Considering it is an exploitation movie catering to an audience thrilled by gory violence, gratuitous nudity, and anything else that can produce shock effects (like animal cruelty) it is surprisingly well made and asks critical questions about the very same stuff that itself is made of, and therefore invites the viewer to examine his own motivations for wathcing it (the movie actually ends with a decision to burn the footage due to its depraved nature). It also pioneers the found lost footage subgenre that later became so popular with movies such as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. Shot in lush jungle locations and beautifully scored by Riz Ortolani, nevertheless it is an eXploitation movie with a big X and as such will hold little interest for anyone that does not enjoy being shocked by movies pushing the borderline concerning morality and good taste.

Poor turtle....

If you're a seasoned horror, cannibal, or exploitation fan you should watch this--once. As the pinnacle of shock horror films of the 70s, it's brutal, led to murder charges for its makers, and raises interesting questions. Questions about limits, morality, and why we so quickly condemn this film for animal cruelty.. but rarely more mainstream films like Apocalypse Now. Good musical score.