Conner Angelle

From Cruel to Cultured: The Progression of the Contemporary Cannibal from the Rainforest to the Concrete Jungle in Contemporary Horror Media

Introduction

From cruel to cultured: the progression of the contemporary cannibal from the rainforest to the concrete jungle in contemporary horror media. Explore the evolution of cannibalism in horror media, from primitive tribesmen to cultured protagonists. Analyzes its use as social commentary from 1980s films to modern TV shows.

Abstract

 Many consider cannibalism as the ultimate taboo separating man from beast. Depictions of the man-eater became popularized onscreen in the Italian cannibal films of the early 1980’s- while films like Cannibal Holocaust (1980) depict cannibals as primitive in nature, the violent tendencies of the Westerners pose the question as to how far the first world has truly distanced itself from humanity’s bestial instincts. However, in the early 1990’s, the cannibal evolved from the hut-dwelling tribesmen to the educated psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). From then on, popular media doubled down on the vilification of the act, with the remake of The Hill Have Eyes (2006), Eli Roth’s ode to the cannibal film with The Green Inferno (2013), the TV adaptation of Hannibal (2013-2015) and the revival of the Wendigo myth in Until Dawn (2015) featuring cannibals, ranging from inhuman and barbaric to poised and polished. Yet, the past decade has seen the development of sympathy for the cannibal, with films like Raw (2016) and Bones and All (2022) and the TV show Yellowjackets (2021-present) highlighting cannibals as protagonists. Along with being set in the modern first world, these pieces of popular media see young women consuming human flesh, expanding across age and sex, eliminating reserves of decency and innocence from the taboo of cannibalism. Still, with the book Tender is the Flesh (2017) using cannibalism as a means of social commentary, there is no one allegory for the act of eating other humans in modern fiction. Thus, this paper seeks to analyze the use of cannibalism in popular media, moving from a xenophobic archetype to a tool that authors and directors can use to comment on how the modern world is no less brutal than that of the tribe with a penchant for human meat.

Review

This paper proposes a compelling and timely analysis of the evolving depiction of cannibalism in contemporary horror media, moving beyond a simplistic "man vs. beast" dichotomy. The title, "From Cruel to Cultured: The Progression of the Contemporary Cannibal from the Rainforest to the Concrete Jungle," effectively signals the central argument and the historical trajectory the paper intends to trace. The abstract clearly outlines the paper's scope, beginning with the xenophobic portrayals in 1980s Italian cannibal films and progressing through key milestones like Hannibal Lecter, before arriving at more recent, nuanced representations that explore sympathy for the cannibalistic protagonist. This journey from the "primitive" to the "polished" and eventually to the "sympathetic" promises a rich examination of cultural anxieties and societal shifts. A significant strength of this proposed study lies in its identification of a discernible progression in the cannibal archetype. The abstract highlights a fascinating shift from the "othering" of cannibalism as a primitive, tribal act to its internalization within "first world" settings and even its re-gendering with young female protagonists. The discussion of works like *Raw*, *Bones and All*, and *Yellowjackets* as examples of media that "eliminat[e] reserves of decency and innocence from the taboo of cannibalism" is particularly intriguing. This suggests a deep dive into how contemporary narratives are challenging traditional moral boundaries and using the ultimate taboo not just for shock value, but as a complex lens for social commentary on modern brutality and human nature. The paper's aim to analyze this transition from a "xenophobic archetype to a tool that authors and directors can use to comment on how the modern world is no less brutal" is highly relevant and theoretically robust. Overall, this paper presents a well-structured and ambitious argument that promises a valuable contribution to horror studies, cultural theory, and the sociology of taboos. The breadth of examples cited, from classic horror to recent television, demonstrates a comprehensive engagement with the topic across various media forms. While the abstract strongly outlines the historical trajectory and the thematic shifts, future development could perhaps delve deeper into specific critical frameworks (e.g., postcolonial theory, feminist theory, or psychoanalysis) that might underpin these transformations. Nonetheless, the central thesis—that contemporary cannibalism serves as a potent allegorical tool for critiquing modern society—is exceptionally strong and merits rigorous exploration.

Full Text

Comments

You need to be logged in to post a comment.