Hannibal’s story has been adapted multiple times throughout the years. When NBC’s Hannibal hit the airwaves in 2013, the internet exploded with all types of art across different mediums. One piece of Hannibal fanart even hangs in the U.S. Capitol. However, the show’s artistic depictions of gruesome deaths highlight the show’s themes in a way that is hauntingly beautiful.
Dark Art
Dark art isn’t new. However, it is not as talked about as much compared to much more ‘publicly acceptable’ pieces. In a museum, surrounded by beautiful classic art depicting flowers, sanitized Christianity, and scenery, art depicting the true brutalities of war, the gods, and humanity makes people uncomfortable and raises concerns.
An example of this is Spanish painter, Francisco Goya. Goya came to fame for painting gorgeous portraits of royalty. However, near the end of his life, he painted brutal scenes, such as the iconic Saturn Devouring His Son. While this is now a meme, people were concerned about the artist’s mental state at the time it was found.
Nowadays, dark art is much more gruesome and celebrated through artists like Junji Ito, Roberto Diaz, and H.R Giger. While it still disturbs people, their art is a lot less scrutinized.
Hannibal’s Art
Hannibal (2013) pushes the boundaries of the artistry of violence and gore allowed on TV. Instead of watching the chaotic mess of a murder, we see the end result of Hannibal’s actions. A perfectly crafted work of art. A master of his craft, Hannibal and other killers carve their subjects like master sculptors using the finest marble.
Gruesome as it is, I personally found myself entranced by the care Hannibal took in turning his victims into works of art. Half the time, I watched the show excited to see what insane sculpture the show would come up with.
Mushroom Garden
Mushroom Garden is the introduction to what the rest of the series would be like. When investigating a murder, Will stumbles on a mushroom garden growing from a corpse. While not as visually stunning, the notion that life grows from death is a very poignant theme that runs throughout the series
Tree Man
Tree Man is one of the more tamer crime scenes. A man was found impaled onto a tree, carved open with a bouquet of flowers inside his stomach. His arms become hidden amongst the tree branches as the roots of the same tree encircle his lower half. However, once the forensic team investigated the body, they found that the tree grew from inside the body. What shocked them even more was that the victim somehow stayed alive for months in that state.
Human Cello
Human Cello is a simplistic display, but it is a work of intricate and downright cruel engineering. Catgut, not actual cat guts, is a cord made from the intestinal lining of farm animals. In the chase to create different sounds, a serial killer uses the guts of their victim to create cello strings that they installed into their victim’s throat. When played, the human strings create a haunting sound, perfect for a dirge.
To this day, I’ve yet to see a show that presents death in this matter. While a lot of shows use scenes like this for cheap shock value, Hannibal shows that these scenes can be done through a different lens. For fans of body horror, this is definitely something bone-chilling to watch, or rewatch, this Halloween.
