History Main / PickyPeopleEater

* While most carnivores will more than freely pick a corpse clean, predators that have to compete with something bigger that will run them off from a kill (IE, a Cheetah avoiding lions or hyenas, wolves avoiding a bear or a larger pack) go directly for the liver and other organs where carbs and nutrients are richest.z

* In the ''{{Ravenloft}}'' setting, there is Tiyet, the Darklord of Sebua. Technically a mummy, even though she doesn't look like one or any sort of undead being (resembling [[EvilIsSexy a beautiful Egyptian priestess]]) Tiyet is compelled to kill victims to eat their hearts (preferably fresh and still beating); this is very much an addiction connected to the curse that [[IronicHell earned her the position of a Darklord.]] This addiction is also connected to the one way she can be killed; she can regenerate FromASingleCell if defeated, but she can be slain permanently by tricking her into eating her own heart, which is still in the temple where the mummification ritual was done that transformed her into undead. If it were ever offered to her, it would start to beat, and she would be unable to resist it, [[KarmicDeath even though it would mean her doom.]]

* In the ''{{Ravenloft}}'' setting, there is Tiyet, the Darklord of Sebua. Technically a mummy, even though she doesn't look like one or any sort of undead being (resembling [[EvilIsSexy a beautiful Egyptian priestess]]) Tiyet is compelled to kill victims to eat their hearts (preferably fresh and still beating); this is very much an addiction connected to the curse that [[IronicHell earned her the position of a Darklord.]] This addiction is also connected to the one way she can be killed; she can regenerate FromASingleCell if defeated, she can be slain by offering giving her her own heart, which is still in the temple where the mummification ritual was done that transformed her into undead. If presented before her, it would start to beat, and she would be unable to resist it, [[KarmicDeath even though it would mean her doom.]]

* In the ''{{Ravenloft}}'' setting, there is Tiyet, the Darklord of Sebua. Technically a mummy, even though she doesn't look like one or any sort of undead being (resembling a beautiful Egyptian priestess) Tiyet is compelled to kill victims to eat their hearts (preferably fresh and still beating); this is very much an addiction connected to the curse that [[IronicHell earned her the position of a Darklord.]] This addiction is also connected to the one way she can be killed; she can regenerate FromASingleCell if defeated, she can be slain by offering giving her her own heart, which is still in the temple where the mummification ritual was done that transformed her into undead. If presented before her, it would start to beat, and she would be unable to resist it, [[KarmicDeath even though it would mean her doom.]]

* ''Wicked!'': PaulJennings & Morris Gleitzman's children's book ''Wicked'' ([[Literature/{{Wicked}} no connection]] featured the Slobberers, slug-like nasties that sucked the bones right out of their victims' bodies. ''While still alive''.

* The Gourmet Killer of ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' works this way - for example, only eating the eyes of a young woman because of their "particularly beautiful color".

* The mushi in ''{{Mushishi}}'' were often fond of eating strange things. People could have their eyes consumed, their memories consumed, their dreams consumed, their "life force" consumed, etc. One particularly strange example involved a mushi that could take a recently dead human corpse, eat the "lifespan" of that corpse and revert them into an embryonic form that could be implanted into a pregnant woman. (Of course, most of these examples aren't nearly as {{squick}}y as the usual examples of this trope, and some people were even able to benefit, at least ''temporarily'', from the mushi taking over and/or consuming some part of their body.)
* Natsume from the ''MermaidSaga'' CameBackWrong after being brought back from the dead using a mermaid's liver. As a result, she now exclusively eats livers, be it those of animals or humans.
* The Youma and Awakened Beings from ''{{Claymore}}'' prefer the entrails.
* In ''InuYasha'' while demons tend to feed on people, many of them have specific preferences, including a Mantis monster that'll feed on innards, Juromaru (one of Naraku's creations) who was fond of livers and a giant, skinned Salamander demoness who needs to eat the skins of male people or demons in order to regain her form. There's also the Zushi Rat, who leaves the flesh to his countless rat children and takes the bones for himself.

