I Guarantee You’ve Never Seen a Cannibal Movie As Fun, Stylish and Twisted as This One

Horror is a fascinating genre because it lends itself to some really weird and interesting premises; even if the finished product leaves a lot to be desired, at least you have a good chance of seeing something you’ve never seen before. That’s been a saving grace for many a low-budget horror movie for decades, so it’s always nice to see one that elevates itself beyond just its premise or a few good practical effects. Eat is a prime example, giving its gruesome plot of a desperate actress who begins consuming parts of her own body as a stress response a fun visual style and tone that toes the line between horror and humor. Clearly a passion project for special-effects-expert-turned-writer/director Jimmy Weber, Eat doesn’t shy away from showing the autocannibalism scenes in their full gory glory, but Weber also put effort into ensuring his cast and his script were just as sharp.

‘Eat’ Puts a Glossy Finish on Its Horror Elements

Eat follows the misadventures of Novella McClure (Meggie Maddock), an actress who responds to the stress of failing to get any callbacks and an impending eviction by first picking at her skin, then outright chowing down on her own flesh in several panicked frenzies. After a car accident lands her in the hospital, where the evidence of her self-cannibalism causes her mental health to come under scrutiny, Novella has to avoid giving into her sudden compulsion – or at least hide it from the people around her. The main gist of Eat may make you queasy, but what makes it really stand out is how fun it manages to be. It’s not a moody horror filled with dark shadows and existential questions about life. It’s a bright, poppy gore-fest set in sunny L.A. with a platinum-blonde protagonist going to acting auditions, partying in clubs with her friend Candice (Ali Francis), eating her own toes down to the bone – you know, the usual fun stuff.

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And even though it’s obvious that this was a labor of love from a team that didn’t have access to a more mainstream film’s budget size, the work they do with what they have is impressive. The special effects are the most obvious point of praise, of course – nothing’s more disappointing than seeing a gore-heavy premise fail to deliver on the blood and guts, after all. Thankfully, aside from the unnatural-looking way Novella holds what is supposed to be her own foot while eating it, Eat clearly put a lot of effort into making these autocannibalism scenes nauseating. Remember that scene in Black Swan where Natalie Portman picks at a hangnail? Eat somehow takes that simple action to an even more disturbing extreme that will make you think twice about your own grooming habits.

‘Eat’ Is a Surprisingly Fun Ride for a Cannibal Movie

Eat works so well because it doesn’t rely solely on its special effects for its entertainment value; it also has a higher quality script and actors than you might expect from an indie project. Although some of the side characters definitely give off amateur actor vibes with their line deliveries, the core cast of characters is solid and fun to watch. And credit where credit is due, the legitimately funny dialogue does do some of the heavy-lifting for those actors. For a movie about self-cannibalization, Eat has several unexpected laugh-out-loud gags, ranging from Novella driving around a rental car that still has a bloody handprint on the window which no one seems to care about, to Candice indignantly yelling at her “I thought you ate people!” when she tries to “help” Novella through her current predicament. It’s not a horror-comedy per se, but feels closer to An American Werewolf in London in that it’s “a horror film that’s very funny,” in the words of John Landis himself. Eat wants you to be grossed out by how graphically Novella consumes her own body, but it also paints her as having a sharp sense of humor, and the characters around her respond in kind, leading to some absurdly amusing exchanges in between the stomach-churning bloodshed to keep things interesting.

There are still some hallmarks of an inexperienced cast and crew throughout Eat, of course; the movie never really solidifies the parallel between Novella’s obsession with eating her own body and the prevalence of eating disorders in the entertainment industry, especially among women. The ending also comes a little out of left field, but honestly, it’s still bonkers enough to be entertaining, and the final moments really bring all the gore that came before to a horrific and absurd peak. Eat is an imperfect movie that should nevertheless sate any horror fan’s appetite.

Eat

Release Date

July 6, 2014

Runtime

92 minutes

Director

Jimmy Weber

Writers

Jimmy Weber

Producers

Annie Baker

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  Meggie Maddock

  Novella McClure

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