Film Fests
[Review] BROOKLYN HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2023: ‘Cannibal Mukbang’ (2023) We’re Eating Good
From the minute I read the title Cannibal Mukbang among all the other entries on the schedule, I knew it would surely be one of Brooklyn Horror Film Festival’s most anticipated films. That experience wasn’t unique: it sold out online the day after I learned about it. On the day of its premiere, waiting at the top of the stairs of the Nitehawk Cinema, I watched a rush ticket line practically spill out the door as people tried to secure a spot. And from the first few frames to those final credits, there was applause and laughter from nearly every seat in the theatre as we watched a piece of delicious indie horror unfold.
Safe to say, Cannibal Mukbang lives up to the hype.
A YouTube Trend Gone Wonderfully Horror
An anxiety-ridden customer service rep with a shaky sense of self, Mark is lost and lonely. But when the hot mess is hit by a car driven by manic pixie dream girl Ash, the two slowly fall in love at first bite. Ash’s work schedule, however, is a bit different: by day, she films mukbangs, a South Korean genre of video content where people eat ungodly amounts of food for an adoring audience. By night, her cravings for human flesh take precedence as she hunts for her next meal and punishes her victims. As the lovers discover more about each other’s past, Mark and Ash are put on a collision course with destiny—and are served a final course that shocks them both.
So, what makes a film that’s equal parts romantic comedy and horror drama so good? Both are subject to the double-pronged issue of balancing multiple genres, but thanks to an undeniable, once-in-a-blue-moon kind of talent from its cast and crew Cannibal Mukbang pulls it off.
Delectable Casting with Stunning Effects
April Consalo’s Ash is a must-see, being able to portray a multifaceted character effortlessly. She brings a fusion of tactically feigned innocence, disconnected coldness, and genuine cunning that is hard to pin down; it gives life to a character rife for dissection, and it’s backed up by a range in delivery that reaches a fever pitch in the film’s final moments. Even if you disapprove of her hunger-driven choices, Consalo makes Ash so charismatic and convincing that she has a firm shot at winning a “Good For Her” Award from just about anybody who will watch this. What else can I say? She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’ll make charcuterie out of your face.
(Also, a quick shoutout to costume designer Jolene Richardson, whose curation of Ash’s outfits is, no pun intended, a visual chef’s kiss.)
Hand in hand, Nate Wise’s Mark is no joke, matching Consalo’s intensity as the film goes on. Wise teased in the Q&A after the film that he found his own confidence issues as something that helped him nail the part, but the highlight of his performance is undoubtedly portraying the slow change into a more confident person as his relationship with Ash blooms. As his pallor improves and his appearance becomes less messy with every meal, you really feel his metamorphosis, and that makes the film’s resolution all the more impactful.
Photo taken at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival
Director Aimee Kuge Stuns With Her Stylistic Choices
Aimee Kuge’s artistic vision throughout the entire picture’s cinematography feels unfettered, and that’s most evident in the stretch of the film that flashes back to Ash’s origins and shows us how a killer is made. The sequence evokes the exploitation style of the ’70s cannibal boom, signaled by the title and poster with incredible skill. It tells a quiet and chilling story that could be a whole movie on its own. You get 30mm film grain grotesquery that’s expertly done and contrasts nicely with the rest of the film’s clean-cut, bright, and colorful presentation.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that all throughout the film, you get a veritable buffet of guts, blood, and bones on display as Ash makes a butchery of her targets. The SFX used to show us the gore run a range of textures, captured on film in all their forms: thick, runny, muscular, and gooey alike. It is a cannibal mukbang after all, so rest assured there are pounds and pounds of USDA, Grade A, nasty fake people meat for everyone at the table. Practical effects fans will be eating good with this one.
