Ravenous (1999 film)

Ravenous is a 1999 horror Western film directed by Antonia Bird and starring Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, Jeffrey Jones, and David Arquette. Set in the 1840s in California's Sierra Nevada, the film follows a group of soldiers at a military outpost who encounter a sadistic cannibal. Screenwriter Ted Griffin's screenplay combines elements from the Donner Party and that of Alfred Packer, the real-life "Colorado Cannibal" who survived by eating five companions after becoming snowbound in the San Juan Mountains in the 1870s. However, the film's plot also serves as an overt criticism of manifest destiny through its use of cannibalism. By turning the act into an insatiable hunger, the voracious need to eat human flesh is equated to the all-consuming pursuit of power and wealth that was inherent to the expansionist attitudes of those seeking to settle the American frontier in the 19th century. The film would be the last theatrical release to feature John Spencer.

An international co-production between United Kingdom, United States and Mexico, Ravenous had a troubled production history. Issues over budget and shooting schedules were still ongoing when filming was about to start in Slovakia. After the original director Milcho Manchevski was fired three weeks into production, he was replaced by Bird at the suggestion of actor Robert Carlyle who had previously worked with her in 1997 in the movie Face. The film was shot in Europe and Mexico. Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn composed the film's score, which generated a significant amount of interest for its quirky and inventive use of loops, instruments and musical structure.

Released by 20th Century Fox in the spring of 1999, Ravenous was a box-office bomb, grossing $2 million against a $12 million budget. However, despite initial reception being mixed when released, it has since garnered a reputation as a cult film.