Best in Show: Cannibal Families (Pt. II of II)



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5. Mutants (Hills Have Eyes)

Looking specifically at the critically panned but revitalized remake, The Hills Have Eyes is the kind of gory mid-2000s horror film that had the ability to scare viewers with its unrelenting nature, even if the quality wasn't necessarily there. The mutants at the center of The Hills Have Eyes were so painstakingly prevalent growing up that everyone knew the movie and everyone was afraid of it happening to them. Even though it pushed far into the fantastical, the Hills Have Eyes felt like something that could happen to you and your friends or family, a true testament to the somewhat shallow, but effective film. 

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4. Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)

Like We Are What We Are, the cannibal at the center of Silence of the Lambs is even scarier given his subtly. Add on the insane intelligence and trickery and Hannibal Lecter becomes one of horror's most horrifying cannibals. He's easily one of the most unsettling additions to the subgenre and even though he isn't the most physically aggressive, his ability to sweep into the minds of those he interacts with is unparalleled. Sure Buffalo Bill is scary, but the true nightmare of Silence of the Lambs is Lecter. This movie deserves extra props for all of the critical success it received on top of being a horror-thriller.

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3. The Natives (King Kong)

Say what you will about remakes and new adaptions, but the Jack Black-starring King Kong gave viewers some of the most nightmare-inducing cannibals of modern horror. When the young girl bites into Black's character's hand I literally lurched out of my seat and had bad dreams for days. There's something about the way the tribe melds in and out of their home structures that makes this group of Skull Island natives especially scary. While King Kong isn't an obvious choice for the horror genre, this movie is actually filled with plenty of terrifying parts - it helps that the opening scenes feature some truly scary cannibals.

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2. Amazonian Tribe (Green Inferno)

Directly inspired by Cannibal Holocaust, Green Inferno is a sickening film with truly scary antagonists. Following a group of social justice warriors attempting to save the rainforest, Green Inferno is a survival film that transcends into absolute chaos. After their plane goes down, the college students are captured by a previously unknown and especially lethal Amazonian tribe and things get very, very disturbing. Featuring some truly nasty scenes and blood curdling deaths, Green Inferno provides plenty of reasons for the audience to turn around and gag. Green Inferno didn't receive that warm of a reception upon release and many viewers saw it as a cheap knock-off, but it undoubtedly made a name for itself because of its splattering death scenes and crazed tribe of cannibals.

1.  The Sawyers (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)

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Perhaps the most potent and iconic of all cannibals is the Sawyer family at the center of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Whether discussing the originals, the reboots or even the additional reboots that followed, it is undeniable that this family of rotating characters is so disturbingly unhinged that they can set fear into even the strongest horror fanatics. The Sawyers are the type of hillbillies that have little to no reason behind their actions; their lack of morals and human decency, their willingness to showcase their wrongdoings and gloat all make for horrific chaos worthy of the top spot.