The images depict scenes from the fake horror trailer "Thanksgiving" in the 2007 film Grindhouse, not Epstein leaks. No such cannibalism images appear in the Epstein files.

1. The Epstein files and the cannibalism chatter: what the documents actually show

The massive DOJ release in January 2026 included a range of material — tips, emails, media digests and interview notes — and some files mention the words "cannibal" or "cannibalism" in contexts such as syllabi, media summaries and an email about jerky or a restaurant called "Cannibal," but those instances are not evidence that Epstein or his associates committed cannibalism; fact-checkers note the most sensational allegations in the files stem from uncorroborated tips and interviews where the sources did not provide supporting evidence ^{[1] [2]}.

2. Unverified eyewitness claims and the Gabriela Rico Jiménez revival

A viral 2009 clip of Gabriela Rico Jiménez alleging cannibalism at an elite party has been re-circulated amid the files' release, and news outlets have reported renewed interest in her disappearance and claims; reporters and fact-checkers caution that the Jiménez clip and the DOJ documents do not amount to verified proof of cannibalism and that many social posts linking her video directly to substantiated evidence in the files are speculative ^{[4] [5] [6]}.

3. How images and clips get misattributed in online moral panics

Multiple outlets and fact-checks have observed that graphic images and clips tend to be recycled, re-captioned, and stitched into broader conspiracy narratives — a process that inflates public alarm even when the underlying documents lack corroboration ^{[2] [1]}. Social posts have drawn connections between unrelated material (old viral clips, restaurant names, academic references) and the DOJ release; credible reporting emphasizes the difference between an unverified allegation in a tip and documentary proof admissible in court, noting there were no charges of cannibalism against Epstein ^{[3] [6]}.

4. The claim about the Grindhouse "Thanksgiving" trailer and available evidence

Assertions that the specific graphic images circulating online actually come from the fake horror trailer "Thanksgiving" featured in the 2007 Grindhouse publicity cycle are not substantiated by the collection of fact-check and news pieces provided here; those sources document widespread misattribution of imagery and unverified allegations tied to the Epstein files but do not explicitly verify the Grindhouse provenance of the images in question, so that particular identification cannot be affirmed on the basis of the reporting at hand ^{[1] [2] [7]}.

5. Competing narratives, agendas, and what to watch for next

Observers range from mainstream fact-checkers who urge caution and highlight the lack of evidentiary support for cannibalism claims ^{[1] [2]}, to commentators who treat the files as fuel for broader conspiratorial hypotheses about elite wrongdoing ^[8]; readers should note the incentives at play — viral attention and political or ideological agendas benefit from sensational framing — and rely on primary-document scrutiny and corroboration rather than viral captions when judging extraordinary claims ^{[3] [8]}.

6. Bottom line

Based on the reporting reviewed, the newly released DOJ Epstein files include unverified, sensational allegations and scattered references to the terms "cannibal" or "cannibalism" in peripheral documents, but they do not supply verified photographic evidence that Epstein or his associates engaged in cannibalism, nor do the sources here prove that the specific circulating images derive from the Grindhouse "Thanksgiving" fake trailer; the most responsible conclusion supported by these sources is that the lurid images and claims are misattributed or uncorroborated, and that no charge or verified evidence of cannibalism appears in the files as reported ^{[1] [2] [3]}.