Cannibal Killers: The Impossible Monsters

Moira Martingale traces the cannibalism phenomenon back to the 16th century to the notorious Sawney Bean who, together with his family, consumed more than 1,000 people over a period of 25 years. Modern murderers continue many of the same practices, including Fritz Haarmann—who would tear out young men's throats to drink their blood, before selling their flesh for meat; Jeffrey Dahmer, the murderer of 17 young men whose dismembered body parts were found in his apartment; Edward Gein—the role model for Hitchcock's Psycho—who after his mother's death began killing and eating women; and Andrei Chikatilo, the Russian cannibal who has the dubious reputation of being the worst cannibal killer in recent history. These crimes, and others, are explored, together with speculation about how such monsters are made. Is there a clinical explanation for vampirism? And when it comes to deciding whether these people are sane or insane, why are psychiatrists and lawyers not always in agreement?