Cannibal

"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

- Hannibal Lecter

A cannibal is someone who EATS a mo'fo! And I don't mean that in the sexual way. I mean, they literally eat other people. Raw. Cooked. It don't matter. They might eat them in whole or in part. The practice also includes the act of consuming their blood, but this business has more to do with vampirism than anything else. The practice is generally frowned upon and discouraged in most polite societies if not rendered downright illegal.

The practice of cannibalism is believed to have originated within ancient tribal communities in Central and South America. The reasons behind cannibalism may vary. Some engage in it out of a sense of spiritual enlightenment, believing that by consuming the flesh of another human being, they in fact, absorb part of their spirit. This aspect of cannibalism can be found in some religious doctrines, including the Christian tradition of communion, in which the communion wafer is meant to symbolize the body of Jesus Christ. Don't be fooled though. Most Christians would look at you askance if you suggested to them that Jesus was somehow advocating cannibalism.

In film history, no cannibal has ever been more celebrated than good ole Doctor Hannibal Lecter; "Hannibal the Cannibal" to his friends. In addition to his unorthodox dining habits, Lecter was also a noted psychiatrist and a psychopathic whack-a-mole. Doctor Lecter first cut his teeth (cinematically speaking) in the 1986 thriller Manhunter, where he was played by actor Brian Cox. Most movie watchers however recognize the character as he was portrayed by British actor Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs, as well as its prequel and sequel films.

Then there's those jokers from Texas. Back in the 1970s, director Tobe Hooper made a low-budget horror film that the world has come to know as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The central antagonists of the film, who represent the Sawyer family, were all cannibals, in addition to being chainsaw-wielding crazies with a penchant for skinning their victims and wearing their faces as masks. No friggin' class at all, these guys. The film series spawned a reboot in 2003, which focused on the Hewitt family, though the cannibalism elements of the story were toned down some.

Films

 * Leatherface
 * Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
 * Lost World, The
 * Revenge of Frankenstein, The
 * Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The
 * Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, The
 * Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The (2003)
 * Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

Television

 * The X-Files: Our Town
 * The X-Files: The Jersey Devil