This week Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow are joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Brian A. Sharpless, author of
Monsters on the Couch, to discuss cannibalism—what it is, why humans have done it, and how the taboo shows up in archaeology, medicine, psychology, and horror cinema. They cover definitions (endocannibalism vs. survival cannibalism), prion diseases such as Kuru, criminal and paraphilic cases, and pop-culture touchpoints from Ravenous to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, plus legend-tripping at Lovelock Cave and the “giants” folklore around the Mound Builder myth.
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Bitch: The Journey of a Word🔎 Quick Links & References
• Cannibalism (overview) — Wikipedia:
Cannibalism• Kuru & prion diseases —
Kuru (Britannica) •
Prion• Survival cannibalism cases —
Donner Party •
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571• Medicinal cannibalism —
Mumia (medication) •
Hand of Glory• Criminal/forensic examples —
Albert Fish •
Jeffrey Dahmer• Paraphilias mentioned —
Vorarephilia •
Autosarcophagy (self-cannibalism)• Films discussed —
Ravenous (1999) •
The Hills Have Eyes •
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre •
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors •
Cannibal Holocaust •
The Green Inferno (2013)• Legends & sites —
Lovelock Cave •
Paiute people •
Mound Builder myth •
Wendigo🧾 Episode Breakdown
• 🍽️ What counts as cannibalism? Clear definition limited to consumption of human flesh; distinctions from blood drinking and other bodily materials.
• 🗺️ How widespread is it? Cross-cultural evidence, past debates in anthropology, and the modern scholarly consensus that it occurred in multiple contexts (ritual, survival, criminal, etc.). See the overview above.
• 📚 Ten motives framework (from Dr. Sharpless’s work): survival,...