* While most carnivores will more than freely pick a corpse clean, predators that have to compete with something bigger that will run them off from a kill (IE, a Cheetah avoiding lions or hyenas, wolves avoiding a bear or a larger pack) go directly for the liver and other organs where carbs and nutrients are richest.

* ''TheXFiles'' enjoys this trope.

** The "fat-sucking vampire" that fed on overweight women. There's a business model right there.
** A monster that replenished itself by eating ''tumors''.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''

** In the successor game, ''Tabletopgame/VampireTheRequiem'', this quality leaves the Ventrue (in favor of [[TheCaligula a whole different Flaw]]), but shows up in some of the bloodlines, such as the Morbus (can only gain sustenance from those with a disease) and the Anvari (can only drink from those who are high on narcotics).

* The modus operandi of The Creeper from ''Film/JeepersCreepers'' was that he'd frighten his victims, releasing pheromones which he'd sniff to detect whether or not they had the... pieces he wanted (or needed to replace lost bits). He'd proceed to remove body parts from his chosen victims, consuming the smaller parts like eyes. Whether or not the victim was still alive at the time of "extraction" didn't seem to matter to The Creeper.

-->-- '''Dr. Hannibal Lecter''', '''''TheSilenceOfTheLambs'''''

* The modus operandi of The Creeper from ''JeepersCreepers'' was that he'd frighten his victims, releasing pheromones which he'd sniff to detect whether or not they had the... pieces he wanted (or needed to replace lost bits). He'd proceed to remove body parts from his chosen victims, consuming the smaller parts like eyes. Whether or not the victim was still alive at the time of "extraction" didn't seem to matter to The Creeper.
* As above, [[TheSilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] in his series of books and movies, but only as an extension of his gourmet tendencies when it comes to all his food. For example, he'll often take delicacies such as sweetbreads, kidneys or oyster meat -- a tendency which first clues Will Graham in to the notion that his suspect is a cannibal, and ultimately leads to Lecter's capture. He's also picky as to ''which'' [[AssholeVictim people he'll eat]].
* Imhotep in ''[[TheMummyTrilogy TheMummy]]'' is probably one of the pickiest people eaters around. He took body parts only from the people who had basically stolen his.
* The [[TheFairFolk "tooth fairies"]] from ''HellboyII: The Golden Army'' eat the whole person, but go for the teeth first.
* [[DeadHorseTrope Braaaaaainnnnssss]]...

* The Libra Killer in AlanMoore's ''TopTen'' fed on human pineal glands.

* The skyskirr from ''Secret of the Sixth Magic'' by LyndonHardy subsist on bone marrow, which they can somehow drain from living creatures' limbs without necessarily killing them.

* ''Tabletopgame/Deadlands'' features plenty of monsters that prefer specific bits and pieces of people. One character even invokes this trope in the ''AfterTheEnd'' sequel when talking about intelligence gathering. It boils down to "if a monster's been eating spleens, you better know the whole situation, or you'll be minus one spleen."

* The ''DeltoraQuest'' children's books feature the Granous, large furry humanoids who prefer fingers and toes, eaten one by one as they play sadistic riddle games with their victims.

** The [[TheDecemberists dimes upon]] [[MurderBallad your eyes]]?

ImAHumanitarian is the supertrope ''if'' the feeder is also a human (although, technically, this also works for other species that eat their own kind). If he's not then see ToServeMan. BrainFood is a subtrope. Those who are unfit for eating are usually TooSpicyForYogSothoth.

*** HIV only attacks cells expressing the CCR5 or CxC4 receptors (usually CD4 t-lymphocytes).

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' foe Cornelius Stirk operates under the delusion that he requires the nutrients and hormones from peoples' hearts in order to stay alive, and these are best prepared with norepinephrine by inducing fear in the victim prior to death. In other words, he terrifies people, then kills them and eats their hearts. You can probably guess [[DarkAge what era of comics]] decided they needed a DarkerAndEdgier People Eating version of Scarecrow.