meridian is the apogee of American Gothic, along with its inspiration Moby Dick. But Frankenstein, Dracula, most Werewolf stories, etc are not! American Gothic is Americana is a serious minor key. (Sometimes called Gothic Americana.) The American dream is over. The wasteland is slowly growing to cover the land. Most contemporary zombie films are American Gothic. Atheist and Christians alike proliferate. New Agers do not. Cute fluffy entertainments do not. Disney does not. Tom Waits is American Gothic. Britney Spears definitely not. (Yet.) Grant Wood's American Gothic painting is just Americana, not Gothic. Ravenous hits the American Gothic themes precisely. The darkness of the frontier, psychotic breaks, Native American mythologies, etc etc. American Gothic is a vision of the end of the South, the Frontier, Native American life, circuses and carnivals and especially freak shows, the crumbling of old suburbs, the deterioration of inner cities, Most of these patterns were set at the end of the 18th Century and beginning of the 19th by Charles Brockden Brown, Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and others. There is an interesting set of essays on The Anadromous Life called American Gothic. Ravenous is mentioned there. Thanks for dealing with Ryan.

[@aidansullivan551]

Hey man, I would remove the word for the monster from the thumbnail. The depiction of the creatures in this movie is considered deeply insensitive by many Algonquin people, and the use of the word they use to describe them is considered inappropriate for non-Algonquin people to say.

[@DocumentaryFanboy]

One of my favorite movies of all time in any genre. The atmosphere, the story, the chracters, the blend of folklore and history. Simply an amazing watch. Some horrors I'd like to see covered: Viy (1967) Channel Zero (not a movie, but still very underrated IMO) Campfire tales

[@rami_ungar_writer]

I'm going to check out this film. In fact, I've already made a reservation at the library. Please in 2023 do reviews of Prince of Darkness; Sleepaway Camp; Perfect Blue; and Near Dark just for a laugh.

[@TRay-xh9zx]

One of my classmates wrote an entire thesis on the homosexual undertones present throughout not only the movie, but also the original script. It's a great movie either way.

[@danieleasterling5325]

As some Christmas Horror (tis the season) I really reccomend checking out some guilty pleasure movies like Rare Exports: A Christmas tale (2010) or perhaps Sint (2010). I think it would also be fun to see your take on the FX A Christmas Carol miniseries that came out a few years ago.

[@declangoldenbogen7612]

Easily one of my favorites that I've revisited many times over the years. That song as they approach the cave is burned into my memory until the end of time.

[@StephenLeGresley]

Fantastic video Ryan, and the red hair looks amazing man! You should do a video on the "Christmas Horror" genre itself. Not focusing on any one movie but on the genre itself as a whole as it's probably the most underrated sub-genre of horror out there.

[@wstine79]

Ives: "Breakfast... lunch... and HOYEVERS."

[@marchingham]

This movie is great! I'm not much for westerns but really liked this one (though i don't have the stomach for some parts since getting older lol) and have been low-key obsessed with Neal McDonough ever since. Awesome video!

[@joacimnilsson6341]

Maybe the real monster was the friends we ate along the way?

[@tsulong]

Whoa what a crazy coincidence.... I just watched this movie earlier today for the first time in about ten years. An underrated gem tbh

[@michelle.pearl.]

My favourite thing to do is not tell people this is a dark comedy horror and then watch their faces when I laugh during it before I finally let them know you're...you're meant to laugh at those parts.

[@sarahcohen2222]

One of my favorite movies hands down, Robert Carlyle’s performance was amazing and the comedy elements make the horror hit that much harder! The song Boyd’s Journey is one of my most played haha

[@Visplight]

The best portrayal of the Wendigo is the "Dark Stranger Comes to Town" trope, where a maybe-magical-maybe-mundane person comes to a small town in order to reveal sins and create karma, then mosey on his/her way.

[@ameliarhodes5000]

Absolutely one of my favorite "Westerns." Very surprisingly good.

[@BloodylocksBathory]

The world has an unfortunate shortage of horror westerns, the most immediate coming to my mind are Italian fare, like Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot!, Four of the Apocalypse, and Cutthroats Nine. Speaking of horror westerns, Near Dark would be a great movie to do a video on.

