AWKSD Presents: Sadistic Summer Book & Movie Club

We're going to watch the controversial film Cannibal Holocaust and read Kea Wilson's We Eat Our Own

In 1980, Italian director Ruggero Deodato released one of the most controversial films of all time, Cannibal Holocaust. The violence depicted in it (including actual live animal slaughter) was so upsetting that the film was immediately banned and even resulted in criminal charges brought against Deodato, who was accused of creating a snuff film. 

Over 40 years later, Cannibal Holocaust is still one of the most difficult films to watch, even by jaded horror-fan standards. But for those who can er... stomach it, the film is a fascinating look at the transgressiveness of art, taboos, and the role media plays in satisfying our morbid curiosities. There’s a message in Cannibal Holocaust—a message often told poorly, but a message nonetheless.  

Sadistic Summer Book & Movie Club is a three-week virtual course for those who are interested in discussing and understanding challenging, difficult, and/or morally-ambiguous art. As schools and libraries across the U.S. are increasingly pressured to sanitize—if not outright censor—their curriculum, I feel that it’s more important than ever to have opportunities where we can explore extreme texts. 

During this course, we will watch Cannibal Holocaust and read Kea Wilson’s brilliant novel, We Ear Out Own, a tense and unsettling story about a film production that was largely inspired by Cannibal Holocaust’s fraught and infamous backstory. If you think what ended up on the screen is wild, just wait until you learn about what went into making it.'

Sadistic Summer is intended to be a book/film pairing, but for those who don’t want to subject themselves to the film and only want to read Wilson’s excellent novel, that’s totally understandable. Or vice versa: if you’re just into watching Cannibal Holocaust… well, you’re a sicko, but my kind of sicko. All respect. 

The course will include virtual screenings (as well as a potential in-person screening), discussions, and Q&As (surprise guests!). Also, this is your content warning! Cannibal Holocaust contains actual animal slaughter, rape, gore—pretty much everything that would justify a warning.

Participants must buy their own books! I suggest ordering it from Indiebound. 

Sadistic Summer is free to all paying subscribers to AwkwardSD, $10 for everyone else. The fun starts on Monday, July 25th, so get your books ASAP. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.