Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Jungle Heat" or "Piranha Women" or "Piranha Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death")

directed by J.F. Lawton
USA 1989

Buxom Playboy foldout Shannon Tweed plays a sexy college professor assigned to investigate a sudden, disastrous avocado shortage; her predecessor, a Dr. Kurtz (Adrienne Barbeau) has never returned from the dreaded California Avocado Jungle. Accompanied by air-headed assistant Karen Mistal and macho guide Bill Maher (of Politically Incorrect fame), Tweed ventures into the deepest jungle, where the Piranha Women rule. Proof that this civilization is a matriarchy is the presence of a tribe of wimpy, domesticated men called the Donnahews, who chant names like Alan Alda and Fritz Mondale as their mantra. Fortunately, Tweed is armed with her N.O.W. membership card, so she is allowed safe passage. She finally catches up with Kurtz, who reveals that the avocado shortage is phony, designed by the government as an excuse to capture the Piranha women and transform them into Malibu housewives

Posters

Theatrical Release: 15 March 1989 (USA)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Koch Vision/Full Moon Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC vs. 88 Films (Grindhouse Collection) - Region 0 - PAL vs. 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the DVD Screen Caps!

1) Koch Vision/Full Moon Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT

2) 88 Films (Grindhouse Collection) - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT

Box Covers			also coming out on Blu-ray by Full Moon February 23rd, 2016 in the US:
Distribution	Koch Vision/Full Moon Entertainment Region 0 - NTSC	88 Films Region 0 - PAL	88 Films Region B - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:25:21	1:25:15 (4% PAL Speedup)	1:29:33.451
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.7 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.98 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,989,593,449 bytes Feature: 19,232,796,672 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 24.99 Mbps
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Koch Vision/Full Moon Entertainment
Bitrate: 88 Films (Grindhouse Collection)
Bitrate: 88 Films Blu-ray
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	none	none	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Koch Vision/Full Moon Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Trailer (4:3; 2:10) • Full Moon Merchandise Contact Info • Biographies for Shannon Tweed, Adrienne Barbeau, and Bill Maher • Acovados (fills the main menu screen with animated avocados) DVD Release Date: 12 January 1999 Amaray Chapters 24	Release Information: Studio: 88 Films Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Theatrical Trailer (4:3; 2:05) • Trailers for SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA, PUPPET MASTER, THE DEAD WANT WOMEN, PUPPET MASTER II, TOURIST TRAP, ZOMBIES VS STRIPPERS, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, SKULL HEADS, CASTLE FREAK, • and PUPPET MASTER III DVD Release Date: September 17th, 2012 Amaray Chapters 8	Release Information: Studio: 88 Films Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 21,989,593,449 bytes Feature: 19,232,796,672 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 24.99 Mbps Edition Details: • Original trailer (2:11) • Trailer Reel - Children of the Corn, Don't Go Into the Woods, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man, Mother's Day, Slaughterhouse, Transcers, Splatter University (18:05) Blu-ray Release Date: February 8th, 2016 Transparent Keep case Chapters: 8

Comments

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray January 16': The Blu-ray is a huge advancement over the lackluster DVDs. Yes, the aspect ratio has changed to 1.78:1 - are there are purists you want to quibble over the composition? It is darker, skin tones lose their orange hue. It is substantially tighter and more detailed over the soft SD appearance. Colors are more vibrant... it's a massive improvement.

88 Films use a linear PCM 2.0 channel at 2304 kbps (24-bit) and the film's meager effects come across with some punch. Carl Dante (composed for such titles as Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity, Kraa! The Sea Monster and Lolita 2000) did the unremarkable score but it certainly suits the film's milieu, supporting it reasonably well. There are no subtitle options and the Blu-ray disc is region 'B'-locked.

No extras save an original trailer and 20-minute 88 Films trailer reel with with Children of the Corn, Don't Go Into the Woods, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man, Mother's Day, Slaughterhouse, Transcers, Splatter University.

Probably the biggest selling point for me is Adrienne Barbeau, but the concept is also cute and plenty of salacious cheesecake. It's not the worst of this sub-genre and for those who'd like to vegetate while watching - you could do worse than Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (points just for the title). Certainly the Blu-ray is the only way you want to indulge in this exercise in cheap, retro-exploitive film-fodder.

***

ON THE DVDs (2012): 88 Films dual-layer disc seems to utilize the same aged video master that Cult Video did for their OOP NTSC from 1999 (an unconverted PAL-NTSC conversion). The import is only marginally softer.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo audio seems a tad more boisterous on the PAL disc. Extras are comparable (the ten Full Moon trailers the import offers up are not that much of a bonus). New copies of the Cult Video edition can be found cheaply at Full Moon's website, but the difference is not so much that UK viewers will want to bother (the 88 Films' edition also has a niftier cover).

- Eric Cotenas

DVD Menus
(Koch Vision/Full Moon Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. 88 Films (Grindhouse Collection) - Region 0 - PAL - RIGHT)