12 Cannibal Movies to Sink Your Teeth Into

The sinister penultimate episode of HBO's "The Last of Us" has us thinking about all the other onscreen iterations of cannibalism and, surprisingly, there are quite a few.

The latest among them is Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell's bloody romance flick, "Bones and All," which is based around the lives of two teenage lovers trying to survive within the margins of society while coming into their own. And yes, they also just so happen to be cannibals. No, it isn't your typical coming-of-age story, but it's compelling all the same.

"Bones and All" director Luca Guadagnino defended his film's take on cannibalism in a November 2022 interview with Variety, in which he said the movie focused more on the characters' emotional connection rather than their human-eating nature. "It's about two young people — a girl, in particular — roaming this world of darkness and dealing with the challenges within and without, finding love in the gaze of one another and trying to overcome impossibility," he said.

Of course, the factor about the film that still drew people in the most (aside from our boy Timmy, of course) is the most extreme — its depiction of cannibalism. However, this isn't the first time a film has centered around humans feasting on other humans. In fact, you'd be surprised at how many movies actually contain plots where cannibalism is the focal point.

We've compiled a list of other cannibalistic movies for you to sink your teeth into. Scroll through the gallery ahead to see some of the most popular cannibal movies to date.

01
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Everett Collection

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

In "Sweeney Todd," a barber named Benjamin Barker arrives back in London 15 years after he was falsely convicted and exiled by the corrupt Judge Turpin. On his return, the baker downstairs, Nellie, who has an unrequited love for Barker, tells him his wife, Lucy, killed herself after being raped by the judge. Adopting the alias Sweeney Todd, Barker seeks revenge, reopening his Fleet Street barbershop, where he murders those who wronged him with his old straight razors, after which Nellie bakes their remains into her pies. Barker will soon find everything is not as it seems.

02
"The Silence of the Lambs"
Everett Collection

"The Silence of the Lambs"

In an effort to catch a madman serial killer called "Buffalo Bill" who skins his woman victims, up-and-coming FBI agent Clarice Starling must interview Hannibal Lecter, an incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer. While his insight may help Clarice track down the killer, Hannibal has sinister intentions at play.

03
"Hannibal"
Everett Collection

"Hannibal"

"Hannibal," the sequel to "The Silence of the Lambs," follows the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter before his surviving victim, Mason Verger, captures him. If you haven't seen "The Silence of the Lambs," maybe start with "Hannibal" so you can get an idea of just how creepy Lecter can be.

04
"The Green Inferno"
Everett Collection

"The Green Inferno"

A college student pairs up with a student activist to go on a hunger strike on behalf of underpaid janitors. This catapults the duo to take on their next mission: flying to the Amazon in an effort to preserve the rainforest. After their plane crashes in the Peruvian jungle, the pair quickly learn they're not alone and are instead held captive by a tribe of hungry cannibals.

05
"Bones and All"
Everett Collection

"Bones and All"

Based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis, "Bones and All" follows cannibalistic lovers Maren and Lee on a road trip across America in search of Maren's mother, who she believes will give insight into who, and what, she is.

06
"Raw"
Everett Collection

"Raw"

A young woman raised in a vegetarian household travels off to veterinary school, where the hazing ritual involves swallowing a raw rabbit kidney. Having never tasted meat before, her first taste of real animal flesh leaves her craving something more. To her horror, it leads to an insatiable desire to eat more and more meat. She sneaks off with a friend to eat a furtive hamburger, but it's still not enough — what she lusts for more than anything is raw human flesh.

07
"Fresh"
Everett Collection

"Fresh"

"Fresh" follows Noa, who meets the enchanting Steve at a grocery store and — given her frustration with dating apps — takes a chance and gives him her number. What's to come next is something not even Noa could predict.

08
"The Hills Have Eyes"
Everett Collection

"The Hills Have Eyes"

Bob, his wife Ethel, and their family head out on an All-American vacation in their camper vans to sunny San Diego. When an accident strands them in the desert, they soon realize they're stuck near the site where nuclear tests created a group of mutant monsters who have a craving for human flesh.

09
"Wrong Turn"
Everett Collection

"Wrong Turn"

They say curiosity killed the cat, and despite warnings to stick to the Appalachian Trail, hikers decide to stray off course and cross into an area currently inhabited by a hidden community of mountain dwellers who aren't afraid to kill in order to protect their way of life. The hikers seem to be headed to the point of no return, unless they can count on one man to be their savior.

10
"Delicatessen"
Everett Collection

"Delicatessen"

In post-apocalyptic France, a butcher who owns a rundown apartment building is in constant need of a handyman because Clapet routinely butchers them and sells them as food. His work as a butcher is steady until one of his disposable workers falls in love with his young daughter.

11
"Spider Baby"
Everett Collection

"Spider Baby"

Three siblings share the same genetic disease that makes them revert to animal primitivism once they hit puberty. As if puberty wasn't already bad enough, when a lawyer comes to investigate conditions at the mansion, he is murdered and dumped in the basement, where he is eaten by the deadly denizens there, for apparently there are far more than three family members suffering from this genetic disease.

12
"Eating Raoul"
Everett Collection

"Eating Raoul"

Eating human flesh is one thing, but eating human flesh and selling it at a restaurant is another. The Bland family has a dream of opening a restaurant, but they aren't quite sure how to make it successful. They decide to place a swingers ad in a local paper. When people reply to the ad, they're murdered and given to Raoul, who serves them out to restaurant diners.