The Gingerdead Man | |
---|---|
Directed by | Charles Band |
Produced by | Charles Band Joe Dain Jethro Rothe-Kushel |
Written by | William Butler Domonic Muir |
Starring | Gary Busey Robin Sydney Ryan Locke Alexia Aleman Jonathan Chase Margaret Blye Daniela Melgoza Newell Alexander James Snyder Larry Cedar |
Music by | Roger Ballenger |
Cinematography | Keith J. Duggan |
Edited by | Danny Draven |
Distributed by | Full Moon Entertainment Talos Entertainment |
Release date | |
Running time | 75 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Gingerdead Man is a 2006 American horror-comedy film directed by Charles Band. Gary Busey stars as the titular Gingerdead Man, created from a mix of gingerbread spice mix and the ashes of deceased serial killer Millard Findlemeyer, who terrorizes a small-town bakery. The film also stars Robin Sydney, Jonathan Chase, Alexia Aleman, Margaret Blye, James Snyder, and Larry Cedar.
It is followed by Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust and Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver. The Gingerdead Man was released on DVD by Shoot Productions. Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong was released in 2013, and was a crossover with the film series Evil Bong.
Plot[edit]
In a Waco, Texas, diner, Cadillac Jack's, crazed killer Millard Findlemeyer opens fire on the Leigh family, killing Jeremy and James, but leaving Sarah and her mother, Betty, alive. Findlemeyer is arrested and sentenced to die in the electric chair. After the execution, Findlemeyer is cremated, and his ashes are sent to his mother, a witch who mixes the ashes with a gingerbread spice mix. The Bakery, a pastry shop run by the Leighs, is in dire straits, and Betty has been reduced to a shotgun-toting alcoholic; Sarah sends her home with Bakery employee Julia. Jimmy Dean attempts to buy Sarah out, so he can knock down The Bakery, which he bemoans as an eyesore. After exchanging hostilities with Dean's daughter Lorna, Sarah defers the decision.
Tell Me More German (3CDs) 1.88 GB Tell Me More Performance is the most complete and extensive German software available anywhere. Become fluent in German through 10 distinct levels. Tell Me More Performance provides language learning that is simple-to-use and increasingly effective, making learning a language fun and engaging.
Sarah and Brick Fields, another Bakery employee, find a mysterious gingerbread spice mix left at their doorstep by Findlemeyer's mother. They set to using the mix, but Brick cuts himself, allowing his blood to pollute the dough. Sarah permits him to leave early so he can pursue his amateur wrestling career as The Butcher-Baker at Wrestlepalooza. She makes a large gingerbread man with the contaminated dough and puts it in an industrial oven to bake. Lorna has returned and planted a rat in The Bakery so the health department will shut them down, but is discovered by Sarah. A fight ensues, during which Lorna hits a switch that causes a surge of electricity into the oven where the gingerbread man is cooking, animating it.
Amos Cadbury, Lorna's boyfriend, who has gotten tired of waiting outside for her, arrives on the scene. Sarah removes the gingerbread man from the oven, at which point the newly dubbed 'Gingerdead Man' leaps up, taunting them. They attempt to lock the living cookie in the freezer, and Sarah tries to call the police but the line is dead. Lorna calls her dad on Amos’s cell phone before the batteries go dead. Betty comes back to look for her stash of alcohol, and Julia comes back looking for Betty. Betty loses a finger and is put into the oven, while Julia is knocked out by a frying pan, encased in frosting, decorated, and left in the freezer.
Amos returns to his car and retrieves a handgun. Jimmy Dean arrives to pick up Lorna. While he investigates Amos’s car, the Gingerdead Man takes Jimmy's car and, using a rolling pin to operate the accelerator and kills him by pinning him between the car and a wall. Amos and Sarah discover and rescue Julia from the freezer. Sarah tells Amos that she thinks the killer cookie is Millard. Lorna waits outside for her father, but discovers only his body sprawled over the hood of his car. She steals his ring and heads back inside, where she triggers a tripwire that lodges a knife into her forehead, killing her.
