The Top 10 Dinner Scenes in Horror Movies

They say the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. Some horror movies take this a little more literally than others.

While food can be a source of comfort and a refuge from fear, it can also be the reason for the season. The Graham family in Hereditary certainly had a tense dinner together and bitter Elisabeth Sparkle had her fill of snacks in The Substance. From long pig to murderous intention, there are plenty of reasons for meals to be the stuff of nightmares. So sit back and open wide — we’ve got a fresh serving of the top 10 dinner scenes in horror movies.

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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The main course here is meat (of course)! In Texas, everything is bigger and that includes heaping portions of fresh BBQ. The Sawyer family has a secret recipe that takes special preparation, and Leatherface is more than happy to give any new visitors a behind-the-screams look at his kitchen set-up.

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Dinner with new friends is always cause for celebration — but sometimes old friends just can’t help but stick their heads in for a visit. Janet and Brad struggle to navigate Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s strange and salacious dinner party, especially when things take a chilling turn for the worst. Carve right into the fun!

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Psycho

While the food in this scene is absolutely ordinary and everyone is acting perfectly polite, it’s the undertones at play here that really make Psycho’s motel dinner scene stand out. After all, how calm would you truly be if Norman Bates were watching you eat and comparing you to his stuffed birds?

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The Lost Boys

When you just don’t have the time or patience to cook, a little takeout is a real delight. In Santa Carla, the local vampire gang loves takeout so much they offer it to anyone who visits their humble seaside cave. Just be sure to take a peek inside before biting into anything David offers.

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The Menu

Pushy, demanding customers who think they know best can make any chef’s life into a living hell. So what happens when you get a cutthroat chef who takes things into his own hands? Well, you get a whole lot of people who are destined to bite the dust. Except for Margot, who defies death by ordering a cheeseburger, but hold the murder.

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Alien

Sometimes you just want to have a peaceful meal with your spaceship crew. You know, share a few laughs across the pristine dining console and maybe even discuss the different projects happening aboard your interstellar mission. But sometimes unexpected guests have a way of bursting in (and out) unannounced. So rude!

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Fresh

For those who enjoy cooking, dancing around in the kitchen is a simple pleasure during the whole process. Of course, most home cooks probably don’t have people locked up in their basement to provide fresh ingredients to the menu — but that kind of thinking will give you a leg up on other home chefs.

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Pearl

Family dinners can be stressful events. You might have to deal with unwanted questions or even lingering arguments from earlier in the day. However, Pearl has a perfect plan for getting through stressful dinners — just make sure your fellow diners can’t talk back. By the time dessert rolls around, everyone will be feeling like a star.

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Jennifer’s Body

Girl dinner, girl diiiiiiinner! Listen, we’ve all been there. It’s the middle of the night and the light of the fridge is the only thing witnessing an absolutely ravenous rampage through whatever random leftovers are sitting around. Of course, Jennifer’s hunger isn’t quite satisfied from this frenzied midnight snack. Hopefully your fridge attacks don’t have the same ending.

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Beetlejuice

For many spooky film fans, Harry Belafonte’s “Banana Boat Song” will forever be tied to this iconic dinner scene. In Beetlejuice, the Deetz family moves into a home that’s still occupied by its former residents — and these ghosts aren’t ready to give it up just yet. Among all their afterlife antics, the shrimp cocktail dinner & dance is one of the most spirited spooky music scenes in all of cinema.

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Anybody for seconds? With the horror genre, you never know what’s cooking. Satiate our curiosity and tell us, what are your favorite food-based scenes in horror?

Join the conversation with other horror fans over at Sideshow Social Network or at side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!

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