All-Consuming Otherness

All-Consuming Otherness: Cannibalism in Film

By Giulia Helms

For many years, the subgenre of cannibalism has been used as a way to shock and disturb viewers while simultaneously intriguing them. The trope started gaining more traction circa 1965, although one of the first major movies to include the cannibalism trope was not until The Silence of the Lambs, which would come out in 1991. Having received abundant praise, filmmakers began to use cannibalism more frequently in their films to carry deeper aspects—however, a large portion of the films that include cannibalism were deemed “underground” and not widely known. Ever since the 90s, cannibalism has expanded across various mediums to become a metaphor, conveying themes such as all-consuming passion, envy, marginalization, and internal vices.  The most prominent modern sources of media representing this theme are Hannibal (2013), Yellowjackets (2021), and Bones and All (2022).

In the 2013 NBC psychological horror-thriller series Hannibal, Will Graham works alongside psychologist Dr. Hannibal Lecter to try and catch a notorious serial killer who ends up being Hannibal himself. Throughout Hannibal, cannibalism is used to convey themes of cavernous passion and sophistication. In Michael Fuchs’ Food, Monstrosity, and Liminality in Hannibal (TV Show), Fuchs claims that “Lecter’s introduction […] problematizes this connection, for the character is both linked to the cultured taste of classical music and the barbaric taste of human meat; he is simultaneously a connoisseur of fine art and a brute driven by instinct and neither of the two.” Throughout the series, Hannibal Lecter is shown as a wealthy, civilized, highly intelligent man who is extremely helpful during forensic cases and is an outstanding chef with a cultivated passion and taste for French cuisine. All the while, he is cooking and eating his victims, feeding them to his unknowing coworkers. His deep passion for such a harmless hobby, cooking, mixed with the fact he is a cannibalistic serial killer, creates a heavy juxtaposition. Furthering his sophistication, Lecter is not messy with his crimes. His murders are thought out and strategic, and he commits them with a terrifying elegance. Lecter’s cannibalistic tendencies are also used to convey his passion for his hobbies through childhood trauma. “It serves as a very literal metaphor for the way in which marginalized communities are depleted, abused, and preyed on by a patriarchal and capitalist society. And how sometimes, the prey hunts back,” states Lauren Craig in Eat Your Rage. Letcer’s acts of cannibalism began in his childhood during World War II when he and his sister Mischa were kidnapped by a group of Nazi collaborators. During this, his sister was murdered and cannibalized in front of him, and he was force-fed her remains. This trauma that Lecter experienced causes him to start killing and cannibalizing people in turn as a way to gain back his power. It is a way to take back his freedom and get back at society for making him go through such a horrific experience, combining that anger with something he was passionate about. In Hannibal, these connected representations of cannibalism are used as a way to communicate to viewers the complex character of Hannibal Lecter, and to show Hannibal’s true, deep passions and how he is trying to cope with his trauma.

In Showtime’s 2021 American thriller drama series Yellowjackets, in which a soccer team of high school girls gets stranded in the wilderness for over a year, cannibalism is used to convey themes of envy and neglect. As the plot unravels, one of Yellowjackets’ main characters, Shauna Shipman, is led to pursue cannibalism by a morphed sense of envy. “The character demonstrates a desire to prove their authority, an act of cannibalism alludes to achieving complete autonomy over themselves and control over their oppressors,” says Craig on the cannibalistic experience. Throughout the show, Shipman, frenemies with another prominent character, Jackie Taylor, is unable to decide whether she wants to be Taylor as a person or be with her romantically. She is stuck in a morally gray area where she is jealous of what Taylor has, but also of who Taylor is. Thus, cannibalizing Taylor was a way for Shipman to (relatively) gain closure, and consuming Taylor allows Shipman to simultaneously be Taylor and be with her. Throughout their time in the wilderness, the characters are driven to commit cannibalism due to being neglected by nature, with sparse food supply, and jealousy of what others have. “Due to a marginalized position in society,” says Craig, “the hero lacks a sense of control over their lives, cannibalism is a response to that loss of control.” The usage of cannibalism in Yellowjackets is used to show how lost the characters are, not just in their destination, but in themselves. Having to commit the heinous act of cannibalism repeatedly during their abandonment, changing the act into one of casualty and making it a regular part of their routine is a way for the characters to gain back some of the “self” that they lost, giving themselves back that control which they lacked after being stranded. After being abandoned in the snowy wilderness as adolescents, the group turns to cannibalism because it further makes them feel connected—almost like a team—again.  By also committing cannibalism casually and regularly, they provide themselves with a facade of false normalcy which they desperately crave. Throughout the series, the characters of Yellowjackets cannibalize their team members one by one as a way to try and gain back some order and regularity, and to dominate over the emotions that control them, one of those being envy.

