VARIOUS: Videogame maker Capcom opens a "human meat butchery" within London's Smithfield meat market to promote its latest release, Resident Evil 6

Record ID: 570178

  • Title: VARIOUS: Videogame maker Capcom opens a "human meat butchery" within London's Smithfield meat market to promote its latest release, Resident Evil 6
  • Date: 28th September 2012
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (SEPTEMBER 27, 2012) (REUTERS) SPRAYPAINTED SIGN SAYING 'NO HOPE LEFT'/HUMAN ARM ON BUTCHER'S COUNTER POSTER ON WALL DISPLAYING 'HUMAN CHOICE CUTS' BUTCHER ARRANGING MEAT MADE IN THE SHAPE OF HUMAN HANDS AND FEET IN DISPLAY CABINET PARTIALLY CUT SKINNED HAND ON CHOPPING BOARD CLOSE UP OF EAR IN TRAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADAM MERRETT, UK PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER, CAPCOM, SAYING: "Resident Evil has always been about that survival horror, that action to break up and survive this apocalypse so to speak, so it's kind of about bringing that to reality and we thought, having a human butchery in Smithfield where you can literally smell the death puts you in that situation of if there was no hope left what would you do, how would you react?" CLOSE UP OF HUMAN HAND HANGING ABOUT COUNTER SIGN/BUTCHER'S COUNTER ROW OF HUMAN CARCASSES HANGING IN COOL STORE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAN WALSH, PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER, RESIDENT EVIL 6, SAYING: "The key thing for us is to make it look authentic, particularly on Friday and Saturday when members of the public come, you know they look at it they think 'that's a butcher's shop', then they say 'hang on, there's a hand there, there's a face, there's body so authenticity was the key for us really." SKINNED FEMALE BODY LYING ON HOSPITAL GURNEY FOOD ARTIST SHARON BAKER BESIDE THE SKINNED FEMALE BODY SHE CREATED CLOSE UP FOR FEMALE BODY'S FACE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHARON BAKER, FOOD ARTIST, SAYING: "This is me and I have to lie down and get covered in plaster bandage to make a mould. Then that mould gets flipped up and I filled the mould with meat, with bacon bits, quite big bacon bits, not knowing what would happen at all." ENTRANCE OF SMITHFIELD MARKET MEAT HALL CHALK BOARD DISPLAYING BUTCHER'S PRODUCTS/MEAT HALL ENTRANCE SURGEONS PRETENDING TO REMOVE LEG OF PATIENT CLOSE UP OF SURGEONS CUTTING AT LEG AREA CLOSE UP OF BLOODIEST SURGICAL EQUIPMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLIN THORNE, AMPUTEE AND ACTOR, SAYING: "This is what is was like when I had me injury so it can take you back or you can say 'OK, get on with life.'" GROUP OF MEN LOOKING AT AMPUTEE ON GURNEY (SOUNDBITE) (English) RICKY OWEN, AMPUTEE AND ACTOR, SAYING: "I lost my leg in a motorcycle accident in 2009 but this is brilliant, it's really really good. I thought it would close a lot of doors for me but it's opened an awful lot more, hence like today, I never thought I'd be doing ever. So brilliant."
  • Embargoed: 13th October 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Business,Industry,Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVAEWYP8NAEYAJNYYJXMBGJS8XQJ
  • Story Text: Meat is murder.
    Or at least that's what videogame maker Capcom would have us believe with a stomach churning promotion for its latest release Resident Evil 6.
    Capcom has opened what it labels the world's first human butchery at London's famous Smithfield meat market.
    Offerings include human hands, feet, faces and ears.
    They may not look good enough to eat, but all are designed to be eaten safely using ingredients like prosciutto and sausage.
    Capcom's UK public relations manager Adam Merrett said the grizzly selection is in keeping with the virtual reality of the Resident Evil universe.
    "Resident Evil has always been about that survival horror, that action to break up and survive this apocalypse so to speak," he said. "We thought, having a human butchery in Smithfield where you can literally smell the death puts you in that situation of if there was no hope left what would you do, how would you react?"
    The most striking display is a skinned female body lying flat on a hospital gurney.
    Foot artist Sharon Baker turned butcher to create macabre piece, and used a mould of her old body go get the correct shape before filling it out with bacon.
    The display will be open to the public until Saturday 29 September.
    "The key thing for us is to make it look authentic," said Resident Evil 6 PR manager Dan Walsh. "When members of the public come, you know they look at it they think 'that's a butcher's shop', then they say 'hang on, there's a hand there, there's a face, there's body so authenticity was the key for us really."
    As the event's butcher jokes about cutting the best legs from guests, amputees Ricky Owen and Colin Thorne lay motionless on hospital trolleys.
    Both men have lost legs in accidents, and had their stumps made to loom like fresh wounds by make up artists.
    Mr Owen said he is occasionally hired for acting work.
    "I lost my leg in a motorcycle accident in 2009 but this is brilliant, it's really really good. I thought it would close a lot of doors for me but it's opened an awful lot more, hence like today, I never thought I'd be doing ever. So brilliant."
    Resident Evil 6 is released on October 2 and is part of a growing media franchise.
    Resident Evil: Retribution, the fifth film in the Resident Evil series, came out in September.
    Adam Merrett said although loosely connected, the video game and film separate entities.
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