Humor and Heart in a Gory Package
Even through the sweat, blood, and saliva of the film’s gorier segments, the film’s core is a romantic comedy with breaks of humor that accentuate the messed-up fun of Cannibal Mukbang. Kuge’s script is undeniably funny, and the jokes hit on perfect timing even when they’re more crude than witty. The comedic voice of the film ranges in inspiration from Jennifer’s Body to some of Edgar Wright’s work in the Cornetto Trilogy and Scott Pilgrim, to even the tar-black dark humor of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and American Psycho.
Ultimately, the fact Cannibal Mukbang can emulate these cult classics without feeling like it’s aping them or going through the motions like some homages would is just one of the many measures of expertise on display here, and if it finds the right audiences upon a wider release, feels telling of the popularity it could have.
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This is usually the part where I would say, “Get out and go to the theatres to catch this film right now”, but this is part of our coverage of Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2023! This is definitely a movie you want on your radar, so keep your eyes peeled for it!
If you’re not watching Indonesian horror, you’re missing out. The region is producing some of the craziest genre movies around right now, thanks in no small part to the efforts of writer-director Joko Anwar. His latest, Ghost in the Cell, which celebrated its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026, combines everything we love about the filmmaker’s work—supernatural scares, inventive kills, and gnarly gore—along with a strong vein of comedy and political satire.
What is Ghost in the Cell About?
Ghost in the Cell centers around Dimas (Endy Arfian), a journalist whose life falls apart after he tries to run a story on corporate corruption and mysterious worker deaths. Wrongfully convicted of the horrific murder of his boss, Dimas finds himself with a one-way ticket to Cell Block C, where he quickly meets a colorful cast of prisoners—the good, the bad, and the seriously nasty. Among the good guys, there’s Anggoro (Abimana Aryasatya), who is constantly getting into trouble for defending fellow inmates, and Six (Yoga Pratama), who claims he can see people’s auras.
As if Dimas’ situation couldn’t get any worse, his arrival seems to trigger a series of brutal killings in the prison. Bodies are showing up mangled beyond recognition and displayed in positions that wouldn’t look out of place in Hannibal. It soon becomes clear that Dimas isn’t behind the murders, which begs the question: what did he bring in with him?
Anwar Embraces Horror-Comedy Whole-Heartedly
Prison is a scary place, and Anwar makes great use of the setting, with the action moving from the dingy showers where predators lurk to the bleak cellblock where inmates are at the mercy of their captors and the cafeteria where rival gangs eye each other up with ill intent.
But for all the human misery contained within the film, Ghost in the Cell is ultimately a horror-comedy, one that isn’t afraid to lean into broad slapstick and quippy dialogue when it wants to raise a chuckle. The tonal shifts can take a little while to adjust to, especially if your previous experience with Anwar comes from his more serious horror outings like Impetigore. This might be a problem if the film wasn’t actually funny, but Ghost in the Cell has enough laugh-out-loud moments to make you forget about any whiplash.
Ghost in the Cell Is a Genre-Bender to the Max
Comedy isn’t the only new flavor that Anwar has tossed into the mix. In Ghost in the Cell, dance sequences and martial-arts fight choreo sit side-by-side with some of the most extreme gore scenes seen outside a Terrifier movie in recent years. Then there’s the eerie way the spirit presents before it kills (trypophobia sufferers, beware) and the extensive critique of political corruption, power, and inequality. It’s an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach that shouldn’t work on paper, but under Anwar’s assured hand, it does.
It helps that for all the slapstick, the film lands a surprisingly earnest message, amplified by its vast ensemble cast. Dimas and Anggoro at times feel like main characters, but everyone in Ghost in the Cell has a big part to play, and that’s the point: in seemingly impossible circumstances, there’s strength in unity.
Ghost in the Cell Is an Endlessly Entertaining Blend of Goofiness, Heart, and Gore
If you’re looking for nonstop scares, you won’t find them in Ghost in the Cell. What you will find is a delightful blend of horror, comedy, and action that is apt to leave you grinning from ear to ear.
