The Great British Baking Show has become such a popular TV show in recent years, in large part because the UK import is like a good cup of British tea: relaxing and warm. It's been an end-of-week tradition for me when new episodes hit Netflix each fall (The Great British Baking Show 2024 is currently releasing new episodes weekly). But this time of year is also spooky season, so if you enjoy baking shows but also love the jump scares and bloody shrieks of the horror genre, then there is actually a show you're going to want to check out: Killer Cakes.
Streaming on Freevee (which is appropriately available for free to all viewers on its on TV app or through Prime Video online), Killer Cakes features four teams of professional bakers and horror fans competing against each other by creating some bloody, disgusting and delicious cakes, with the winner taking home $20,000. The show is hosted by horror movie legend Matthew Lillard (Scream).
Right away the differences between Killer Cakes and The Great British Baking Show are stark. You won't find the cozy white tent of the Baking Show anywhere, as the bakers instead compete in a dingy, creepy warehouse straight out of Freddy Kreuger's nightmares. And while I wouldn't say that the baking teams are treating this like a cutthroat competition, the chill vibe often associated with the Baking Show (drama there includes contestants having to step aside because they're a bit under the weather) is not what they're going for in Killer Cakes; they literally eliminate their contestants by saying "I'm sorry, you're dead to us."
As mentioned, these are professional bakers, so instead of using some of the challenges to test their proficiency in baking, this is all about how creative they can be in making some truly memorable cakes. For example, the first episode required them to create their own horror movie villain that they would need to kill, incorporating special effects like blood oozing from their bodies. But at the same time, the cakes still have to taste good. That is truly the best part of the show, to see the creativity and the ability of these bakers to complete these tasks in six hours, as well as their joy in mixing two of the passions together.
That said, there are some things with the show that don’t work (or at least don't work for me). Lillard tries to be game for the show, but he's a bit of a square peg in a round hole. He particularly struggles with the banter with the bakers.
There are more than a few Halloween-themed baking shows that viewers have to choose from right now. The Food Network alone has shows like Halloween Baking Championship season 10 and Outrageous Pumpkins season 5, but Killer Cakes is definitely trying to find the sweet spot with people who love movies like Friday the 13th and find joy baking a birthday cake.
All episodes of Killer Cakes are streaming right now on Freevee.