[@milkman2266]

I’ve commented this before but i bought raycons with Ryans link 3 years ago and still have the same pair. Best pair of wireless headphones I’ve ever owned and a great price.

[@vagrantlynx3126]

One important aspect you missed is that's it's not just about human savagery in general, but rather specifically about the imperialist greed of the American expansionism of the time, as told explicitly by Ives in his Manifest Destiny speech.

[@awkwardity5615]

Wow! This was one of your best videos so far, even just concerning the writing. It was just so coherent and well-structured, the way you recontextualized the narrative of the film with the myth and themes, and brought it to such a satisfying conclusion. Just listening made me feel like I was reading along a very well written essay, and the visual editing was like an extra treat. Thank you for always doing your best! I will definitely try to save up for some of those Raycons as soon as I can :D

[@scarecrowsurprise]

Been a personal favourite for years. 'Too much Bourbon in his bourbon', one of my favourite quotes.

[@muttipi]

i first heard about this movie from the atun shei films video, very underrated and I’m happy to see it getting the love it deserves.

[@johnolivera2369]

I have a vague memory of this movie. the ending scene all i could remember was to dudes who looked sort of the same being on top of each other as they died. Wasn't looking for it but Im happy the memory now has context

[@007wars6]

This is probably the most underrated film I’ve ever seen. And DEFINITELY the most underrated soundtrack I’ve ever seen

[@guyvizard549]

For your western horror pleasure in book form, I highly recommend to everyone Joe Lansdale's "Dead in the West" or the "Deadman's Road" anthology. The stories concern a monster-hunting preacher named Jebidiah Mercer. They are FANTASTIC!

[@laurelsilberman5705]

This is one of my favorite horror movies! I love this wacky film. So glad someone is doing a video essay on it. And “incredibly experimental” is a great way to describe this phenomenal score. I think the music does as much for the ambience of the film as any of the visual elements do. And the way it manages to inject some absurd humor into scenes like Calhoun chasing the priest.

[@vestallstar]

Yes! Love that you cover this one. One of my absolute favorite horror films. I watched this with some friends back in 99 when it came out. I was 12 years old and I have almost never been so scared by a movie in my life. The gore, the atmosphere, the soundtrack, EVERYTHING is perfect! And the whole film feels so original.

[@operationlemonostrich7058]

In 2023, please cover 1980's The Watcher in the woods. I came across it on a Sunday afternoon as a little kid and it absolutely terrified me. I don't know who it was at Disney thought it was a good idea 😂 It hardly ever gets mentioned today!

[@fallingawayfromthenorm]

I randomly discovered this movie a few years ago when I found a manga chapter of Battle Royale on KZbin with music playing and they used the song from the Ravenous soundtrack called “The Cave”. So I was super excited to see you made a video on it.

[@derkritiker7598]

Let's go, another video from you to lift my mood. Thanks for the hard work!

[@RyanHollinger]

Thanks for watching!

[@lichtheimer]

I enjoy that it was more or less following the original mythos and cultural ideas of the Wendigo while also adding the supernatural nature that came with it. I would also quote something that I can never remember who said it first: "Honor is subjective." Because honor has often been used as a reason for very dishonorable things throughout history.

[@Purplorr]

"now that most of us are firmly in the bitter winter months" my face is south american hell: 🔥🥵🔥

[@murder_ficus2597]

I’m so glad you covered this! Ravenous is one of my favorite horror movies!!

[@jeffnussbaum716]

One of my favorite movies since I discovered it after Memento sent me on a hunt for more Guy Pearce movies. The score was one of the things that really stood out to me. So much I went out and bought the CD. It deserves so much more attention.

[@ZCid47]

One small recommendation from my country even if is not a horror movie but a dark comedy. "Wild tales/relatos salvajes", a anthology of storys about people acting in there emotions in the moment with out thinking on the consequences.

[@aliasfakename3159]

Cannibalism as a metaphor works for so many things. A hunger that grows and is never sated(capitalism), a hunger for what you can't have(forbidden/queer love), a hunger that grows in isolation(loneliness).

[@TaylorDanley]

YES! I love this movie. Classic for sure. Thanks for covering it 💪