Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- foreboding
- grotesque
- sardonic
- late night horror
- cult movie night
What critics said
Critics generally admired the film's atmosphere, unusual genre fusion, and filmmaking craft while finding its plot and tone uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The isolated military outpost and cannibal myth connect American expansion with savagery and the fantasy of limitless abundance.
The film juxtaposes gruesome human consumption with deadpan military behavior and comic tonal dissonance.
Snowbound mountains, caves, cliffs, and the isolated fort frame the wilderness as both sublime and predatory.
George explicitly identifies the cannibalistic Colqhoun as a Windigo, grounding the supernatural threat in Indigenous folklore.
Films like Ravenous, and why
The Hills Have Eyes
Shares cannibal horror, historical isolation, grim black humor, and a hostile frontier atmosphere.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Combines stylized horror, grotesque violence, dark comedy, and an isolated wilderness setting.
The Proposition
Uses frontier survival, moral corruption, bleak atmosphere, and revisionist western themes.
The Greasy Strangler
Blends horror, satire, grotesque imagery, and an unsettlingly playful tone around human appetite.
Movie Details
- Director
- Antonia Bird
- Release Date
- 1999-03-16
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (730)
Cast
- Guy Pearce
- Robert Carlyle
- David Arquette
- Jeremy Davies
- Jeffrey Jones
- John Spencer
- Stephen Spinella
- Neal McDonough
- Sheila Tousey
- Bill Brochtrup
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ravenous about?
- At a snowbound frontier fort, a disgraced captain confronts a cannibalistic legend that turns military duty into a nightmare of hunger and betrayal.
- What is Ravenous like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ravenous as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Ravenous violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Ravenous as graphic.
- What did critics think of Ravenous?
- Critics generally admired the film's atmosphere, unusual genre fusion, and filmmaking craft while finding its plot and tone uneven.
- Which films are like Ravenous?
- Films with a similar feel include The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Proposition, and The Greasy Strangler.
- How long is Ravenous?
- Ravenous runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ravenous?
- In United States, Ravenous is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