Sarah and Amos find Betty and attempt to rescue her from the oven, but the Gingerdead Man locks Sarah in the oven and knocks Amos out with a hammer. Amos recovers, shoots the oven door's lock off, and saves Sarah. Brick returns. The Gingerdead Man gets Amos's pistol and opens fire. Julia and Brick manage to subdue him, and Brick eats the cookie's head. Brick is possessed by the Gingerdead Man. He is pushed into the oven and baked to death.
Several months later, Betty, Sarah, and Amos are having a bake sale to raise money for the hospital, with a little help from two nurses. Two kids ask if they have any gingerbread cookies, and one of the nurses tells them that an older lady stopped by and dropped some off. The nurse opens the box, revealing five gingerbread cookies, who open their eyes. One of the gingerbread cookies is bought by a woman, who also buys a box full of pastries and ships them to her sister in Los Angeles.
Cast[edit]
- Gary Busey as Millard Findlemeyer/The Gingerdead Man
- Robin Sydney as Sarah Leigh
- Ryan Locke as Amos Cadbury
- Alexia Aleman as Lorna Dean
- Jonathan Chase as Brick Fields
- Margaret Blye as Betty Leigh
- Daniela Melgoza as Julie
- Newell Alexander as James Leigh
- James Snyder as Jeremy Leigh
- Larry Cedar as Jimmy Dean
- E. Dee Biddlecome as Millard's Mom
- Debra Mayer as Nurse #1
- Kaycee Shank as Nurse #2
Reception[edit]
The Gingerdead Man received generally mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 60% based on reviews from 5 critics.[1]
The horror website Bloody Good Horror given the film a negative review, stating 'It's one of the shortest, yet hardest to watch, films. [sic] I've ever seen.' Criticisms were directed at the film's humor and its writing.[2]
Another horror website, Horror Freak News, praised the concept of the film but disliked the execution of it, stating 'the deaths in this film are few and poorly enacted, and the gingerbread man himself was not particularly entertaining.'[3]
WhatCulture had called out the movie to be too derivative of the Child's Play films due to sharing the premise of a serial killer possessing another body to escape death. The movie has been featured on two lists from WhatCulture, '9 Really Pathetic Horror Movie Villains' and '10 Horror Movies That Were So Unscary It Actually Hurt'.[4][5]
Sequels[edit]
On October 9, 2007, it was revealed that Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust had begun shooting. It was released in 2008. It included new monsters called 'Tiny Terrors' (a pun on the unreleased Puppet Master Bobblehead line.)[citation needed]
On July 16, 2008, Charles Band announced a third film, Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver. The film was slated for a 2009 release, but filming was delayed until January 2010. Full Moon Entertainment announced on their YouTube page that the film was slated for a September 13, 2011, release, and other sites like CDUniverse have the same release date. The movie was released in 2011.[citation needed]
In 2013 Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong was released which is a crossover with the Evil Bong films.
