Horror movies push the envelope as it folds the letter of our minds. The genre delivers us our darkest fears and twisted realities with writings on the wall, ransom notes, and open threats of doom. Acts are done in the shadows by silent killers holding their tongues, waiting for the right moment to strike. Loud or hush, horror finds its way into personal places we take for granted and find comfort in too. Home Sweet Home becomes a haunted house and the mythologized danger zone in the neighborhood. The coworker goes about his business without causing a stir until after hours when his true business works overtime to hide his terrible secret. Recluses and shut-ins find a way to get out of their mothers' basements to pursue the lives they never had.

Killers can say a mouthful or indulge their appetites like no other. They are wild animals in human form with killer instincts. Survival is a byproduct compared to their games of manipulation and mindless indifference. It is enough to make you pull your hair out and dive psyche first into their listless and deliberate justifications of terror. Thinking about it can make you sick, but others eat it up like it is Thanksgiving dinner. To those who can stomach it, cannibals are the most tenacious killers the horror genre has to offer.

Updated on September 18th, 2023, by Federico Furzan: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.

13 Cannibal! The Musical (1993)

cannibal the musical
Troma Entertainment

The film debut of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park, is a black comedy cult favorite. The happy-go-hungry musical is loosely based on events surrounding the trek of six men from Utah to Colorado, one of whom confessed that he was a cannibal. On the journey some died, and some were partially eaten.

To commemorate horrible history, Troma Entertainment (the horror comedy studio responsible for The Toxic Avenger) decided to distribute the dark song and dance. Most scenes were shot in Colorado, including the courthouse where Alferd Packer, aka The Colorado Cannibal, was tried for his crimes. Despite having a few incidents of their own during filming, the creative partners would go on to premiere their famed animated satire soon after.

12 Parents (1989)

Parents (1989)
Vestron Pictures

It makes sense why this film was a commercial flop at the box office. Everyone thinks their own parents are weird, but if your parents have a palette for human flesh, you start to question your family ties. Bryan Madorsky, the former child actor who played the son, Michael Laemie, moved on to become an accountant.

Oh, the horror of crunching numbers over the horror of people sandwiches. The uncanny suburban fifties received mixed reviews for its creepy one-note atmosphere. Ken Russell, however, director of Altered States, said it was better than David Lynch's Blue Velvet. Mystery Meat must be an acquired taste.

11 Doctor X (1932)

doctor x 1932
Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. is responsible for this Pre-Code Hollywood whodunit monster mystery from the 1930s. The pathological killer and eater in question only attacks under a full moon, dubbing him the Moon Killer.

All the suspects share at least one of the traits of the predator, making the culprit hard to find. Dealing with crimes against humanity, such as rape, murder, prostitution, and cannibalism, Doctor X is on the prowl and ready to make an impromptu house call.

10 Motel Hell (1980)

Motel Hell 1980
United Artists

Motel Hell follows Farmer Vincent Smith (Rory Calhoun), who is also a motel manager, where he butchers and sells his guests in the form of human sausages as a self-proclaimed meat connoisseur. Talk about an undying entrepreneurial spirit.

Seen as a satire of psychological horror films, such as Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the low-budget film is seriously silly. However, some scenes featuring humans as "crops" are very upsetting.

9 Bones and All (2022)

Taylor Russell Timothée Chalamet Bones and all
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures

The most recent film on the list, Bones and All, is a love story. It tells the story of Maren and Lee, two teenagers who find themselves united by their craving of human flesh as they escape together from the standards of society across America.

Luca Guadagnino's film is very emotional and feels like a relevant take on a subject that's hard to blend into more traditional genres and plots. The performances by Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet are exceptional.

Related: The 10 Scariest Movies Based on True Stories

8 Ravenous (1999)

Robert Carlyle in Ravenous
20th Century Fox

Antonia Baird's Ravenous is a cult film about a regiment going on a rescue mission in a remote location on the American frontier in the 1800s. However, they encounter a drifter with a taste for human flesh (and superhuman strength) that will put their mission at risk.