In the 2022 film Bones and All based on Camille DeAngelis’ 2015 novel of the same name, a young woman meets a lone drifter with whom she connects about their broken pasts, the deed of cannibalism being used to show viewers deeper themes of interpersonal connection and passion. As seen through one of the two main characters, Maren Yearly, cannibalism is utilized to represent her connection with the other lead, Lee, through their trauma and the negative qualities they struggle with internally. “And even before Maren catches him exiting an abandoned building, his mouth covered in crimson, she knows she has found a kindred spirit.” regales David Fear in his Rolling Stone article, “Bones and All”: Timothee Chalamet Is One Hot, Horny and Hungry Cannibal. In this romantic-horror film, cannibalism is not just used as a horror technique to shock and frighten viewers, but as a way to show how it lets the protagonists connect on a much deeper level. To Yearly and Lee, it is the glue that is holding them together. By sharing their fragmented pasts and being able to connect via cannibalism—which can be used as a deep form of passion—they can truly feel known within each other, something they haven’t felt before. The tricky theme of otherness, which the main characters internally struggle with, can also be shown through the act of cannibalism. “Much to her surprise, she’s not the only one cursed with this affliction; there’s a loose, scattered community of folks known as “eaters,” who exist on the fringes of society and indulge on the sly” informs Fear. This concept of otherness is shown through Yearly and Lee, as they may not look different to the human eye but are driven by different motives than the average individual. Cannibalism in film can be a way for the characters, shunned by society, to find significance in their lives and to be able to find connection with others. The movie ends with the characters giving in to their deepest desires, Lee begging Yearly to eat him, “bones and all'', to which she agrees, being able to consume her lover fully. In doing so, she feeds not only her body but also her soul—much like Shipman’s consumption of Taylor—feeling freed from some of the internal struggles that were weighing her down. The theme of cannibalism is intricately laced through Bones and All, diving deeper into the themes of connection and otherness.

Through the ages, the act of human on human consumption, or cannibalism, has been used in film and other mediums to connect with viewers on much deeper motifs such as enthralling love, jealousy, and a way to try and overcome weaknesses. In Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal, the lead character Hannibal mixes cannibalism with his passion for cooking to convey his deep-seated passions and past trauma. By killing his very specific victims and cooking them so beautifully, he is able to mentally take back some of the power that he had none of during his childhood. The characters in Yellowjackets commit cannibalism as a reaction to theiraggressive environment and to show their envy towards one another. The cannibalism in this series is versatile, being used to show viewers how jealousy can be all-consuming, while simultaneously showing how young people can react to negligent settings and how they try and overpower those feelings. Bones and All goes deeper into the more silenced tones of cannibalism in film such as connection and otherness in the characters' relationships. The feelings of being different from everyone and being able to make a deep connection with someone are cleverly shown through this consumption. Cannibalism in film has been used for many years to symbolize varying emotions and weaknesses, and it will continue to be used as film genres expand to reach a more niche audience of viewers who crave those more hidden but fervid tones.