Comic Books[edit]
On Dec 7, 2015, Action Lab Comics and Full Moon Features announced a new comic book series based on the cult classic films. The first issue, The Gingerdead Man: Baking Bad #1, was written by Brockton McKinney (Ehmm Theory, Killer Queen), with art by Sergio Rios, and variant covers by the creator of Zombie Tramp, Dan Mendoza.[6] Issue #1 of The Gingerdead Man: Baking Bad launched on February 3, 2016.[7]
Another comic series was released on March 28, 2018 by Action Lab Comics titled The Gingerdead Man Meets Evil Bong, a crossover with the Evil Bong films. It is loosely inspired by the crossover film Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong. The comic is also written by Brockton McKinney with the artwork being done by Sergio Rios.[8][9][10] The comic series consists of only three issues.[11] On May 30, 2018, a volume of all three issues was released.[12]
Merchandise[edit]
Trick or Treat Studios released a full head mask of the Gingerdead Man in collaboration with Full Moon Features. The mask was designed by special makeup effects artist Tom Devlin.[13]
Full Moon would later release an 8.75 inch tall resin statue of the Gingerdead Man that is available for purchase on their online market place Full Moon Direct.[14]
In celebration of the release of Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong, a limited edition cereal box was made available that depicts the titular characters on opposite sides of the box in with unique artwork. It comes with the DVD of the movie along with special features, and multi-grain cereal called 'Nookie Crisp' or 'Weedies' in reference to the characters.[15]
References[edit]
- ^'The Gingerdead Man (2005)'. Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^http://www.bloodygoodhorror.com/bgh/reviews/the-gingerdead-man
- ^https://horrorfreaknews.com/gingerdead-man-2005-review
- ^http://whatculture.com/film/9-really-pathetic-horror-movie-villains
- ^https://whatculture.com/film/10-horror-movies-unscary-actually-hurt?page=4
- ^https://www.horrorsociety.com/2016/01/14/exclusive-interview-comic-writer-brockton-mckinney-talks-upcoming-series-gingerdead-man-baking-bad-for-full-moon-and-action-lab/
- ^'December 7: Action Lab New GINGERDEAD MAN Comic Book Series Rises From Cult Film Series'. Horrornews.net. December 7, 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
- ^http://www.actionlabcomics.com/2018/02/09/gingerdead-man-meets-evil-bong-1-two-cult-classic-figures-from-full-moon-movies-in-this-puntastic-murder-fest/
- ^http://www.actionlabcomics.com/2018/03/29/gingerdead-man-meets-evil-bong-volume-1-a-killer-tale-of-murder-cookies-and-mayhem/
- ^Hildebrand, David (March 16, 2018). 'Tokin' up with 'The Gingerdead Man Meets Evil Bong' writer Brockton McKinney'. Adventures in Poor Taste (AiPT!). Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^https://comicvine.gamespot.com/gingerdead-man-meets-evil-bong/4050-109287/
- ^'Gingerdead Man Meets Evil Bong Vol 1' Comixology
- ^https://www.trickortreatstudios.com/licensed-designs/full-moon-features/full-moon-features-the-ginger-dead-mask.html
- ^https://www.fullmoondirect.com/Gingerdead-Man-Resin-Statue_p_859.html
- ^https://www.fullmoondirect.com/Nookie-CrispWeedies-Double-Sided-Collectors-Cereal-Box_p_857.html
External links[edit]
- The Gingerdead Man on IMDb
- The Gingerdead Man at AllMovie
- The Gingerdead Man at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Gingerdead Man at Something Awful
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Gingerdead_Man&oldid=931436748'
Born | 1 December 1961 (age 58) Essen, West Germany |
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Other names | Rotenburg Cannibal, Der Metzgermeister (The Master Butcher) |
Occupation | Computer repair technician |
Criminal status | Incarcerated |
Motive | Sexual gratification |
Criminal charge | Murder (previously manslaughter) |
Penalty | Life imprisonment (previously 8½ years' imprisonment) |
Armin Meiwes (German: [ˈmaɪvəs]; born 1 December 1961) is a German former computer repair technician who achieved international notoriety for killing and eating a voluntary victim whom he had found via the Internet. After Meiwes and the victim jointly attempted to eat the victim's severed penis, Meiwes killed his victim and proceeded to eat a large amount of his flesh.[1] Because of his acts, Meiwes is also known as the RotenburgCannibal or Der Metzgermeister (The Master Butcher).
