Electric Meat

I’ve experience of being a butcher as that what I trained as when I left school. It takes a certain mindset to handle dead animals, take them apart and then present them as nicely as possible to tempt customers.

However, the butcher/photographer (Caspian Faye) in Electric Meat decides that when he finds one of his model’s murdered Phaedra (Sylvia Soska) she would be put to better use as a model he can manipulate. He’s not had much success with the photos of live models; those are continually rejected.

Then there is his landlady (Emily Booth) who as an ex-model takes an interest in his work, and him. But within the confines of his sleazy, grotty flat, the butcher starts to imagine that maybe there’s more to Phaedra’s condition than he first thought.

This is an ambitious debut feature from Dan Schaffer. Its virtually silent save for the all-encompassing sound design and shot entirely in black and white. The claustrophobic interiors Schaffer creates provide more than a passing resemblance to Polanski’s Repulsion, especially when the butcher appears to lose his mind.

The only characters that are in anyway developed are Faye’s and Booth’s. Faye is bored in his job and despite some creative flourishes hasn’t had any luck selling his photos. Then there’s Booth playing the prying and possibly sexually frustrated landlady. A former model, who had some success, is now just renting out rooms for a living. There is a certain inevitability to their timeline but doesn’t prepare you for what follows.

It’s a very busy film with a lot going on and Schaffer has an eye for detail. The first two acts build the characters and the setting. It’s into the third when things get totally unhinged and over the top.

Its one of those films that would probably reveal more on second viewing the problem is would you want to see it again. That said its interesting and beautifully made and credit to Schaffer for trying something left field.

Electric Meat had its World Premiere at Tubi FrightFest London, August 2026.