REVIEW: The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell

The Halloween Holiday season is about spooky stories, shows, and of course, treats. This October the Netflix Original The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell came to the streaming service and it offers up a show that wraps in a small macabre storyline with a how-to-guide of baking haunted desserts. Hosted by Christine McConnell, an artist who shot to fame in 2015 after decorating her parent’s house in California.

This uncanny show hosts a fourth-wall-breaking baking how-to segment each episode where Christine walks the audience through some of the steps involved in making creepy concoctions, treats, candles, and more. As she speaks to the audience her puppet housemates make comments about her sanity and ask “but really, who is she talking to?”

From chocolate pretzel peanut butter bones, giant monster houses made from cake, rice crispies shaped into Edgar, to a chicken pot pie, gift basket, and even a dress, the tutorials cover all types of crafts at a high level. You can watch each segment and walk away with some tips and tricks, however, the show isn’t a pure instructional show, meaning that you don’t see every step and it would be hard to replicate some of the larger creations. This isn’t a detriment though.

When I watch baking shows I watch either for competition or just to see the finished product. The show utilizes instructions on screen in a similar way to The Great British Bake-Off but only covers steps at the high level. It’s clear this is done to highlight the large creations that McConnell is known for while making the process accessible but understanding we won’t be baking a giant gingerbread haunted house along with her.

The visuals of the show are also striking. The pastels that McConnell wears and the kitchen is decorated with offers us a contrast to the darker elements that surround the scenes. Whether it’s the spider web design on the white cabinets in the bright kitchen or the more overt macabre creations she is making, the show is a balance of The Addams Family and Pushing Daisies. This aesthetic balances out some quite gruesome humor and even a horror tropey killer in the most curious way.

The show is not only focused on McConnell’s creations but also her character’s life and her Henson Alternative puppet friends Rankle, Rose, and Edgar – with a guest appearance by the burlesque icon Dita Von Teese as Viv, a ghost living in McConnell’s mirrors. The puppets around McConnell each have their own personalities and stories.

Rankle is a mummified ancient Egyptian cat coping with the fact that his worshippers and temples are no longer all the rage and he just might not be a god. Rose is a raccoon that was saved from death when McConnell stitched her together with other animals ala Victor Frankenstein. Rose is also one of the best ways that the show delivers humor and I would argue a bigger star than McConnell. Finally, Edgar is a werewolf who stumbled into the house in the dead of night and is no longer on a diet of fresh blood.

Throughout the show, we meet other characters and puppets. We have a cousin and most prominently a boyfriend named Norman who has a very Norman story.  Over six episodes, the small storyline reuses characters and refers back to other episode moments. With each episode being around 25-minutes, this series is easily bingable and the perfect Halloween watch. In all honesty, I haven’t found a show that matched my personality this well in a while.

Dark humor, bright colors, and horror-inspired deserts make this eerie baking show more than just another spooky watch. If you’re looking for a show to pay attention to or just put on in the background this Halloween, The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell is the right show for you.