- 4Cultural impact
Killing and cannibalism[edit]
Looking for a willing volunteer, Meiwes posted an advertisement on the website The Cannibal Cafe (a defunct forum for people with a cannibalism fetish). Meiwes's post stated that he was 'looking for a well-built 18- to 30-year-old to be slaughtered and then consumed.'[2] Bernd Jürgen Armando Brandes, an engineer from Berlin, answered the advertisement in March 2001. Many other people responded to the advertisement but backed out; Meiwes did not attempt to force them to do anything against their will.[3][4][5]
The two made a videotape when they met on 9 March 2001 in Meiwes's home, in the small town of Rotenburg, showcasing Meiwes amputating Brandes's penis (with his agreement) and the two men attempting to eat it together. Before doing so, Brandes swallowed twenty sleeping pills, and a bottle of cough syrup, likely causing an effect of slowed breathing and extreme tiredness. Brandes initially insisted that Meiwes attempt to bite his penis off. This did not work, and ultimately, Meiwes used a knife to remove Brandes's appendage. Brandes apparently tried to eat some of his own penis raw but could not, because it was too tough and, as he put it, 'chewy'. Meiwes then fried the penis in a pan with salt, pepper, wine, and garlic; he then fried it with some of Brandes's fat, but by then it was too burnt to be consumed. He then chopped the penis up into chunks and fed it to his dog.[1] According to court officials who saw the video (which has not been made public), Brandes may already have been too weakened from blood loss to eat any of his penis.
Meiwes then ran Brandes a bath, before going to read a Star Trek book, while checking back on Brandes every fifteen minutes, during which time Brandes lay bleeding in the bath. Brandes continued to drift in and out of consciousness before finally collapsing again. After long hesitation and prayer, Meiwes killed Brandes by stabbing him in the throat, after which he hung the body on a meat hook. The incident was recorded on a four-hour videotape. Meiwes dismembered and ate the corpse over the next ten months, storing body parts in his freezer under pizza boxes and consuming up to 20 kilograms (44 lb) of the flesh. According to prosecutors, Meiwes committed the act for sexual pleasure.[6][7]
Arrest, trial, and manslaughter conviction[edit]
Meiwes was arrested in December 2002, when a college student alerted authorities to new advertisements for victims online.[8] Investigators searched his home and found body parts and the videotape of the killing.[8]
On 30 January 2004, Meiwes was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to eight years in prison. The case attracted considerable media attention.[9]
When speaking to a German newspaper, Meiwes admitted cannibalising Brandes and expressed regret for his actions. He added he wants to write a biography with the aim of deterring anyone wanting to follow in his footsteps. Websites dedicated to Meiwes started appearing after his 2002 arrest, with people advertising for willing victims. 'They should go for treatment, so it doesn't escalate like it did with me,' said Meiwes. While in prison, Meiwes has since become a vegetarian.[10] He believes there are about 800 cannibals in Germany.[9]
Retrial and murder conviction[edit]
In April 2005, a German court ordered a retrial after prosecutors appealed Meiwes's sentence, arguing that he should have been convicted of murder[11] because he killed for sexual gratification, a motive proved by his having videotaped the crime.[12] The court ruled that the original trial had ignored the significance of the video in disproving the argument that Meiwes only killed because he had been asked to kill.[12]
At his retrial, a psychologist stated that Meiwes could reoffend, as he 'still had fantasies about devouring the flesh of young people.'[13] On 10 May 2006, a court in Frankfurt convicted Meiwes of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.[14]
Cultural impact[edit]
Films[edit]
- An Appetite for Bernard Brady (2005), a short film directed by Chris Mangano and written by Todd van der Ark and Chris Mangano, was loosely based on the case but strictly takes the point of view from the victim's perspective as the character comes to terms with the idea of being eaten. The film was nominated for multiple awards at the Montana State University School of Film and Photography's 2005 Tracy Awards, and won the Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, and Audience Awards. The film also won the 2005 Seattle Student Film Festival's audience choice award.
- Grimm Love (German title: Rohtenburg; 2006), a feature film directed by Martin Weisz and starring Keri Russell, was banned in Germany after Meiwes complained that his personality rights had been violated.[15] The ban was subsequently lifted by Germany's highest civil court after an appeal.[16] The film won multiple awards at the 2006 Festival de Cine de Sitges, including Best Director, Best Actor for the two male leads, and Best Cinematography.
