Happy Friday, fright fiends! So, I’m going to tell you a little secret about myself. I’ve been nearly vegetarian for around 12 years now, but this past week I decided to change my veggie ways. I broke down and ate meat. Imagine that if you will, eating something you haven’t had in 12 long years. I don’t know about you, my diabolical darlings, but now that I’ve had a little taste, I’m feeling…Ravenous.
Ravenous / 20th Century Fox
This week’s Fiendish Flick seemed like an obvious way to commemorate the occasion, don’t you think? Not to mention that it’s about one of my favorite horror myths, the Wendigo. Now you may think that the Wendigo is the same as the Werewolf, but no my friends, no. They are entirely different beasts. The Wendigo is not bound to the moon. You don’t become one by being bitten or scratched. No, to become a Wendigo you have to bite. To become, you have to eat the flesh of another human, and when you do you can never stop. You cannot stop the hunger, you cannot control the hunger. You become the Wendigo, and the Wendigo must eat. From native myth; to eat the flesh of your enemy, is to steal their strength.
Ravenous / 20th Century Fox
So let’s talk Ravenous. Starring Guy Pearce as Captain John Boyd, a Soldier in the Mexican-American War; whose General believed him to be unjustly decorated due to defeating the enemy through a cowardly act, sends him to work at Fort Spencer with a band of motley misfits. Perfectly cast in the part of said misfits are David Arquette, Jeremy Spencer, Jeffrey Jones and Neil McDonough, along with Joseph Runningfox and Sheila Tousey as knowing Native Americans, George and Martha (cute naming, right?)
“Is this stew?”
“No, I think his name was Dave.” Ravenous / 20th Century Fox
All’s quiet on the western front until the men are called on to rescue a frostbitten settler named F.W Colqhoun, played by Robert Carlyle. Colqhoun recovers mighty quick, and graces the men of Fort Spencer with his harrowing tale of snowbound survival. His party, led by a Col. Ives, stranded in the wilderness without food are forced to resort to cannibalism. Relaying his fear of being eaten by Ives (who took to feasting on friends with relish) fled in cowardly fashion, leaving a woman behind to fend Ives off with knife and fork. Alarmed, the men rush to action, off to save the damsel from being dined on. George tries to warn his comrades that things may not be what they seem, believing that Colqhoun just may be a Wendigo, since he dined on human flesh to survive.
This is the is the image of Guy Pearce that forever comes to mind when other women say, “Damn, Guy Pearce is sexy.” Ravenous / 20th Century Fox
I love this movie. Even as a vegetarian, I loved this movie. Ravenous is high on gore, campy dialogue, and possible cooking tips for the next time you have friends ‘for dinner’. It deserves it’s cult classic status and ranking as a Fiendish Flick. So, the next time someone says, “you are what you eat.” Think of this movie and reply, “Then I could be you by breakfast.” (I don’t actually advise cannibalism though. Kuru maybe called the laughing disease, but you won’t think its all that funny).
That’s the dark delicacy I have to offer this week, my devilish dears. Tune in next week for a 2 part Fiendish Flicks, starting Thursday! Trust me, this you don’t want to miss!
Ciao (get it?! get it?! Nudge, nudge) -Ruby
