Content advisory: This post contains references to cannibalism, including graphic descriptions and visuals that some readers may find unsettling, triggering and/or culturally sensitive. Reader discretion is advised.
Serial killer Hannibal Lecter, created by American author Thomas Harris in 1981, is the defining figure of a subgenre of pop culture. Along with being a man-eater, he is a culinary connoisseur. In the film adaptations of ‘Hannibal’ and ‘Red Dragon’, Lecter’s (Anthony Hopkins) fondness for chopping is on show and he takes great pleasure in cooking, dining and hosting. Although not a direct adaptation, the ‘Hannibal’ television series (2013-’15) too portrays Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) as an aesthete who spends hours in his artfully tidy kitchen. And this is where the cannibal story meets the food film.
The nature of the meat being cooked and served is camouflaged and glamourised with gourmet-style plating, soft lighting and close-ups in the vein of modern food photography. And in keeping with the conventions of the food film, the Hindi film ‘The Hungry’ (2017; inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Titus Andronicus’) and the Assamese film ‘Aamis’ (2019; titled ‘Ravening’ in English) also present visually extravagant fare that whets desire.
Many films [such as ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974) or ‘Bones and All’ (2022)] present their cannibals as outsiders, situated beyond the edges of cities and civilisation. These characters can easily be compared to other horror archetypes like vampires and zombies who also feed on the human body. But some cannibals — like Lecter or the shadowy restaurateur Mushkan Zuberi (Azmeri Haque Badhon) in the Bengali web series ‘Robindronath Ekhane Kawkhono Khete Aashenni’ (2021) — are a different breed altogether. It is their penchant for cooking and eating human flesh — and serving it to (mostly) unsuspecting guests who savour the taste of their fellow beings — that drives them.
Read the full feature at the link in bio.
Text: @c.sucheta
Illustrations: @burningbarricade
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#PopCulture #Films #Literature
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