A Few Theories On Why This Film Has A Horrid Kid-Unfriendly Ending...
- Would you honestly trust the guy (Rene Cardona Jr.) who made schlock like Guyana: Cult of the Damned for all your wholesome children's adventure tale needs?
- Cardona Jr. probably wanted to add an edgy Surprisingly Realistic Outcome Aesop for the kiddies in case they get the bright idea of going out in the wilderness alone.
- Cardona Jr. also probably figured a The Jungle Book (1967)-type ending would have been too predictable and figured he'd make the flick memorable by creating the kid's equivalent of Chinatown.
- He also probably believed in True Art Is Angsty and was probably going for an Old Yeller (or perhaps pre-Disneyfication fairy tale) vibe but went overboard.
