Christian Laspada
Horror movies are meant to scare audiences, bringing them into a world of fright and depravity. They usually do this by bringing the paranormal, masked killers, or monstrous creatures to the big screen. But what if the thing meant to invoke fear came from your kitchen? Horror movies about killer foods are some of the most underrated and campy films out there. From the pizza scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) to the fortune cookie scene in IT (1990), demented foods in horror movies have always made audiences uneasy about their latest grocery haul. As you’d think, it’s difficult to make a movie about killer cuisines terrifying, so these niche killer food movies are usually comic relief or satire on the horror genre. Whether it’s homicidal tomatoes or knife-wielding gingerbread cookies, food gone bad movies are sure to make you squirm and squeal.
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)
The 1978 horror comedy film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a film about … well … killer tomatoes. From Director John DeBallo, the story follows sentient tomatoes that wage war on humans. The B-rated movie was created as a spoof on monster movies, with references to films like Jaws and The Birds. The sentient tomatoes perform a series of attacks including killing a man drinking tomato juice made from a killer tomato, attacking a woman in her kitchen, and attacking innocent swimmers a la Jaws. With a budget of less than $100,000, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a campy spoof that is sure to thrill.
This movie is so bad that it’s good. The special effects are lackluster, the acting is laughable, and the plot is questionable but the movie pulls it off in a special way. The low budget is felt throughout the movie, with regular tomatoes being used for the majority of the movie. If you’re expecting the monstrous tomatoes on the movie cover, you’ll be disappointed, but that adds to the comedy. There are some moments that are really funny, whether intentional or not. The best sequence of the movie is when one of the characters disguises himself to infiltrate the killer tomatoes and blows his cover by asking a punny question. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is so good that it resulted in several sequels, a TV show, a novel, comics, and even inspired a book series. The movie is a campy cult classic and the perfect example of a great horror movie about food.
The Stuff (1985)
The Stuff is a 1985 science fiction horror film about a mysterious white goo found by miners in the Earth’s core and marketed as the newest dessert sensation. As the stuff makes its way into consumer homes, families find themselves only able to talk, eat, and think Stuff. The goo turns out to be an alien substance that begins attacking people and turning them into zombie-like snackers that crave more of it. As the plot implies, the film was produced as a satire on the consumer ideology rooted in the American lifestyle. Director Larry Cohen said he was inspired to make the movie after seeing the amount of junk food we consume every day despite knowing the snacks we eat are killing us.
This movie is B horror at its best. It checks all the boxes for a great campy horror movie with bad special effects, stereotypical characters, and bad acting. It’s not intended to be a comedy, but the movie has some laugh-out-loud moments due to the ridiculousness of the plot. The special effects are subpar but perfect for the campiness of the film. The special effects team used multiple puppets to portray the deaths of the characters and the Stuff was usually ice cream, yogurt, or whipped cream. What really makes The Stuff great is the social commentary that underlines the film. It’s a sentiment that is still relevant today and the script does a great job at making the social commentary prevalent while still keeping a funky tone. This film won’t scare you much, but it will have you laughing every time you eat vanilla ice cream.
The Food of the Gods (1976)
Based on H.G. Wells’ “The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth”, The Food of the Gods is a 1976 science fiction thriller written and directed by Bert Gordon. An “Ecology Strikes Back” type movie, the story follows a group of friends who travel to a remote island to go hunting. However, the hunters become the hunted as they are attacked by giant killer animals. The animals on the island have been fed a mysterious food that transforms them into monstrous aggressive giants. The film had a budget of $900,000 and started production by filming its special effects. Gordon spliced together footage of animals to create the illusion of humans interacting with the mutated animals. Some of the giant animals, like the rats, were actually child actors in costumes created by special effects designer Thomas Burman.
The Food of the Gods is a sci-fi classic for a reason, but it’s not because it’s a great movie. The film is a fun watch, with a lot of gross-out scenes that make the movie feel special. Despite the special effects being terrible, some of the horror scenes still hold up to this day. The result is a cheesy B horror film that fits perfectly in the “nature takes revenge genre”.
Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)
The 2006 dark comedy horror film Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead is an absolute fever dream that will have you rethinking your next Popeyes order. The movie centers around a fast-food restaurant built on a sacred Native American burial ground that is being terrorized by possessed zombie chickens. Filled with a colorful cast of minimum-wage workers, the movie is somehow even stranger than you’d think, with customers turning into zombie chickens and a future version of the main character being the restaurant mascot. The film includes some memorable food kills, including a worker being pushed into a meat grinder by an uncooked chicken and then being reanimated as a chicken sandwich. With a budget of around $500,000, this raunchy cult classic was made possible by having a crew almost entirely made up of volunteers. Hundreds of people applied to volunteer, and some traveled from Sweden, Germany, and Australia to be crew members.
This is the low-budget B-horror movie film you should probably watch under the influence. The silly plot, colorful cast of characters, and bad special effects make this movie an absolute joy. The movie leans hard into the comedy, with several laugh-out-loud and outrageous moments. I will admit the movie is tacky at times, with some jokes that are more offensive than they are funny. The acting is also atrocious, and it often feels like watching a weird Burger King porno. The acting is terrible, the script is terrible, the special effects are terrible but that’s why this movie is so great.
The Gingerdead Man (2005)
The Gingerdead Man is a 2005 comedy slasher film that stars the titular Gingerdead Man created from a mix of gingerbread mix and the ashes of a deceased serial killer. The movie is best described as Chucky meets the Pillsbury Doughboy. Reincarnated as the Gingerdead Man, serial killer Millard Findlemeyer seeks revenge on the family that got away and got him sentenced to the electric chair. The movie is full of puns and ridiculous kills including a tripwire knife flying into a woman’s forehead. The film became a cult classic, with sequels and crossover films made years after. The movie also results in two comic series: The Gingerdead Man: Baking Bad and The Gingerdead Man Meets Evil Bong.
This movie is an absolute treat. It stars a murderous gingerbread man with a personality that is a mix between Chucky and Freddy, what’s not to love? The Gingerdead man is scary to look at, less because of his design and more because of the bad special effects. The movie isn’t scary, but it is a great comedy. The only downside of the movie is there isn’t enough time with the killer pastry. Either way, this movie is fun and a great concept for the horrors of baking.
Horror movies are meant to scare viewers and can sometimes make everyday objects send a shiver down our spine. However, horror movies about food are usually campy and hilarious, making them the perfect movie to watch with friends. Just check your snacks before you press play.