- Cannibal (2006) is a direct-to-videohorror film based on Meiwes and Brandes, though the characters do not have names; referred only as 'The Man' and 'The Flesh'. The film was directed and produced by Marian Dora and stars actors Carsten Frank, Victor Brandl and Manoush. The film was banned in Germany.[17]
Other films based on the case include: Rosa von Praunheim's Dein Herz in Meinem Hirn (Your Heart in My Brain) and Ulli Lommel's Diary of a Cannibal.
The plot of Australian thriller Feed (2006) bears many similarities to the case.
Music[edit]
- The German industrial metal band Rammstein released the song 'Mein Teil', which specifically references the Meiwes case, in 2004. MTV Germany restricted airing the video to after 11:00 p.m.[18]
- The rock musician Marilyn Manson has identified Meiwes as an inspiration in the titling of his album Eat Me, Drink Me.[19]
- The Swedish death metal band Bloodbath wrote the song, 'Eaten', which voices Brandes's desire to be eaten alive, all while witnessing the act.
- The Chicago-based death metal band Macabre wrote a song about Meiwes called 'The Wüstenfeld Man-Eater'.
Television[edit]
- Season 2, Episode 3 of the sitcom The IT Crowd, titled 'Moss and the German', parodies the Meiwes case. The character Maurice Moss, thinking he is answering an advert for a German cookery course, ends up in the house of an aspiring German cannibal, where the error is revealed, the fault lying with the man's poor grasp of the English language when writing the advert.
- In 2008, MORE Music and Media released the four-hour interview and documentary from RTL Extra on DVD as Der Kannibale von Rotenburg; it was released in the UK as Armin Meiwes: The Cannibal.[20]
- An episode of the British medical documentary Body Shock entitled The Man Who Ate His Lover discusses the case in detail.
- In the season 4 episode 'The Handyman' of the British comedy series Peep Show main character Mark warns Jeremy that something bad is going to happen if Jeremy continues working for the Orgazoid, mentioning that he might 'invite a German off the internet to eat him'.
- Season 1, episode 1 of the TV series Rake, titled 'R.V. Murray', features an accused cannibal who eats his volunteer in similar circumstances to the Meiwes case.[21] Also, season 1, episode 4 of the 2014 American remake of Rake, titled 'Cannibal', features an accused cannibal.[22]
- An episode of Hannibal made reference to the incident with the character of Mason Verger: 'You boys remind me of that German cannibal who advertised for a friend and then ate him and his penis before he died. Tragedy being the penis was overcooked. Go to all that trouble to eat a friend and you overcook his penis! They ate it anyway. They had to. They committed. But they didn't enjoy it.'[23]
- In an August 2016 episode of the Pitchfork series 'Over/Under', guest Eric André makes reference to Meiwes. 'I want to see an episode where Wile E. Coyote violently, savagely, tears Road Runner apart... Eats him alive, you know, cuts his dick off and barbecues it and eats it like that German computer technician did to that guy he found on Craigslist.'[24]
- American sitcom 30 Rock referenced the case in the episode 'A Goon's Deed in a Weary World' (season 7, episode 11). The character Pete Hornberger (played by Scott Adsit), laments dwindling advertisers on his show. He says that the only advertiser they have left is a German guy who wants to eat someone but 'even Gunter's having doubts.'
- In the season 2 episode 'Hungry' of the American anthology series Room 104,[25] two men meet in a hotel room to eat each other's penises. The men, Gene (Mark Proksch) and Dan (Kent Osborne), are interrupted while eating Dan's penis by the cops after a concerned call from Dan's wife. After an explanation of the consent given and plan to seek medical attention shortly, the men continue to prepare for the second course (Gene's penis) as the episode ends.
