History Film / Ravenous1999

** It's with touch of RealLifeWritesThePlot - there were serious problems with weather during production. The constant dissonance between heavy snow, thaw and relatively high temperatures around Fort Spencer? It's all ThrowItIn.

* EvilColonialist: When Ives's true plan is revealed, [[spoiler:Manifest Destiny is pretty clearly morally equated with cannibalism]].

* ArsonMurderAndLifeSaving: This is how Boyd earned the backhanded promotion that landed him at Fort Spencer - he captured enemy outpost only because he froze in combat and then played possum.
* ArtisticLicenseGunSafety: Averted. ''Private'' Reich has to remind ''Captain'' Boyd not to thoughtlessly point a loaded rifle at him. A nicely subtle way of reinforcing how useless Boyd is as a soldier.

** Well, Major Knox was there, but he got himself blackout drunk either while or just after treating Colquhoun, and the only thing he can remember is that Colqhoun had a full beard.

* AuthorTract: The writer, the director, and the leading actor are vegetarians, and take every chance they get to show their disgust of meat. A constant theme is comparing the flesh of animals to the flesh of humans. However, [[TropesAreNotBad the honesty of that disgust enhances the horror beautifully]]. And, to be fair, that stew looks ''really good''.

* SociopathicSoldier: Private Reich, who bathed in ice cold water, shows a cold indifference to all of the deaths he witnesses with the exception of [[spoiler:Toffler]]’s, and threatens to murder Boyd and Colquhoun several times. Downplayed, since he has a MoralityPet in the form of Toffler.

* SociopathicSoldier:

* ItsAllAboutMe: [[spoiler: A big part of what makes Ives so irredeemably evil. When dying on tuberculosis, he ''killed, cooked and ate'' a person who told him a myth, just to ''try'' prevent his own death, with absolutely zero guaranteed it would work and completely disregarding the side effects. Then he callously wiped out an entire pioneer party that he lured to the middle of nowhere, just to get closer to the place that he wanted to use for his long-term plans. And then killed and ate almost entire crew stationed in Fort Spencer. All just because it was good for his own health]]. Sacrifice and embracing death is in fact one of the main themes of the movie, with Boyd becoming a "hero" by playing dead instead of fighting and then spending rest of the story living under the heavy burden created by this event.

* SociopathicSoldier: Private Reich, who bathed in ice cold water and threatens to murder Boyd several times.

* CassandraTruth: Boyd ends up with this problem when he tries to warn the others about Ives. Everyone still alive at the fort [[spoiler: never saw Ives when he appeared, calling himself Colqhoun]], and Boyd is a newcomer they barely know who's acting crazy. If anything, ''Boyd'' winds up being the target of their suspicions.
** Well, Major Knox was there, but he [[TooDumbToLive decided they were different people]] [[InsaneTrollLogic based on the fact that Colqhoun had a beard and Ives only has a mustache and a goatee.]] In all fairness, he was blackout drunk while treating Colquhoun.

** While telling the story, [[spoiler:Colqhoun has hard time to recall names and origin of the party members, never addressing them by name and even never revealing his own name. That's because he never really cared about those people and only saw them as a meal]].

* GreatOffscreenWar: [[UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar And a one that rarely shows up in fiction]].

A drama/horror/black comedy Western released in 1999, written by Ted Griffin and directed by Antonia Bird. Starred Creator/GuyPearce, Creator/RobertCarlyle, Creator/JeremyDavies, Creator/JeffreyJones, Creator/DavidArquette, Creator/NealMcDonough.

At first the Army intends to hide the truth and present Boyd as a hero, (complete with a promotion and a [[MedalOfDishonor medal]]) but it soon becomes obvious that despite his single brave action Boyd's nerves are shattered and he's incapable of presenting the heroic facade the Army wants. The local general responds by giving Boyd a [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassignment to Fort Spencer]], a ramshackle and barely manned mountain fort in [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet the Middle Of Nowhere]], whose only purpose is being a stopping point for pioneers traveling to California. When Boyd arrives the fort proves to be populated mostly by [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits drunks, misfits, layabouts, and crazies.]]

