By GRACE DETWILER
Inspired by her appreciation for Luca Guadagnino’s horror romance BONES AND ALL (2022), indie-rock musician Ethel Cain’s “Famous Last Words (An Ode To Eaters)” details a love story between two doomed cannibal lovers. The video, directed by Hayden Anhedönia (Cain) and Silken Weinberg, was released in collaboration with Matthew Williams’ 1017 ALYX 9SM via Alamo Records. The below poster was created by Chase Shrewbridge, Nick Dap, and Eddie Mandell. In addition to BONES AND ALL, the video for “Famous Last Words” also takes visual cues from another one of Guadagnino’s films: Suspiria (2018).
The music video will not be the first time Cain engages with horror-related imagery; indeed, the visuals accompanying her music have been compared (by me) to the aesthetic worlds of films such as Kyle Edward Ball’s Skinamarink. Cain’s only feature-length album (thus far) – Preacher’s Daughter – also contained dark themes such as murder and cannibalism, following the story of a teenager named Ethel Cain who runs away from her abusive religious home, only to fall prey to a serial killer who ends up consuming her corpse. A statement on the realities of growing up queer in the deep South, Cain’s music provides a deep exploration into religious trauma, the horror of girlhood, and the dark side of love.
