You probably remember the face huggers from the Alien movies. They're those nightmare-inducing life forms with long tentacles that suction themselves over your mouth, nose, and eyes. But who ever would think to come up with a face-hugger turkey? Hellen Die, that's who. Die (real name: Beckie Lombardi), a chef and food stylist, has made quite the impression with culinary concoctions that blend traditional American fare with the creepiest and most disturbing creatures from film and television. Her horrifying Thanksgiving turkey is both inspiring in its artistry and repulsive in its spot-on similarity to the Alien monster.
Die, who has a day job at a tech company, is devoted to whimsically blending the dark arts with her love of cooking and food. Her website, the The Necro-Nom-Nom-Nomicon, contains a trove of recipes and witty insights into her unusual passion. Her recipes have drawn considerable attention, and her website has won several awards – all of which demonstrate the impressive extent of Die's talents... even if her own family is less than appreciative.
Keep reading to learn more about creepy Thanksgiving foods and how to make your own face-hugger turkey this holiday season.
The face-hugger turkey isn't actually a turkey at all. Using roast chicken, chicken sausage, crab legs, and a whole lot of imagination, Die perfectly recreated the horrifying face hugger from the Alien franchise. When it's all assembled and prepared, the face hugger is more than three feet long and can feed up to six brave guests.
Despite its impressive appearance, the face hugger isn't something only a professional chef could successfully whip up. Die gives her recipes a sort of gourmet sophistication blended with user-friendliness and, of course, creepiness. She breaks the face-hugger feast down step by step on her website, and while it is a bit labor intensive, it all seems pretty doable.
In 2016, Die made a chestburster turkey for Thanksgiving. You know, the little critters from the Alien movies that explode out of poor victims' chests. Made with pork loin, prosciutto, and turkey, Die's chestburster was covered in a cranberry-gelatin mixture that looked remarkably like blood.
Her Family Doesn't Want More Gory Thanksgiving Fare
Die says the chestbuster turkey was delicious, but her family has since barred her from preparing another one for future Thanksgivings. She will not be deterred, however:
"I was also told in no uncertain terms that I would not be able to make another chestburster for this year's holiday... and because I love my family, I agreed. But nobody said ANYTHING about not making an Alien-inspired face hugger chicken!"
After 2016's chestburster turkey, Die's family isn't taking any chances. For Thanksgiving 2017, they've put her in charge of one thing and one thing only: the dinner rolls.
"They're phenomenally tolerant – to a limit," Die said of her family. "They don't want me to traumatize extended family members and friends who may not be able to handle a face hugger at the family meal." But don't think this means she won't try to gore up the dinner rolls: "It's kind of a fun challenge to see what I can get kicked out of cooking."
Die's repertoire is not limited to food based on Alien creatures. She has an entire collection of dark and spooky recipes, including Nightmare Before Christmas-inspired fare, "Key S-Lime Pie," and "Mocha Mice with Oozing Red Centers." She's also devised tasty drink recipes, such as The Flaming Phantom and the Undead Brain Freeze Milkshake.