A drama/horror/black comedy released in 1999, written by Ted Griffin and directed by Antonia Bird. Starred Creator/GuyPearce, Creator/RobertCarlyle, Creator/JeremyDavies, Creator/JeffreyJones, Creator/DavidArquette, Creator/NealMcDonough.

* ReassignmentBackfire: Subverted. Boyd is sent to Fort Spencer as a punishment for his cowardice, but, despite the fact that he gets better, pretty much [[KillEmAll everyone dies]] anyway.

* ArsonMurderAndLifeSaving: This is how Boyd earned the backhanded promotion that landed him at Fort Spencer - he captured enemy outpost only because he freeze in combat and then played possum.

Captain Boyd is a ShellShockedVeteran of the UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar of the 1840s. As a Lieutenant going into his first battle, Boyd panicked when his unit was caught in a devastating ambush and rather than attempting to [[DefiantToTheEnd fight back]] or [[TacticalWithdrawal lead his men to safety]], Boyd instead simply played dead in the hopes of saving his own life. However, when the Mexicans began collecting and burying the bodies from the battle, for no (immediately) apparent reason a surge of strength and determination filled Boyd, and he broke free and captured the nearby Mexican commanders.

Initially the Army promotes Boyd for his actions and gives him a MedalOfDishonor while intending to present him as a hero, but it soon becomes apparent that after his single brave action Boyd's nerves are shattered and he's unable to present the heroic facade the Army wants. The local general decides that with Boyd being useless in battle and not credible as a PropagandaHero, the best thing he can do is make sure Boyd is far, far away from the front lines and anyplace where he would draw attention. So he gives Boyd a [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassignment to Fort Spencer]], a rarely-visited and barely manned mountain fort in the [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet Middle Of Nowhere]] that serves as a stopping point for pioneers traveling to California. When Boyd arrives the fort proves to be populated mostly by [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits drunks, misfits, layabouts, and crazies.]]

Boyd is just settling into his life of quiet failure when a rambling loon by the name of Colqhoun stumbles in with a horror story; he was part of a party of six pioneers who found themselves trapped in a snowstorm as they tried to cross the mountains. When they ran out of rations, they ate the pack animals. When those were gone, they ate their leather clothing. When those were gone, one of them starved to death. [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty But instead of burying the body they ate him]]. Some time later, they were hungry again and found themselves looking at each other oddly...

Colqhoun tells them that when he left the remnant of the group, there were two others still alive, the wife of one of the pioneers and their treacherous guide, Ives, who had seemed to truly embrace cannibalism. The Colonel of the fort sets out with his ragtag soldiers to attempt a rescue, unaware of the horrors they'll find...

Essentially, it's a ''{{Wendigo}}'' story filmed with a morbid sense of humor about UsefulNotes/ManifestDestiny, IDidWhatIHadToDo, and the varied joys of BlackComedy. The soundtrack absolutely cements its ambiguous character, ranging from a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHVXAMVC53M carefree organ piece underpinned with a dissonant string part]], to a simple string dance piece which is played during a strangely funny murder scene.

** In the film, the {{Wendigo}} myth is true; eating human flesh grants SuperStrength, a HealingFactor, and [[{{Panacea}} cures all diseases]]. It also [[HorrorHunger acts as a drug that makes heroin seem about as addictive as artificial sweetener.]]

* DeadpanSnarker: Hart most of the time, though he's revealed to be more StepfordSnarker in the end. When he first runs down the personnel situation at Fort Spencer to Boyd, (telling him how the drunken Major Knox is the one who plays doctor if they need someone to do so, and Cleaves the stoner is the local chef) he gives us his gem:

* DirtyCoward: Boyd. Everybody knows it, including him. He let his entire unit get massacred around him while playing dead in an attempt to save himself. He only captured the Mexican officers because [[spoiler:the blood of dead officers dripped into his mouth and gave a minor version of the Wendigo's CannibalismSuperpower]]. But in the end, [[spoiler:he finds the moral and physical courage to fight the monstrous Ives to the death, and when Ives is on the edge of victory Boyd willing gives his life to [[TakingYouWithMe take Ives with him]].]]

-->'''Ives''': ''That was... '''really'''... sneaky.''

