Have you ever heard of “Mukbang”? No, it’s not a creature in the upcoming season of Stranger Things, it’s video made by women and men involving eating lots of food on camera while (hopefully) they get a lot of views for it on YouTube, TikTok, etc.. It’s a form of ASMR, I suppose, but after watching a couple of Mukbanging videos on YouTube, all I got from them was annoyance and a sudden craving to raid the refrigerator like Normandy on D-Day.
Thankfully, Cannibal Mukbang (written and directed by Aimee Kuge) is a far more enjoyable watch, with a super charismatic lead actor in April Consalo and a wacky bizarre love story that’s genuinely touching. In fact, if I didn’t know going into it that this was a horror film, the first 10 minutes would have me thinking the film’s going to be an edgy rom com, right down to a “meet cute” where one of the characters hits the other with their car after meeting in a late night convenience store.
April Consalo’s Ash is a fascinating character who veers from wacky to psychotic to shy and forlorn. We slowly learn about her past throughout Cannibal Mukbang and why she’s routinely murdering and cannibalizing men who are the lowest of the low (murderers and SA’ers). She’s like a combination of a chameleon and a succubus, adapting her style and personality to fit the desires of her latest prey, seducing them until they drop their guard and she can pounce on them.
Not quite as interesting is Mark (played by Nate Wise), who’s so indecisive and clueless that you wonder how Ash could ever fall in love with him. But fall in love with him she does and Mark, who’s been hurt many times in the past, is frustratingly hesitant with opening up to Ash. By the midpoint of Cannibal Mukbang, Mark becomes so annoyingly cold to Ash that I wanted Ash to just give up and have him for dinner (literally).
It’s a shame, because the film would have been perfect if Mark was as interesting as Ash. Making Mark as mysterious and manic as Ash, instead of him being a milquetoast, would have propelled the film to the heights of a Gregg Araki film. Imagine The Doom Generation with cannibals. Writer/Director Kuge injects a couple twists in the second half of the film that up the mayhem and violence but the movie never ascends to the heights it could have.
The film’s excessively gory and bloody but never goes over the top with it. Thankfully, practical effects are used throughout, I didn’t notice any CGI. Those effects make the film feel wonderfully retro, like watching a lost cannibal film from the 1980’s. If you like your horror films with a bit of romance, check this out, it’s a great debut from Aimee Kuge and I look forward to seeing what she does next.
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