‘Stranger Things’ will be turning Universal Studios upside down this Halloween

Would you eat this murder pie?

Andrew Fuller is a cake sculptor, horror fan, and “believer that every day is Halloween.” He recently made an especially terrifying pie inspired by serial killer Ed Gein, who was infamous making clothing and furniture out of human skin and bones. Also known as the “Butcher of Plainfield,” Gein had exhumed bodies from local graveyards and murdered two women for his macabre DIY crafting.

“I am relatively new to the world of cake, but those who know me know that my goal is to creep people out,” Fuller said over Facebook Messenger.

Which is how he ended up making this pie, complete with grotesque (and edible!) hair, blood, and stitched pieces of skin pastry.

Inspired by the “people pot pies” from horror prop maker It Came From Under My Bed, Fuller decided to make a gory face that was actually edible. He says that this cherry-mint creation was especially difficult because pie “isn’t the easiest medium to work with.” 

“Often times, people just kind of assume you cut out shapes and throw it in the oven,” Fuller said. “But there are so many things you have to consider.” 

Factors include figuring out which components will expand in the oven, and keeping the pastry from collapsing while it bakes. 

“You have to be very methodical and deliberate with each cut, how you size the different elements, and how to structure things,” he said. 

Fuller’s preferred medium is cake — he says being able to “map out blueprints” for a cake is key when creating his gravity-defying desserts. 

As an “artist first and baker second,” Fuller struggles with the lack of improvisation in baking. 

“Baking is a science. Measurements have to be exact,” he said. “It’s all very precise … I’m not exactly a rule follower and clean edges are my nemesis, so pastries and baked goods are a lot more difficult for me than I truly realized.”

Despite the precision that goes into baking, Fuller’s artistry thrives when it comes to creating edible horror. 

“I actually really love doing whimsically spooky things,” he said. 

He’s even joining forces with cake artist Michelle Honeman for a partnership called “Sugar Freakshow,” where they’re focusing on “creepy, kooky, macabre, gory, scary, weird, hyperrealistic, odd, and unique cakes.” 

Like this beheaded Sphynx sculpture, modeled after his four hairless cats. (He and his husband also have pet cockroches and pet leeches. The roaches reside in a “fancy little home” complete with tiny roach-sized furniture.) 

His other gruesome confections include a layered teeth cake for an “oddities dealer,” who wanted to replicate his stack of dentures, and his personal pride and joy: a sculpted bust of Nosferatu. The client liked the Nosferatu cake so much, he kept the head in his freezer and brings it out as a party trick. 

Fuller loves all things horror, so he takes it as a compliment when people are too disgusted to actually eat his realistic sculptures. 

“You ask me to make you a beautiful, flawless, square or rectangular cake with sharp edges and perfect lines, and I crumble into pieces,” Fuller admits. But bloody, hairy, oozing desserts? 

“I’m lucky that most people who come to me are coming to me for these types of projects because I do my best work when I love the subject matter,” he said.

Even if they look nauseating, Fuller assures potential clients that his creations are actually  delicious. He likes to make his fruit pies with herbs and citrus flavors — the Ed Gein pie, although gruesome, was made with fresh mint, cherries, and a touch of almond. Everything — down to the wiry hair sprouting from the pie crust — is edible.”

“It’s like the holy grail trying to find something that looks like real hair,” Fuller joked about his top-secret special ingredient. “If I told you, I’d have to end you.”

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