They warned Jason. They told him to stay out of the woods at night. Others had already died out there. He should have listened, for he is now trapped among a pack of hungry wolves. And when they're that hungry, they won't wait until Jason's dead before they savor him ...
Eaten Alive - one of many possible fates for a character, be they protagonist or antagonist, but is often employed as an act of karma for any given flaw in a character's ... character. Since humans are a part of the food chain (higher now than before), this remains as one of our primal fears, that is, being consumed by something while we are still conscious. This trope goes as far back as The Odyssey (and further) to Little Red Riding Hood and beyond. It's a pretty deep trope, eh?For obvious reasons, this is a popular trope in the horror genre, usually among creature films (like our ol' pal Jaws up there). Sure, the thought of being eaten is gross, but when you're still alive? It's grody, and it's the premise of every zombie story. Ever.
Should've used the Buddy System, Amy ...
You never know when your actions may get you thrown to the dogs, something Cato should've considered when taking Peeta hostage.
Mutant dog chow in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
What can be worse than being eaten alive? Savored alive, as in, slowly consumed, be it a desert creature on Tatooine or a gelatinous mass.
Don't let it touch your hand, Homeless Dude!
There are cases, however, where the monster doesn't like the way someone tastes and spits them out. Or we know in advance that a character will be eaten alive because he is condemned to be so by someone else. Whichever flavor you prefer, the notion that someone is about to be dinner is a cringe-worthy addition to stories where such a fate would be appropriate. Pass me the pepper, would'ya?
Was someone eaten alive in your story? What delicious examples can you share with us? Do you think we taste like chicken?
I'm David, and *looks to the side* clever girl ...!
No monsters in my stories.
ReplyDeleteEaten by a Tremor would suck.
I'll leave that one to the horror writers. I don't have the stomach for it.
ReplyDeleteDid you read Offutt's post from last week or so where some people get a thrill out of being eaten alive? That's just nasty.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wrote a flash fiction piece recently where a nerdy kid gets invited to a hot girl's house and then realizes that oh crap she's really a dragon! And then...gulp, down he goes. There was probably a moral in there somewhere.
Ew. Ew. Ew. Great halloween timing for this one, but don't think I'll ever use it. Just...ew.
ReplyDeleteGreat, now I'm going to have nightmares. I blame you David Powers King.
ReplyDeleteCreepiest scene for me ever was when Hannibal Lector cooked the guys brain and ate while he sat in the chair. Soooo gross!
ReplyDeleteEaten alive, now who could come up with something so nasty.
ReplyDelete;)
I do enjoy suspenseful horror, but being eaten alive doesn't do it for me. Gross. Some minds are just too sick for their own good.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of Shaun of the Dead. And part of me wishes Andrea had been the sister to be bitten and turned.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big fan of horror (gives me nightmares), but I do Alien and other sci-fi horror--I guess it seems less real to me, so I can enjoy it and still get a good night's sleep.
ReplyDeleteEep! I can't do horror at all, I'm way too much of a wimp. Even the Dementors in the Harry Potter films gave me nightmares (but not when I read the book...?!)
ReplyDeleteSo yeah, I can't even begin to think about things being eaten alive... I'm just glad I didn't read this post just before bed!
I think you would have been better served to link this trailer, good sir:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.monsterroll.com/
It is beyond awesome. And takes the whole "eaten alive" thing to new levels.
Haven't used it myself, but I just read Lost World and yes, someone was eaten alive.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking exactly what Elizabeth said with good ole Hannibal Lector. *shudders*
ReplyDelete"Clever girl" <-----My favorite part in all the Jurassic Park movies!!! Haha. The best.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can easily say that no one has ever been eaten alive in any of my books... Not sure if I'll ever use that trope, LOL... ;)
Ewww. Yea, I'm pretty sure this will never come up in any of my books.
ReplyDeleteEaten alive? Ew. Okay, how can I add that to a romance? Zombie romance! ;)
ReplyDeleteCan't say I've ever used this one. It kinda creeps me out...but I guess that's the point. ;)
ReplyDeleteDo you think it matters what the nature of the thing is that is eating you? For example, Nature (Jaws, Jurassic Park) vs. Evil (Zombies, the Blob).. I know the act is the same but the feeling the story evokes, to me, is different.
ReplyDeleteIt has its place. I didn't think for a second that man-eating dogs would show up in Hunger Games (sci fi/dystopia) so you have your genres where this is a given, but there's lots of ways to go about. :)
DeleteYUCK. I seem to be mosquitoes' meat of choice so I don't even want to think about what monsters would think about how I taste. Julie-flavored is OFF THE MENU!
ReplyDeleteNo flesh-eating monsters in my stories. But you did make me shiver and then laugh at the homeless dude quip. Thanks David!
ReplyDeleteI think I will probably stay away from this one... oh, wait! I won't. I have a giant snake thing coming up somewhere. Darn!
ReplyDeleteThe Firefly series used this really well. I did use a giant snake-like demon that tried to swallow my heroine in my first book.
ReplyDeleteAh, Jurassic Park, You have to love it. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've actually had a character get eaten alive by a person/thing, though one character did end up in a vat of acid, alive (it was a Horror story, too). I like this trope, but unless it's the right story, it can be extremely overdone.
Best,
Alexandra~
I can't say that I've had a character eaten alive by a creature. Crazy business that is!
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head, I thought of Jonah from the Bible. He was swallowed whole by a whale and then prayed really hard to be let out.
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