It's hard to make a truly terrifying and unnerving "food bites back" horror movie. Watching murderous tomatoes or knife-wielding gingerbread cookies go after people on-screen is inherently funny. This is why the killer food niche provides some serious comic relief in a genre that usually takes itself very, very seriously.
It doesn't get better than homicidal poultry exacting revenge on the legions of humans who take eating them for granted. Whether it's sushi, ice cream, or gelatinous white slime, monster meals are the stuff of every B-movie fanatic's wildest dreams — or nightmares.
The Ice Cream Man (1995)
Ice Cream Man takes the "killer food" trope into different territory. Instead of literally biting back, the sweet treat at the center of Ice Cream Man becomes a vehicle for one madman's cannibalistic fantasies. The madman here is Cliff Howard, who plays the titular scooper.
A slasher at heart, Ice Cream Man is the quintessential tacky B-movie. Thanks to its campy tone, it maintains a large cult following.
Dead Sushi (2012)
Keiko works at a rural Japanese inn rolling sushi for cruel, demanding clients. None are as mean as the president of Komatsu Pharmaceuticals, who is on vacation with his colleagues.
The president is so mean, in fact, that one of his disgruntled employees follows him to the inn to exact revenge. The Komatsu employee Yamada uses a special serum to make all the sushi come alive with murderous intentions.
Poultrygeist (2006)
Cult horror figure Lloyd Kaufman is behind Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, a fast food fiasco with B-movie musical trappings. Kaufman, co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, is known for tasteless, over-the-top horror fare like this.
Poultrygeist explores what happens when American Chicken Bunker builds a new franchise on an old Native American burial ground. Instead of chicken nuggets or fried chicken sandwiches, enter a legion of singing chicken zombies.
The Gingerdead Man (2005)
What's better than an anthropomorphic gingerbread cookie with severe bloodlust? How about a murderous gingerbread cookie voiced by Gary Busey?
The Gingerdead Man takes Child's Play motifs into the realm of baked goods. Busey voices the titular villain, who is possessed by the spirit of a deranged New Jersey serial killer named Millard Findlemeyer.
Food Of The Gods (1976)
When a mysterious substance bubbles up from the ground on a remote island off British Columbia, local farmers willingly feed the magic elixir to their chickens. It turns out the grub transforms anything that eats it into a monstrous, aggressive giant.
Food of the Gods is one in a long line of ecological horror films released in the 1970s. It also includes behemoth wasps and hulky, toothy rats.
The Stuff (1985)
Borrowing a few plot points from Food of the Gods, The Stuff begins when a thick, white substance bubbles up out of the ground. When someone catches on to its delectable flavor, it's quickly commodified and marketed as America's next dessert craze.
People can't get enough of the Stuff, but the Stuff can't get enough of them. What's worse: the Stuff is actually an alien substance that transforms people into zombies.
Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes (1978)
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a classic killer food movie, so classic it launched an entire franchise. As its title suggests, tomatoes rebel against humans in this film, rising out of garbage disposals, salads, and ketchup bottles.
The film's action culminates when all the killer tomatoes are cornered in a giant stadium where people stomp them to death.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
Cotton candy is ruined for life in Killer Klowns from Outer Space. The wrinkled, buffoonish aliens who look like mutated circus clowns use cotton candy cocoons to capture the humans they plan to eat.
With their Krazy Straws, the Killer Klowns suck up all their savory victims stuck inside the cotton candy. This is a far cry from the airy, sugary carnival delicacy enjoyed by people far and wide.
The Refrigerator (1991)
Instead of food, The Refrigerator sees the appliance people rely on to preserve their meals turning against them. Set in NYC, the film centers around an apartment whose fridge is a gateway to Hell.
The insatiable gadget consumes one tenant after the next. Satan also brings the other kitchen appliances to life in hopes they will bring him more victims.
ThanksKilling (2008)
Does anyone really take the time to think about where that Thanksgiving turkey comes from? ThanksKilling won't answer heady questions like this, but it will make those who watch it cackle over just how trashy it is.
A foul-mouthed, evil turkey whose reign of terror traces back to the Pilgrims goes after a group of college kids trying to enjoy their fall break. Instead, the ax-wielding bird does all it can to spoil the festive mood in what makes one of the most absurd Thanksgiving horror movies of all time.