THE AWESOME TERRIBLE MOVIE REVIEW
Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death
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Hollywood has produced some truly baffling movie concepts over the years, but Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death sounds like the result of a screenwriter losing a bet with an anthropology professor after eating questionable guacamole. Released in 1989, this satirical adventure comedy takes a ridiculous premise, throws it into the wilderness, and invites the audience to watch civilization unravel somewhere between a jungle expedition and a produce aisle.
Directed by J.F. Lawton, the film stars Shannon Tweed as Dr. Margo Hunt, a feminist anthropologist recruited by the government to locate a tribe of Amazonian women known as the Piranha Women. These warriors inhabit the avocado jungle of Southern California, where they apparently survive by eating men who wander into their territory. Somewhere, the tourism board is reconsidering its advertising campaign.
The government needs access to the region's avocado supply, because apparently even a fictional dystopia cannot escape the importance of agricultural commerce. Margo is sent into the jungle alongside government agent Jim (Bill Maher) and an enthusiastic guide, Andy (Brian Kerwin). Their mission is to negotiate with the tribe, although anyone familiar with adventure movies knows that negotiating with cannibals rarely ends with everyone sitting around discussing mutually beneficial trade agreements.
The film's central joke is that it takes aim at feminism, masculinity, government bureaucracy, and cultural stereotypes while dressing everything up as an absurd jungle adventure. The Piranha Women have established a society where men are viewed as little more than potential meals or inconvenient visitors. It's the sort of premise that practically begs for clever satire, although the movie's approach to subtlety suggests that subtlety was eaten by the opening credits.
Tweed brings a suitably confident presence to Margo, who is more interested in studying the tribe than becoming another entry on the dinner menu. Maher, making an early appearance before his later career in political commentary, plays the government agent with a smirking attitude that occasionally makes you wonder whether he wandered onto the set after losing a bet of his own. His character provides plenty of opportunities for jokes about male arrogance, although the film occasionally confuses being smug with being funny.
The supporting performances help establish the movie's intentionally ridiculous atmosphere, but the material is uneven. Some of the jokes land, particularly when the film mocks the absurdity of government priorities and gender politics. Others arrive with all the grace of a coconut dropped from a helicopter. The satire has something to say, but it sometimes seems more interested in shouting its observations than developing them into genuinely sharp comedy.
The jungle setting is another source of amusement. This is not an epic adventure featuring sweeping landscapes and convincing depictions of remote civilizations. It's a gloriously low-budget production whose idea of exotic danger occasionally feels like a weekend camping trip organized by people who forgot the insect repellent.
Still, the movie deserves some credit for committing to its bizarre concept. In an era when mainstream comedies often played things relatively safe, Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death happily embraces absurdity and delivers a title that remains more memorable than many films with substantially larger budgets.
Ultimately, this is a strange, silly, occasionally clever cult comedy that never quite realizes its satirical potential. It has enough eccentricity to entertain adventurous viewers, even if the jokes sometimes feel as overripe as the fruit supplying the jungle's name.
Directed by J.F. Lawton, the film stars Shannon Tweed as Dr. Margo Hunt, a feminist anthropologist recruited by the government to locate a tribe of Amazonian women known as the Piranha Women. These warriors inhabit the avocado jungle of Southern California, where they apparently survive by eating men who wander into their territory. Somewhere, the tourism board is reconsidering its advertising campaign.
The government needs access to the region's avocado supply, because apparently even a fictional dystopia cannot escape the importance of agricultural commerce. Margo is sent into the jungle alongside government agent Jim (Bill Maher) and an enthusiastic guide, Andy (Brian Kerwin). Their mission is to negotiate with the tribe, although anyone familiar with adventure movies knows that negotiating with cannibals rarely ends with everyone sitting around discussing mutually beneficial trade agreements.
The film's central joke is that it takes aim at feminism, masculinity, government bureaucracy, and cultural stereotypes while dressing everything up as an absurd jungle adventure. The Piranha Women have established a society where men are viewed as little more than potential meals or inconvenient visitors. It's the sort of premise that practically begs for clever satire, although the movie's approach to subtlety suggests that subtlety was eaten by the opening credits.
Tweed brings a suitably confident presence to Margo, who is more interested in studying the tribe than becoming another entry on the dinner menu. Maher, making an early appearance before his later career in political commentary, plays the government agent with a smirking attitude that occasionally makes you wonder whether he wandered onto the set after losing a bet of his own. His character provides plenty of opportunities for jokes about male arrogance, although the film occasionally confuses being smug with being funny.
The supporting performances help establish the movie's intentionally ridiculous atmosphere, but the material is uneven. Some of the jokes land, particularly when the film mocks the absurdity of government priorities and gender politics. Others arrive with all the grace of a coconut dropped from a helicopter. The satire has something to say, but it sometimes seems more interested in shouting its observations than developing them into genuinely sharp comedy.
The jungle setting is another source of amusement. This is not an epic adventure featuring sweeping landscapes and convincing depictions of remote civilizations. It's a gloriously low-budget production whose idea of exotic danger occasionally feels like a weekend camping trip organized by people who forgot the insect repellent.
Still, the movie deserves some credit for committing to its bizarre concept. In an era when mainstream comedies often played things relatively safe, Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death happily embraces absurdity and delivers a title that remains more memorable than many films with substantially larger budgets.
Ultimately, this is a strange, silly, occasionally clever cult comedy that never quite realizes its satirical potential. It has enough eccentricity to entertain adventurous viewers, even if the jokes sometimes feel as overripe as the fruit supplying the jungle's name.
Review posted
October 28, 2026