This one's also inspired by the incidents involving Alferd Packer, The Colorado Cannibal. Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle star in this obscure box-office flop that people didn't really get at the time, but whose cult status has grown over the years. The score by Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn is extremely weird but very effective.

7 The Neon Demon (2016)

The Neon Demon 2016
Amazon Studios / Broad Green Pictures

Hollywood gets broken in Nicolas Winding Refn's insanely original film The Neon Demon. Elle Fanning stars as Jesse, a beautiful young girl who arrives in Los Angeles to become a model. After causing a big stir in the fashion industry, the jealousy of her peers gets expressed in the most brutal and unexpected of manners.

The Neon Demon is a stylish thriller that takes its time to deliver, but when it does, you will be extremely satisfied. And if you think we made a mistake and included it in a list of films including cannibals, just wait until the third act.

6 Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

A cannibal feast in Cannibal Holocaust
United Artists Europa / Trans American Films

The controversial Italian exploitation and found footage film was noted for its visual realism of sexual assault, animal cruelty, and on-camera deaths. The Amazonian indigenous tribes of Colombia were depicted as cannibals and the crew staged a massacre to create sensationalism for their "documentary."

It was banned in many countries and director Ruggero Deodato wisely hid the actors for a time, which only promoted the film and convinced audiences that it was all the more real. Cannibal Holocaust is a commentary on the sadistic yellow journalism that betrays our better judgment and makes us think twice about who the real cannibals are.

5 Raw (2016)

raw 2016
Wild Bunch / Focus World

Julia Ducournau's excellent feature Raw is one of the best horror films in recent years. It's original, bold, and extremely convincing as a coming-of-age story. After all, if vegetarians that have never tasted meat, decide to give it a try, who says their cravings can't go beyond what's acceptable?

Raw is bizarre because of how emotional the story gets after Justine begins to seek human flesh as the next step. This isn't traditional by any means. The scene involving a pair of scissors will give you nightmares.

4 We Are What We Are (2010)

we are what we are 2010
Canana Films

Mexican horror drama We Are What We Are (also known as Somos Lo Que Hay) departs from a human-driven storyline that feels honest, realistic and grounded. The obscure cult film tells the story of a family that takes a hit when its patriarch passes away. They're nothing without his leadership. Care to know why?

They're a family of cannibals, and they intend to follow the tradition of putting food on the table, even if the main dish is the human flesh of unfortunate victims. If it sounds familiar to you, it's because you saw its equally great American remake in 2013.

Related: 13 Best True Crime Movies, Ranked

3 The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Michael Berryman in The Hills Have Eyes 1977
Vanguard

Wes Craven deserves credit for making a family film. In the Mojave Desert of Nevada, a family of cannibals attack the Carter family who get stranded on their road trip to Los Angeles. Craven based The Hills Have Eyes on the legend of the Scottish cannibal, Sawney Bean and his family.

They were said to have robbed, murdered, and eaten over 1,000 travelers in Bennane Cave. There is a thin line between sanity and insanity, civilized and savagery, and Michael Berryman's performance as Pluto haunts that line.

2 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) hannibal lecter
Orion Pictures

Horror thriller The Silence of the Lambs made Hollywood crumble in the '90s, when it introduced cannibalism as the lesser evil in a film about a serial killer who only gets caught after a horrible and very intelligent man who likes to feast on people, helps law enforcement agents.

If Dr. Hannibal Lecter ever opens a restaurant, do you think liver, fava beans, and Chianti would be the only menu items? The twisted line is actually a well-crafted medical in-joke, proving how much of an insidious genius Lecter is. Anthony Hopkins taught us that the killer's mind is not to be probed, nor is the cannibal's meal to be interrupted.

1 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

The Texas Chain saw Massacre 1974
Bryanston Distributing Company

Tobe Hooper also made a family picture. The cannibals, namely Leatherface, are a family of men who indulge in feasting on traveling folks unlucky enough to stop and pump gas in a station where an old guy sells funky barbeque.

Similar to Cannibal Holocaust, Hooper also marketed the film as based on true events to reach a wider audience. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre captured the vacant minds and indiscriminate motives of killers that end in ambiguous animosity. To this day, the film still feels like a nightmare come true.