In thousands of years of storytelling, food disguised dangers or, if appealing enough, led people to ignore their own safety for the chance to taste. An apple or pomegranate bite takes two people out of heaven; A Roman general invites his enemies to a feast where he feeds them pies full of their sons’ flesh; A brother and sister abandoned by their parents in the Bavarian Forest discover an edible house, in fact a witch’s bait. What frightens us has changed over the centuries, but food remains an effective mechanism in terror: Lou Maine becomes worms In a town in California pumping vampires; Babysitter waiting for pizza delivery, Unaware that she is prey; A mourning tourist in a remote community in Sweden hallucinates that the meal in front of her is still breathing.
Food, in other words, full of death and violence – fruit, after coming down from the vine, will rot; Animals do not march happily to their slaughter. Ultimately, food horror is body horror, a reminder that we too are animals that consume and will eventually eat, one way or another.
A24
On November 17, the A24 was released Horror caviar, A cookbook that exploits and embraces our contradictory rejection and longing for food as horror. The recipes are inspired by iconic and beloved horror movies, like that of Takashi Mike Audition (Bone dumplings and pork with pasta in black angel hair), by Dario Argento Sospiria (Asfiq Tower inlaid with Insect Candy), and Cassie Lemon Eve of Bayou (Shepherds pie of red palm fruit). As expected, a handful of A24 films, like that of Ari Aster Midsummer And of Robert Agres The witch, The book has dedicated recipes. Dedicated horror sinphiles will also rejoice at the inclusion of more international, historical and obscure horror films, such as the film by Novohiko Obayashi. Home, Of Mario Baba Blood and lace, And the celebration of the fear of mushrooms From tango By Yashiro Honda (co-creator of Godzilla).
Horror caviar – Like most A24 products – built to appeal to a particular type of millennial generation, meaning the type who can afford a $ 65 cookbook with a coffee table that is not particularly practical. (In other words, I.) A recipe for a sip of plants, inspired by the 22’s Hexan (aka Witchcraft throughout the ages) By Benjamin Christensen, requires pork legs, chicken legs, burdock root, several types of mushrooms and pine needles, hardly any things you will have on hand at once. God Midsummer A recipe (lamb chops in marigold jelly) lists “silicone river rock molds” among the required cooking utensils.
But again, a practical cookbook is hardly the point. A24 – now synonymous with atmospheric horror – promotes the atmosphere that are actually trademarks in films such as hereditary and The Green Knight. Disturbing images, particularly stylish, splash throughout the book; Among the most disturbing is a series in which a woman grabs a destroyed dessert (especially a white chocolate mousse with a walnut duckweed tortilla) as if it were whipped cream from her body in a homage to the ’81s permission. In another, a beautiful pastel arrangement of jelly molds is disturbed by lumps of long black hair. (Fortunately, the book includes a cocktail section that – assuming you can get ingredients like pickled aluminum tubers or herb jelly – will help numb your senses enough to get the picture of Raw– pithivier inspired meat, salty pie, which closes the book.)
The cookbook, ironically, is not for the faint of heart. But what whets the appetite is the wide collection of recipe developers – from visual artist Phyllis Ma to chef Devon Francis to the founders of Online Ceramics, a shirt brand (mostly) inspired by Grateful Dead that is highly coveted by streetwear. Set – each of whom wrote a short essay on the horror film that inspired his dish. Separate excerpts from writers like Carmen Maria Machado and the personality of the chef / cook Suhala al-Wili, dismantle the edible wave.
Suitable for that Horror caviar Ends with a recipe inspired by Julia Dokornau’s film about cannibalism, which captured the circle of festivals when it was released in 2016. From the dead eating the life (the natural order is reversed) in zombie movies to an adolescent girl with the sudden longing that is insatiable to man. Flesh (natural order directed into itself) inward Raw, People consuming people is food horror and body horror both are pushed to their extremes. (By the way, cannibals have a big moment now.)
Note that the Horror caviar The pithivier recipe recommends pork, not people. However, again, the ingredients are not exactly important when it is likely that the cookbook will not inspire many home-cooked meals. The fact that many of the pages are made of thin, thin paper like that of a pocket thesaurus (not ideal for resisting kitchen oil spraying) is further proof of that, but in truth it’s fine. Horror caviar It’s not for horror lovers who enjoy cooking, but for horror lovers, period.
