Freaky Fare, Creepy Cuisine, and Evil Eats

15 Cookbooks for Celebrating the Season of Ghouls, Ghosts, and Spooks

If you're someone who enjoys creating holiday-themed fare for your dinner parties, you may be in the market for some cookbooks featuring creepy cuisine. From ghastly gourmet to spooky snacks to diabolical drinks, here are a range of options to help you offer up some macabre meals and sickening spreads.

Ghoulish Grub

These ten all-purpose cookbooks will help you conjure up a frighteningly delicious menu to feed all your best fiends.

The Nightmare Before Dinner: Recipes to Die For
Get your goth on with 60+ recipes from Zach Neil, chef of the Beetle House, where the deadly delicious menu is inspired by the works of Tim Burton. With dishes like Edward Burger Hands and Coco Skellington cocktails and tips for themed parties, as well as vegan or veg alternatives for every recipe.

Eerie Elegance Eats: A Halloween Cookbook of Creepy Cuisine
The third edition of this popular cookbook includes new recipes that will appeal to kids and grownups alike. Author Britta Peterson has divided the book into eight chapters including: Mad Scientist Body Parts; Beverages, Brews & Potions; Scary Savories; and Dastardly Desserts.

The Art of Eating Through the Zombie Apocalypse
When the undead rise, eating successfully will become an art. From Lauren Wilson and Kristian Bauthaus comes this collection of more than 80 recipes like Overnight of the Living Dead French Toast and Down & Out Sauerkraut, plus scads of survival tips, diagrams, and illustrations for an artfully apocalyptic meal.

Dalí. Les Dîners de Gala
Salvador Dalí's kitschy 1973 cookbook offers recipes—opulent, exotic, and, in some cases, gruesome—from the lavishly odd dinner parties the artist threw with his wife, Gala. Vegetarians beware: ingredients include lamb brains, eels, and frog's legs. Photos of the outlandish dishes will delight some and horrify others.

Disney Villains: Devilishly Delicious Cookbook
Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, Ursula, and other beloved baddies share their favorite devilish delicacies in this all-ages cookbook. Enjoy such fare as Poor Unfortunate Rolls (ha ha) and Evil Queen Grimhilde's Poison Apples. Filled with dastardly tips and tricks, this fun guide is perfect for a family holiday celebration.

Love at First Bite: The Complete Vampire Lover's Cookbook
Making meals for monster appetites just got easier! With more than 300 suckulent recipes like Blood Chilling Gazpacho, Coffin Cake, and Bloody Mary Fondue. The ghastly guide from Michelle Roy Kelly also includes clever ideas for vampire parties, with menus and movies for some bloody good fun.

The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook
With the recent release of Hocus Pocus 2, it's a perfect time to revisit the 1993 classic with recipes by Bridget Thoreson inspired by spells, potions, and schemes of the Sanderson Sisters. And don't worry! No children were harmed in the creation of yummy dishes like Dead Man's Toes and Baked Witch Casserole.

Dark Side of the Spoon: The Rock Cookbook
Not spooky exactly, but Ralph Miller, Joe Inniss, and Peter Stadden teamed up to create this composition of 30 recipes inspired by some of the most renowned rock acts of all time. Great for cooks of all abilities, with a wide range of dishes like Smashing Pumpkin Pie, Fleetwood Mac and Cheese, and Primal Bream.

The Necronomnomnom: Recipes and Rites from the Lore of H. P. Lovecraft
Like H. P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon, this cookbook contains many dark (but still delicious) secrets within its pages. Author Mike Slater has summoned forth 50 funny, bizarre, and horrible dishes like: The Deep Fried Deep One, Nog Sothoth, and The Gin and Miskatonic.

The Walking Dead: The Official Cookbook and Survival Guide
Inspired by the hit TV show, this guide by Lauren Wilson details the recipes you need to survive along with expert information on foraging, hunting wild game, and outdoor cooking. The book features dishes from the show like Carl's pudding, Carol Peletier's baked goods, and Hershel's spaghetti.

Beastly Bakes

If you prefer your creepfest in cake form, these books will guide you in creating a host of devilishly delectable confections.

The Wicked Baker: Cakes and Treats to Die For
Give your baking an eerily stylish twist with ghoulishly glamorous recipes for cakes, cookies, pastries, breads, desserts, and even drinks by Helena Garcia. will give you all the inspiration you need. Get into the season with some mummified eclairs, witch's finger cookies, and ghostly cupcakes.

Deceptive Desserts: A Lady's Guide to Baking Bad!
For her baking and home DIY projects, internet star Christine McConnell takes inspiration from Tim Burton, Wes Craven, Alfred Hitchcock, and Vincent Price (BTW, Price wrote several cookbooks). Each dessert in this wonderfully weird cookbook is a work of art—some a little twisted, others simply magical.

Geek Sweets: An Adventurer's Guide to the World of Baking Wizardry
Celebrating Halloween doesn't have to be scary! Jenny Burgesse has created the ultimate guide to creating confections for the legions of fans of Star Wars, Minecraft, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, and much more! Perfect for geeky gatherings like a Game of Thrones viewing party.

Savage Sips

For a cocktail party that is more chilling than chill, try these manuals for creating libations that will leave your guests (blood)thirsty for more.

Lovecraft Cocktails: Elixirs & Libations from the Lore of H. P. Lovecraft
Another glorious grimoire from Mike Slater featuring 75 delicious and malicious recipes, each gorgeously illustrated, mercilessly tested, and hilariously written. Serve up drinks like Sunken Island Iced Tea and the Moscow Ghoul. Includes "Virgin Sacrifices" for any who don't wish to imbibe the devil's water.

Tarot & Tequila: A Tarot Guide with Cocktails
This magical mixology book by David A. Ross serves up delicious drinks, along with a fun party activity. Each of the 40 recipes is paired with one of the mystical cards in the deck, like: The High Priestess, The Chariot, and The Four of Wands. Perfect for fans of drinking, bartending, and tarot alike.

Hopefully there's something here to help you get ready to host your a dastardly delectable Halloween party. Let us know if you have any spooky or campy cookbooks to add to the list.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon