Gastro Horror: A Guide by Spooky Sarah

If you’ve followed me for any length of time on social media you know I’m what I refer to as gastro horror obsessed. I hope to someday write a book on the topic. That said, I am constantly asked, “What is gastro horror?” so I thought I’d put together a guide with some answers and resources. This will be an evergreen resource so be sure to bookmark it!

What is Gastro Horror?

The way I define gastro horror is a piece of media that has to do with food, diet, cooking, etc. I tend to omit vampires and zombies because they are no longer human and thus their consumption isn’t really “food” in the way that humans consume and engage with food. I know there are differing opinions on this but it is where I draw my line. This is also why despite considering cannibalism part of this sub-sub-genre of horror, I am clear that the cannibals are still human in form. There are several sub-categories of gastro horror as you can see from the lists below.

Letterboxd Movie Lists

I constantly make Letterboxd lists, especially niche gastro ones! I’ve sorted these alphabetically for ease of search but the primary list is the Horror Films for Foodies list. This is probably the best place to start if you’re just starting to explore the topic.

• Baleful Baked Goods– Horror movies where baked goods (or their dough) are used as a means of killing someone, are a major plot point, or are the killers themselves. I’ve omitted pizza as that is a separate list altogether.
• Cannibalism Films and Shorts– Horror films and shorts where cannibalism is the primary theme.
• Cannibalism in Found Footage– Cannibalism in found footage horror.
• Death by Food– Films and shorts where food is sort of used as a weapon or means of death.
• Don’t Look Behind the Refrigerator Door!– Movies that use refrigerator doors to hide a jump scare or build tension by making the audience think there will be a jump scare.
• Food in Holiday Horror– Food in holiday horror movies.
• Gastro Anthology Segments– Anthology horror films featuring food or cannibal based segments while they themselves are not entirely gastro horror.
• Gastro Creature Features- This list came to fruition because I wrote a comprehensive guide to Gastro Creature Features over on NightTide Magazine!
• Gastro Found Footage– Food and restaurant based found footage and in world camera films. (Cannibalism is a separate list)
• Grocery Store Horror– Horror movies that take place in or have prominent scenes in grocery/convenience stores (not gas stations).
• Horror Films for Foodies– This is my MAIN list. These are horror movies and shorts with food themes or major food ties.
• Horror Involving Diets and/or Disordered Eating– Trigger warning for this list. It involves horror films involving diets, diet fads, and/or disordered eating.
• Horror with Food or Feast Scenes– Horror films that aren’t entirely food-centered but have prominent/memorable food or feast scenes.
• Ice Cream-Themed Horror– Ice cream-themed horror films and shorts.
• Matched Cuts Using Food in Horror Films– Horror movies that have matched cuts with food.
• Movies Discussed on Final Girls Feast– Movies and shorts that we’ve discussed on episodes of Final Girls Feast!
• Pernicious Produce in Horror Films- Fruits and veggies that are killers or are the cause of any maladies in horror movies.
• ‎Pizza in Horror– Inspired by Dr. Alessandra Pino’s Pizza in Horror: It’s All in the Delivery article in Rue Morgue #220 Sep/Oct 2024 Halloween Special Issue, this is a list of every time pizza makes an appearance in a horror film.
• Restaurant Horror– Horror that takes place in a restaurant or has prominent use of restaurants. This list was inspired by The Menu!
• Show Me Your Noods– Noodles appear in horror movies.
• Vineyards in Horror– Inspired by Heart Eyes, here are some horror movies that have prominent scenes in or take place at vineyards.

Serializd TV Show and Episode Lists

While not perfect, Serializd is the best way I’ve found to compile lists of shows and episodes featuring gastro horror. The best way to view them is to view them by list as that will show you the season, episode number, and episode name. TV shows are something that I need to do more research on and these lists are by no means comprehensive. If I am missing something, feel free to let me know below!

• Animated Gastro Horror– Animated episodes featuring food horror themes. This list will feature both cannibalism and food in horror content.
• Cannibalism Shows and Episodes– Cannibalism in tv shows and episodes.
• Gastro Horror Shows and Episodes– Shows and episodes featuring food horror outside of cannibalism.

Book Lists and Tags

These are some of the shelves and tags I use on Goodreads and StoryGraph. I prefer to use StoryGraph for my own logging. However, given the amount of users on Goodreads, I will actively update on both. This way they can be utilized by a wider audience.

Podcasts

Believe it or not, Final Girls Feast is not the only podcast discussing food in horror!

• Fear Feasts– A podcast that analyses the horror genre in films and literature through the use and symbolism of food. Co-hosted and produced by Alessandra Pino and Vanessa Baca.
• Final Girls Feast- My own podcast that I co-host with Carrie Hartzell, where we discuss gastro horror, cannibalism, and food in horror films.
• My Guest Appearances– I’ve been a guest on several podcasts to discuss other films, including gastro horror titles!

BlueSky Starter Packs: 

One of the great things about BlueSky is the ability to build starter packs! They are a great way to find smaller communities within the larger sphere of folks online.

• Final Girls Feast Community– A list of folks who’ve made guest appearances on Final Girls Feast!
• Gastro Horror Creators (Film, Literary, Online)– Authors, Filmmakers, and more who have created food-centric books, movies, and more in the horror genre!

YouTube Channels and Videos

I’m trying to do more with YouTube so definitely expect this section to grow!

• Gastro Horror Films and Shorts Playlist- My playlist of gastro-themed horror films and shorts. I try to only use legitimate links so if I’ve included one that belongs to you and shouldn’t be included, feel free to let me know and I’ll remove it.
• Cannibal Mukbang Q&A (Chattanooga Film Festival 2024)– My Q&A with the director of Cannibal Mukbang, Aimee Mayumi Kuge.
• Feast of Fear Virtual Panel (Salem Horror Fest 2021)– One of my original discussions about food in horror! In this panel (that was originally used for the virtual element of Salem Horror Fest 2021) I discuss how food is used in horror and which movies are perfect for foodies!

Gastro Horror Articles Written by Me for Other Outlets 

• Gastro Creature Features in NightTide Magazine- In this article, I compiled a comprehensive list of Creature Features featuring sentient killer food!
• Horrorville Gastro Horror Takeover- I was invited to take over the Horrorville newsletter and curate it with content discussing food in horror!

I hope y’all find this topic as engaging as I do and find this guide useful. As I mentioned, this resource will continuously be updated as will the various linked sites. My goal with this is to start a sort of virtual archive for those with an interest. I’m open to ideas and suggestions as well! Feel free to leave a comment if you have a movie or book you’d like added to any of the lists. I’m trying to figure out the best way to get a list of magazines, journals, zines, etc up as well but that is still in progress.