20 Sick Cannibal Movies You Need To See Before You Die

6. Alive

Far from the exploitative trash of some of these other cannibal stories, Alive is a big budget picture from director Frank Marshall, which is as well made as it is difficult to watch. Marshall's film tells the true story of the Uruguayan rugby team forced to eat their dead companions in order to survive after a plane crash. It does not make for a good date movie. After the crash, the team members huddle together for warmth, use seat covers as blankets, and desperately try to ration the little amount of food they have. While awaiting rescue, they soon learn from the radio that the search party has been called off. After running out of food and having to grapple with the prospect of staving to death, the team must make the unthinkable, difficult decision to feast on the remains of those they've lost. Alive is absolutely brutal yet apparently true to life, and rather than a descent into depravity, it becomes an inspiring story of getting through what seems to be an impossible situation. The moving score by James Newton Howard adds a lot to the experience, and though some of the acting is a bit rough, the overall package is an excellent survival tale that still holds up.