Customer Reviews

Meat is Murder!: An Illustrated Guide to Cannibal Culture (Creation Cinema Collection)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Wow...I don't really know what I expected from this book, but it's certainly much more informative than it has to be. From instances of criminal and hunger-forced cannibalism in the 20th century to a look at the shared themes of horror movies and fairy tales, this book delivers again and again. There are quite a few typos that I found distracting, and some of the photos look like they were digitized to be put into the book, but not restored to photographic quality. This makes some of the photos look like old Atari graphics. Those minor yet annoying flaws are what keeps this from being a five star book.

Mikita Brottman's book "Meat is Murder!" is a terrific book. Brottman's vivacious descriptions of many films about or including cannibalism create an astounding piece of literature that is pure enjoyment to read. A must for fans of any genre of films!

This is a rare cult item - I've been looking for a copy for a long time. It's a serious look at cannibalism in films and culture, and also in history and true crime. Repeat: a SERIOUS look. Even though it looks like a gorefest from the picture on the cover, it's not - it's a wide-ranging study (maybe a little beyond some of the people who gave it a low rating). It's NOT a PhD dissertation, as somebody says here, but an in-depth look at something disturbing. The bottom line: don't buy it unless you can handle some deep thoughts, or you'll be disappointed - like some of these reviewers seem to have been.

This book is one of the few out there that presents an overall picture of cannibalism in our culture. Because it's an overview, some material is left out or just touched upon. That said, it is still an excellent addition to any library of esoterica. It's also not the easiest book to find, so if you are thinking of getting it, grab it when you see it.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't expecting it to go into to much detail. Some of the pictures are kinda gory, but hey, what do you expect in a book about cannibalism? The style is readable and sometimes funny, but he really goes into a lot of detail and explains everything clearly. So basically, its a really smart book about a really gross subject. What more could you want??!!!

Having reviewed several doctoral dissertations and written my own, I am aware how arduous it can be to plow through one as a reader. Brottman's is no exception. Furthermore, the research tends to be sloppy. Her plot summary for The Hills Have Eyes, for example, contains so many errors that it is impossible to believe she watched the film. Her committee obviously didn't.

It's sad that this was published instead of Steve Bissette's work on the same topic.

MEAT IS MURDER contains facts and anecdotes that an ape couldn't make unintersting; however, Mikita Brottman sure comes close. I'm obsessed with cannibal culture. I love reading the horrific accounts of factual cannibalism, and I froth over any film using it as subject matter, from Italian greats by Umberto Lenzi and Ruggero Deodato, to Bob Balaban's hardly related PARENTS. Therefore, I absorb MEAT IS MURDER's parables voraciously, but with extreme resentment. I don't know how Brottman slipped by Jack Sargeant's keen eye for brilliance, but her "style" borders on tedious, and is completely soulless and without voice. This one's for extreme fans only. A little creativity would've been much appreciated.

Creation Books went through a dry spell during the late 90s and have now pickedup a good head of steam. This book must be the low-point of their publishing agenda. They must have been handing out the PHDs on the day Ms Brottman got hers. This book is sloppy, contentious and pretentious. An intellectual who writes about trash movies and (yawn) taboo areas of the human psyche? Totally passe, darling! Compare this rubbish with Jack Hunter's 'Inside Terradome' also from Creation and it becomes obvious that Ms Brottman is nothing more than a jobbing deconstructionist shamelessly looking for somewhere to get her name in print.
Don't buy this!!