The film doesn’t skimp on the gore, throwing flesh and fluids at every surface. But it’s also charmingly goofy, with a cast that doesn’t take itself too seriously and a script that’s all too happy to devolve into a comedic dance scene when it feels like the spirit might strike. In every sense, Anwar is doing the most, and the end result is a film where there’s nary a dull moment in sight.
One of the great pleasures of attending Fantastic Fest is the ability to occasionally see movies that won’t be out for many months. That’s especially true with the Secret Screenings, which this year included a work-in-progress print of In a Violent Nature 2, a film that doesn’t even have a release date yet and made for a wildly entertaining midnight movie surprise.
While a few things may change between now and release, the cut shown at Fantastic Fest felt near-final. Here’s what you can look forward to when this sequel eventually slashes its way onto our screens.
Johnny Returns in In a Violent Nature 2
In a Violent Nature 2 picks up right where the action of its predecessor left off, while also introducing new aspects of the lore that slightly contradict or complicate what has already been established, a nod to the way that slasher sequels throw in new plot elements willy-nilly to suit their needs.
The second film centers on Alex (Lucas Nguyen), a quiet 14-year-old kid who misses the bus home from camp because his bullies have stuffed him in a trunk. Since his older sister works at the camp, he gets to hang out for the night while the counselors celebrate the end of the season. Unfortunately, an old fireman’s whistle has drawn the mute, hulking Johnny (Ry Barrett) to the camp—and before long, their night of revelry has turned into one of unimaginable horror.
Less Walking, More Killing
Chris Nash, who wrote and directed the first film, handles scripting duties this time around, with Nate Wilson—who served as first assistant director on the original—stepping into the director role. It feels as though Nash may have listened to viewers’ complaints about how much walking was in the original, because In a Violent Nature 2 takes a break from following Johnny on his lumbering mission. Instead, the camera largely chases Alex through the woods as he runs, trips, and stumbles away from the carnage.
This change is a mixed bag. Alex may be more a dynamic figure to follow overall, but he also makes some frustratingly poor choices, and his teenage moodiness makes him a little unlikeable. The first film also succeeded, in part, because it consciously played into how audiences consume slasher movies, with their sympathies shifting from cheering on the killer to rooting for the final girl when she triumphantly emerges. In a Violent Nature 2 feels like less of a meta-commentary on the slasher genre, though it still has plenty to offer fans of the genre, especially when it comes to kills.
In a Violent Nature 2 Takes the Gore to a Whole New Level
Mention In a Violent Nature to a horror fan and they’ll probably bring up the yoga kill within 10 seconds. For the sequel, Nash and Wilson attempt to up the ante—no small feat considering just how violent the first film was. It’s hard to top that particular kill, but In a Violent Nature 2 certainly gives it the old college try.
Shifting the focus from a single group of friends to an entire summer camp, even one that’s emptying out, instantly ups the potential body count (and harkens back to the slasher films of yore). Counsellors are slaughtered in droves, in ways more brutal than anything seen in the original film, with a few kills in particular sure to get people talking. It’s a real treat for fans of practical effects, and it’s great to see that even horror films positioning themselves as more “elevated” than the typical fare can have fun and get their hands bloody.
A Possible Set up for Another Sequel?
Minor spoilers ahead.
In a Violent Nature 2 feels like something of a response to the reception of the first film, removing what people didn’t like and piling on more of what they did. The result is a movie that feels a little less focused and meditative than its predecessor, but still incredibly fun. And with a third film heavily teased in the final minutes, it seems like we’ll be seeing more of Johnny in the near future. Based on the trajectory of other slashers, can we expect to see him fighting a psychic child next? Or—dare we dream—is he preparing for a trip to space?
Only time will tell. Better lace up your walking shoes.
When Does In a Violent Nature 2 Come Out?
In a Violent Nature 2 is slated to hit theaters sometime in 2026. Keep an eye on IFC Films and Shudder’s socials for more release information as it becomes available.
