17 Famous Cannibal Attacks That Will Send A Shiver Down Your Spine

Published August 28, 2022
Updated June 10, 2024

Cannibalism is crazy enough as it is, but throughout history and the world, there have been some cannibal attacks that are crazier than you could ever imagine.

Issei Sagawa Famous Cannibals
Vince Li Famous Cannibals
Armin Meiwes Famous Cannibals
Nikolai Dzhumagaliev Famous Cannibals
17 Famous Cannibal Attacks That Will Send A Shiver Down Your Spine
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Even when it comes to cannibals, some are decidedly scarier than others.

There are the cannibals who plan their attacks, waiting days or sometimes months to create what they think will be a perfect crime. Take Issei Sagawa, for instance, who planned his crime over a few months, calculated the best way to attack and eat a woman, only to misstep upon disposing of the body.

Then there are those who attack at seemingly random times, in front of dozens of witnesses, without a care in the world. Like the Greyhound Cannibal, a bus rider who simply started eating the man next to him, on a crowded Greyhound bus.

Whose to say which kind of attack is crazier, the premeditated one, or the random one? We'll let you decide. We've compiled a list of some of the craziest cannibal attacks of all time, some random and some planned, in no particular order. You be the judge, which is the craziest of them all?


Michael Rockefeller
History Uncovered Podcast
Episode 55: The Disappearance Of Michael Rockefeller
Was John D. Rockefeller's great-grandson Michael killed and eaten by cannibals in the remote wilds of New Guinea in 1961? Go inside the disturbing disappearance of this famed scion.

Enjoy this look at famous cannibal attacks? After reading about crazy cannibalism throughout the world, check out the most infamous cannibalistic incident in American history. Then, read about the horrific cannibalism that took place during the siege of Leningrad.

author
Katie Serena
author
A former staff writer at All That's Interesting, Katie Serena has also published work in Salon.
editor
Maggie Donahue
editor
Maggie Donahue is a former assistant editor at All That's Interesting. She has a Master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a Bachelor's degree in creative writing and film studies from Johns Hopkins University. Before landing at ATI, she covered arts and culture at The A.V. Club and Colorado Public Radio and also wrote for Longreads. She is interested in stories about scientific discoveries, pop culture, the weird corners of history, unexplained phenomena, nature, and the outdoors.
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Serena, Katie. "17 Famous Cannibal Attacks That Will Send A Shiver Down Your Spine." AllThatsInteresting.com, August 28, 2022, https://allthatsinteresting.com/famous-cannibal-attacks. Accessed August 8, 2025.