At Cadillac Jack’s diner in Waco, Texas, killer Millard Findlemeyer murders most of the Leigh family, leaving only Sarah Leigh and her mother, Betty, alive.
Sarah’s testimony leads to Millard’s conviction and execution in the electric chair. After his death, Millard’s ashes are collected by his mother, who adds them into a gingerbread spice mix.
Later, Sarah and Betty struggle to keep their pastry shop, The Bakery, afloat. Betty has turned to alcohol, and Sarah sends her home with bakery worker Julia. Sarah is confronted by Jimmy Dean, a determined businessman who wants to buy their property, and his conniving daughter, Lorna.
A mysterious delivery of gingerbread spice mix (courtesy of Millard’s mother) arrives at The Bakery. Sarah and her employee Brick Fields use the mix to bake a giant gingerbread man. During the process, Brick accidentally cuts himself, and his blood mingles with the dough. Brick leaves early for a wrestling match, leaving Sarah to bake the dough in the industrial oven.
Meanwhile, Lorna sneaks into The Bakery to sabotage it. She plants a rat to trigger the health department to shut them down. During a heated confrontation, Lorna accidentally hits a switch that surges electricity into the oven, bringing the gingerbread man to life.
Amos Cadbury, Lorna’s boyfriend, grows impatient waiting outside The Bakery and enters the shop. Sarah removes the animated “Gingerdead Man” from the oven, now a murderous, sentient cookie.
The group tries to lock the Gingerdead Man in the freezer while Sarah attempts to call the police, only to find the phone line dead. Lorna calls her father using Amos’s cell phone before its battery dies.
Betty returns to search for her alcohol stash, and Julia arrives looking for Betty. Betty loses a finger and is forced into the oven, while Julia is knocked out with a frying pan and left in the freezer.
Amos retrieves a handgun from his car. As Jimmy Dean arrives to pick up Lorna, the Gingerdead Man steals his car, and, using a rolling pin to operate the accelerator, kills him.
Amos and Sarah rescue Julia from the freezer. Sarah begins to suspect the killer cookie is Millard reincarnated. Outside, Lorna discovers her father’s corpse sprawled over the car hood. She steals his ring and reenters the bakery, only to trigger a tripwire that drives a knife into her forehead.
Sarah and Amos confess their feelings for each other before trying to rescue Betty from the oven. The Gingerdead Man locks Sarah inside and knocks Amos unconscious. Amos recovers and saves Sarah.
Brick returns to help, but the Gingerdead Man grabs Amos’s pistol and starts shooting. Julia and Brick manage to subdue him, and Brick bites off the cookie’s head. However, this allows the Gingerdead Man to possess Brick, who attacks Sarah. Amos and Julia ultimately push Brick into the oven and crank the heat to full, destroying the cookie.
Later, Betty and Amos hold a bake sale to raise money for the hospital, assisted by two nurses. Two children ask for gingerbread cookies, and a nurse mentions an older lady recently dropped some off.
One of the cookies is purchased by a woman, along with a box of pastries, which she plans to send to her sister in Los Angeles, setting the stage for the sequel.
Cast
Gary Busey as Millard Findlemeyer / The Gingerdead Man
Production of the film dates back to around 2001, with an initial script written by William Buttler that was eventually rewritten and heavily changed. The Gingerdead Man was originally intended to be a fully CGI character, resembling the Pillsbury Doughboy. The design was later changed to more closely resemble an actual gingerbread man cookie and was achieved with practical hand and rod puppets, as well as a full-body suit, created by John Carl Buechler.[1]
The movie was originally intended to be released in summer 2001, as shown in the original trailer, when the character was still planned to be CGI.
In an interview with PopHorror.com, Charles Band reportedly offered Busey $25,000 to star in the film, expecting him to turn it down but Busey accepted.[2]
Reception
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The horror website Bloody Good Horror gave the film a negative review, stating "It's one of the shortest, yet hardest to watch, films I've ever seen." Criticisms were directed at the film's humor and its writing.[3]
According to Horror Society[4] this film lacks a plot and makes very little sense. The review stated the "acting was atrocious" and "insanely stupefied."
Like many other Full Moon properties, the film spawned a franchise of sequels, crossovers, shorts, and comic books, as well as merchandise.