Initially the Army promotes Boyd for his actions and gives him a MedalOfDishonor while intending to present him as a hero, but it soon becomes apparent that after his single brave action Boyd's nerves are shattered and he's unable to present the heroic facade the Army wants. The local general decides that with Boyd being useless in battle and not credible as a PropagandaHero, the best thing he can do is make sure Boyd is far, far away from the front lines and anyplace where he would draw attention. So he gives Boyd a [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassignment to Fort Spencer]], a rarely-visited and barely manned ramshackle mountain fort in the [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet Middle Of Nowhere]] that serves as a stopping point for pioneers traveling to California. When Boyd arrives the fort proves to be populated mostly by [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits drunks, misfits, layabouts, and crazies.]]

Boyd is just settling into his life of quiet failure when a rambling loon by the name of Colqhoun stumbles in with a horror story; he was part of [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty a party of six pioneers who found themselves trapped in a snowstorm. When they ran out of rations, they ate the pack animals. When those were gone, they ate their leather clothing. When those were gone, one of them starved to death. But instead of burying him... they ate him]]. Some time later, they were hungry again and found themselves looking at each other oddly...

Colqhoun tells them that when he left the remnant of the group, there was at least two others still alive, the wife of one of the pioneers and their treacherous guide, Ives, who had seemed to truly embrace cannibalism. The Colonel of the fort sets out with his ragtag soldiers to attempt a rescue, unaware of the horrors they'll find...

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Fort Spencer's skeleton crew consists of three privates, one captain, one major and one colonel. There is not a single NCO. [[spoiler: Things get only weirder after two privates, the colonel and their native guide get killed, but no replacement aside new colonel is sent, even if there is already a major and a captain in place, but a dire shortage of rank and file - those three officers command a ''single'' private]]. Normally, a captain commands a ''company'', which is roughtly 120 men. For given period, Boyd alone should be made a commanding officer of Fort Spencer, especially since it's wintertime skeleton crew.

* BodyHorror: The scene in the pit involving Boyd's broken leg is rather painful to watch
* BuriedInAPileOfCorpses: Boyd plays dead in one for a time, resulting in him ending up in the enemy base and singlehandly capturing it from the inside.

* DirtyCoward: Boyd. Everybody knows it, including him. He let his entire unit get massacred around him while playing dead in an attempt to save himself. He only captured the Mexican officers because [[the blood of dead officers dripped into his mouth and gave a minor version of the Wendigo's CannibalismSuperpower]]. But in the end, [[spoiler:he finds the moral and physical courage to fight the monstrous Ives to the death, and when Ives is on the edge of victory Boyd willing gives his life to [[TakingYouWithMe take Ives with him]].]]

* DirtyCoward: Boyd. Everybody knows it, including him. He let his entire unit get massacred around him while playing dead in an attempt to save himself. He only took the Mexican fort because some of his C.O.'s blood dripped into his mouth and gave a minor version of the Wendigo's CannibalismSuperpower. But in the end, [[spoiler:he finds the moral and physical courage to fight the monstrous Ives to the death, and when Ives is on the edge of victory Boyd willing gives his life to [[TakingYouWithMe take Ives with him]].]]

Captain Boyd is a ShellShockedVeteran of the UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar of the 1840s. Initially the Army promotes Boyd for his actions and gives him a MedalOfDishonor while intending to present him as a hero, but it soon becomes apparent that after his single brave action Boyd's nerves are shattered and he's unable to present the heroic facade the Army wants. The local general decides that with Boyd being useless in battle and not credible as a PropagandaHero, the best thing he can do is make sure Boyd is far, far away from the front lines and anyplace where he would draw attention. So he gives Boyd a [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassignment to Fort Spencer]], a rarely-visited and barely manned ramshackle mountain fort in the [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet Middle Of Nowhere]] that serves as a stopping point for pioneers traveling to California. When Boyd arrives the fort proves to be populated mostly by [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits drunks, misfits, layabouts, and crazies.]]