Theatre[edit]
- In 2014, TASTE, an award winning play inspired by the case, premiered in Los Angeles at the Sacred Fools Theater Company. The play was written by Screenwriter Benjamin Brand and directed by Stuart Gordon. The production was nominated for various awards from all of the major Los Angeles theatrical critic organizations. The production starred Chris McKenna and Donal Thoms-Cappello, and was produced by Gordon, Dean Schramm, Ben Rock, and Adam Goldworm.[26]
- In 2013, the short horror play “Rotenburg” by playwright Matthew Minnicino premiered at Boxed Wine Productions in New York City. The play follows the planned rendezvous of two lesbians based on Meiwes and Brandes.
- In 2017, the original musical MEIWES/BRANDES was chosen to be part of The Actors Centre's inaugural John Thaw Initiative. Written by RADA MA graduates Harriet Taylor, Scott Howland, Laura Dorn, and Aurora Richardson, the piece uses correspondence between Meiwes and Brandes as well as verbatim court transcripts to recreate their meeting and tell a deeper story about love, pain, queer relationships, and mental health.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ ab'The Man Who Ate His Lover'. Body Shock (Channel 4 TV, UK).
- ^'German cannibal tells of fantasy'. BBC News. 3 December 2003. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
- ^'Cannibal trial shocks Germany'. NBC World News.
- ^'Cannibal trial reveals perverse intimacy'. theage.com.au.
- ^ Michael H. Stone & Gary Brucato. The New Evil: Understanding the Emergence of Modern Violent Crime (Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 2019), pp. 41-43.
- ^'German 'cannibal' charged with murder'. BBC News. Europe.
- ^Armin Meiwes: Interview with a Cannibal documentary sheds new light on one of Germany’s most infamous murderers. The Independent. Published 9 February 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- ^ ab'Dresden cannibal: German police worker 'obsessed' with cannibalism'. The Independent. 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
- ^ ab'German 'cannibal' tells of regret'. BBC News. Europe.
- ^Jewkes, Yvonne; Yar, Majid (2013). Handbook of Internet Crime. Routledge. p. 376. ISBN9781134030590.
- ^'German cannibal to face retrial'. 2005-04-22. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
- ^ ab(www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. 'German Cannibal Back on Trial | Germany | DW | 12.01.2006'. DW.COM. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
- ^'BBC News: German cannibal guilty of murder', BBC
- ^'NBC News: German court sentences cannibal to life in jail', NBC
- ^Landler, Mark (2006-03-04). 'Cannibal Wins Ban of Film in Germany'. The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
- ^'German court lifts ban on cannibal movie'. msnbc.com. 2009-05-26. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
- ^Cannibal on IMDb
- ^Jewkes, Yvonne; Yar, Majid (2013-03-07). Handbook of Internet Crime. Routledge. ISBN9781134030590.
- ^Dan Epstein. Feeding Frenzy, Revolver, reported by The HeirophantArchived 2007-03-28 at the Wayback Machine May 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
- ^'Review zu Der Kannibale von Rotenburg bei DVD-Sucht'. dvd-sucht.de.
- ^'Rake - Episodes & Video - ABC TV'. abc.net.au.
- ^'Cannibal (Rake: Season 1, Episode 4)' on IMDb
- ^Slezak, Michael; Slezak, Michael (July 19, 2015). 'Hannibal Recap: All About That Face'.
- ^'Eric Andre Rates Jesus, Axl Rose, Snakes, More on 'Over/Under': Watch'. Pitchfork.
- ^'Hungry (Room 104: Season 2, Episode 4)' on IMDb
- ^'SACRED FOOLS - MAINSTAGE 2014 - Taste'. sacredfools.org.
External links[edit]
- Profile: Cannibal Armin Meiwes. BBC News
- Cannibal film banned in Germany. BBC News
- Victim of cannibal agreed to be eaten . The Guardian
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Armin_Meiwes&oldid=934078288'