On October 9, 2007, it was revealed that Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust had begun shooting. It was released in 2008. It included new monsters called "Tiny Terrors" (a pun on the unreleased Puppet Master Bobblehead line and an homage to the Full Moon’s many “killer toy“ properties)[citation needed]
On July 16, 2008, Charles Band announced a third film, Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver. The film was slated for a 2009 release, but filming was delayed until January 2010. The film was released on September 13, 2011, and sees the Gingerdead Man travel back in time to slash his way through a Roller Disco Competition.[citation needed]
In 2013 Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong was released serving as the fourth film in the Gingerdead Man series while also being a crossover with the Evil Bong films. It follows the Gingerdead Man’s quest for vengeance on survivor Sarah Leigh.
A fifth movie titled Gingerdead Man: Rebaked! was announced in a pre-credits teaser in Evil Bong 666 (2017), but was never made. Instead, the fifth film was reworked into a new film titled The Gingerweed Man, acting as both the ninth installment of the Evil Bong film series and the fifth installment of the Gingerdead Man film series, which released in 2021.[6]
Prominence in the Evil Bong series
Starting with Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong, The Gingerdead Man serves as a reoccurring antagonist, appearing in Evil Bong 420 as the main antagonist and Evil Bong High-5! as a supporting character, returning in Evil Bong 666 as the secondary antagonist. The character Sarah Leigh also becomes a supporting character in the Evil Bong series going forward, and is referred to in Evil Bong 666 and 777 as Faux Batty Boop.
He's also the overarching antagonist of Evil Bong 777 though remaining dead the entire film. He had a minor cameo at the end of Evil Bong 888: Infinity High.[7]
Comic books
On December 7, 2015, Action Lab Comics and Full Moon Features announced a new comic book series based on the cult classic films. The first issue, The Gingerdead Man: Baking Bad #1, was written by Brockton McKinney (Ehmm Theory, Killer Queen), with art by Sergio Rios, and variant covers by the creator of Zombie Tramp, Dan Mendoza.[8] Issue #1 of The Gingerdead Man: Baking Bad launched on February 3, 2016.[9] The series serves as a loose sequel to the first Gingerdead Man film but largely ignores its continuity.
Another comic series was released on March 28, 2018, by Action Lab Comics titled The Gingerdead Man Meets Evil Bong, a crossover with the Evil Bong films. It is loosely inspired by the crossover film Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong and is a sequel to the Gingerdead Man: Baking Bad series. The comic is also written by Brockton McKinney with the artwork being done by Sergio Rios.[10][11][12] The comic series consists of only three issues.[13] On May 30, 2018, a volume of all three issues was released.[14]
Merchandise
Trick or Treat Studios released a full head mask of the Gingerdead Man in collaboration with Full Moon Features. The mask was designed by special makeup effects artist Tom Devlin.[15]
Full Moon would later release an 8.75 inch tall resin statue of the Gingerdead Man that is available for purchase on their online market place Full Moon Direct.[16]
In celebration of the release of Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong, a limited edition cereal box was made available that depicts the titular characters on opposite sides of the box in with unique artwork. It comes with the DVD of the movie along with special features, and multi-grain cereal called "Nookie Crisp" or "Weedies" in reference to the characters.[17]
Home Media
The Gingerdead Man was released on DVD on November 8, 2005, with a limited edition VHS in collaboration with Retro Release Video.
The film was released on Blu-ray for the first time on August 13, 2024, featuring remastered visuals and the behind-the-scenes bonus feature that was previously exclusive to the VHS.
Related Research Articles
A cookie or biscuit is a baked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat, and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, or nuts.
William Gary Busey is an American actor. He portrayed Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor. His other starring roles include A Star Is Born (1976), D.C. Cab (1983), Silver Bullet (1985), Eye of the Tiger (1986), Lethal Weapon (1987), Hider in the House (1989), Predator 2 (1990), Point Break (1991), Under Siege (1992), The Firm (1993), Drop Zone (1994), Black Sheep (1996) and Lost Highway (1997).
A gingerbread man is a biscuit or cookie made from gingerbread, usually in the shape of a stylized human being. However, other shapes, especially seasonal themes, and characters are also common.
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Full Moon Features is an American independent motion picture production and distribution company headed by B-movie veteran Charles Band. It is known for the direct-to-video series Puppet Master, Trancers, and Subspecies, as well as the film Castle Freak and the VideoZone featurette through 1989 to 2013.
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Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust is a 2008 American slasher film written and directed by Silvia St. Croix. The film is a sequel to the 2005 film The Gingerdead Man. The distributor of the film is Full Moon Entertainment. The film was originally titled Gingerdead Man 2: Bakery of Blood.
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