Primitif (1980) | Synopsis, Trivia, Reviews

Synopsis

The movie Primitif (1980), also known as Primitives, is a cannibal horror film directed by Sisworo Gautama Putra. The story follows three anthropology students and their guides who venture into the jungle to study primitive tribes isolated from civilization.

After a raft accident, the group finds themselves stranded and at the mercy of a savage cannibal tribe. The tribe, known for their brutal and sadistic practices, begins hunting down the survivors. The movie Primitif (1980) explores the themes of survival, fear, and the clash between modernity and primitivism.

As the students and their guides struggle to escape the clutches of the cannibal tribe, they face unimaginable horrors and must confront their own primal instincts. .

Cast

Barry Prima
Enny Haryono as Rika
Johann Mardjono as Tommy

Trivia

– The movie Primitif (1980) was directed by Sisworo Gautama Putra[1].

– The film is part of the “Cannibal Boom” genre, known for its focus on cannibalism and sadistic horror[3].

– Primitif (1980) was filmed in 1978 [1].

Scholar Studies

'There is a small but niche audience for films that are diffe-ent from the mainstream Hollywood product and this is where we try to market our movies, stressing their exotic, extreme or unusual content,'

“Indonesian exploitation films from the 1980s (and a few from late 1970s and early 1990s) are now distributed internationally and attract a huge number of fans from around the world. The biggest distributor is Eng-landís Mondomacabro DVD, and there have also been a few films mar-keted by USAís Troma Entertainment. According to information received from Pete Tombs representing Mondomacabro DVD4 his company sells such films mostly to the US market, but also to the UK. The distribution covers The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and France, and is effected by his company and other companies as well. According to Tombs, their sales numbers range from 2000 to 8,000, depending on the title. In his email interview with the author Tombs has written that some titles, Virgins from Hell, for example have sold well because of the subject matter (sexy girls on motorbikes!). Tombs highlights that the target market consists of fans of horror and exploitation movies, and also people who like martial arts and action films. ‘There is a small but niche audience for films that are diffe-ent from the mainstream Hollywood product and this is where we try to market our movies, stressing their exotic, extreme or unusual content,’ he says.

Some examples of the films in question are: The Queen of Black Magic (Ratu Ilmu Hitam, Lilik Sudjio, 1981), Lady Terminator (Pembala-san Ratu Laut Selatan, Tjut Djalil, 1988), Virgins From Hell (Perawan di Sarang Sindikat, Fred Wardy Pilliang, 1986), which DVD also includes an interesting documentary on Exploitation Indonesian Cinema as the bonus feature. This long list may be continued and we may add other titles in-cluding Tales of Voodoo, Vol. 1: Jungle Virgin Force (Perawan Rimba, Danu Umbara, 1982), The Devil’s Sword (Golok Setan, Ratno Timoer, 1983, 1984), Stabilizer (Arizal, 1984), Mystic in Bali (Leak, Tjut Djalil, 1980), and Dangerous Seductress (Bercinta dengan Maut, Tjut Djalil, 1992). In addition to these, there are DVDs which contain examples of In-donesian cult cinema along with other cinema, for instance Tales of Voo-doo, Vol. 2: Ghost Ninja / Primitives (Primitif, Sisworo Gautama, 1978), and Eastern Horror: Satan’s Slave (Pengabdi Setan, Sisworo Gau-tama, 1980)/Corpse Master 6.”
[3] “The other side of Indonesia: New order’s Indonesian exploitation cinema as cult films” Colloquy, No. 18, Dec 2009: [143]-159

Reviews

“Anthropological hubris meets tribal practice in this freakout Indonesian riff on the Italo cannibal boom cycle. Little is lost in translation as this is pure genre primitivism to its very core.” [2] Rate Your Music Review

“There’s certainly some gruesome cannibal 101 stuff happening on-screen, but it never reaches the heights (or lows, depending on your disposition) of the Italian sickie-films, perhaps because the wig-wearing cannibal clan are a bit silly in their portrayal, the actors covered in mud and making the most comically overwrought faces while grunting a bunch, it was hard to take them seriously.” [5] McBastard’s Mausoleum Review

Citations

[1] IMDb

[2]Rate Your Music

[3] “The other side of Indonesia: New order’s Indonesian exploitation cinema as cult films” Colloquy, No. 18, Dec 2009: [143]-159

[4]The Bloody Pit of Horror

[5]McBastard’s Mausoleum Review