Captain Boyd is a ShellShockedVeteran of the UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar of the 1840s. As a Lieutenant going into his first battle, Boyd panicked when his unit was caught in a devastating ambush and rather than attempting to [[DefiantToTheEnd fight back]] or [[TacticalWithdrawal lead his men to safety]], Boyd instead simply played dead in the hopes of saving his own life. However, when the Mexicans began collecting and burying the bodies from the battle, an unexpected and inexplicable surge of strength and determination filled Boyd, and he broke free and captured the officers in charge of that section of the Mexican army.

Initially the Army promotes Boyd for his actions and gives him a MedalOfDishonor while intending to present him as a hero, but it soon becomes apparent that after his single brave action Boyd's nerves are shattered and he's unable to present the heroic facade the Army wants. The local general decides that with Boyd being useless in battle and not credible as a PropagandaHero, the best thing he can do is make sure Boyd is far, far away from the front lines and anyplace where he would draw attention. So he gives Boyd a [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassignment to Fort Spencer]], a rarely-visited and barely manned ramshackle mountain fort in the [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet Middle Of Nowhere]] that serves as a stopping point for pioneers traveling to California. When Boyd arrives the fort proves to be populated mostly by [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits drunks, misfits, layabouts, and crazies.]]

Captain Boyd is a ShellShockedVeteran of the UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar of the 1840s. As a Lieutenant going into his first battle, Boyd panicked when his unit was caught in a devastating ambush and rather than attempting to fight back or [[TacticalWithdrawal lead his men to safety]], Boyd instead simply played dead in the hopes of saving his life. However, when the Mexicans began collecting and burying the bodies from the battle, an unexpected surge of strength and determination filled Boyd, and he broke free and captured the officers in charge of that section of the Mexican army.

Captain Boyd is a ShellShockedVeteran of the UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar of the 1840s.

Captain Boyd is a ShellShockedVeteran of the UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar of the 1840s. During a battle that went disastrously for his unit, Boyd (then [[EnsignNewbie a Lieutenant new to being a soldier]]) first froze and then pretended to be dead while his men were slaughtered around him in a desperate bid to avoid being killed. And then something strange happened. Still pretending to be dead, Boyd was loaded onto a cartful of bodies. While there, the blood of the other men started to run into Boyd's mouth, and he suddenly got a burst of strength and determination. Boyd was able to break free, kill the few guards around, and then capture the nearby Mexican command center and their high ranking officers.

Initially the Army promotes Boyd for his actions and gives him a MedalOfDishonor while intending to present him as a hero, but it soon becomes apparent that after his one brave action Boyd's nerves are shattered and he's unable to present the heroic facade the Army wants. The local general decides that with Boyd being useless in battle and not credible as a PropagandaHero, the best thing he can do is make sure Boyd is far, far away from the front lines and anyplace where he would draw attention. So he gives Boyd a [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassignment to Fort Spencer]], a rarely-visited and barely manned ramshackle mountain fort in the [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet Middle Of Nowhere]] whose only real purpose is that it serves as a stopping point for pioneers traveling to California. When Boyd arrives the fort proves to be populated mostly by [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits drunks, misfits, layabouts, and crazies.]]

Lieutenant Boyd is a ShellShockedVeteran of the UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar of the 1840s. Initially the Army promotes Boyd for his actions during the war and gives him a MedalOfDishonor while intending to present him as a hero, but Boyd's nerves are clearly shattered and he's unable to present the heroic facade the Army wants. The local general decides that with Boyd being useless in battle and not credible as a PropagandaHero, the best thing he can do is make sure Boyd is far, far away from the front lines and anyplace where he would draw attention. So he gives Boyd a [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassignment to Fort Spencer]], a rarely-visited and barely manned ramshackle mountain fort in the [[MiddleOfNowhereStreet Middle Of Nowhere]] that serves as a stopping point for pioneers traveling to California. When Boyd arrives the fort proves to be populated mostly by [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits drunks, misfits, layabouts, and crazies.]]

Boyd's just settling into his life of quiet failure when a rambling loon by the name of Colqhoun stumbles in with a horror story; he was part of [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty a party of six pioneers who found themselves trapped in a snowstorm. When they ran out of rations, they ate the pack animals. When those were gone, they ate their leather clothing. When those were gone, one of them starved to death. But instead of burying him... they ate him]]. Some time later, they were hungry again and found themselves looking at each other oddly...