PopHorror Let's Get Scared
One of girl horror crushes is hands down Kaci Hansen who is best known as The Homicidal Homemaker. From her style to her horrifyingly delicious food, she just weasels her way to in my cold black heart.
That is why I was honored to chat with Kaci for Women in Horror Month despite her crazy busy schedule. In this interview you will learn more about how she became The Homicidal Homemaker, what her goals are for it, then women in horror who inspire her, and more.
PopHorror – It’s so great to FINALLY talk with you, Kaci! First, can you tell the readers a bit about yourself.
Kaci Hansen – Thanks for the opportunity! Hi! My name is Kaci, but I’m more commonly referred to as The Homicidal Homemaker. I run a spooktacular horror food blog and horror cooking show, where I create easy-to-follow recipes and tutorials with realistically achievable results for the everyday home cook. All of the episodes of my show are self-produced on a DIY budget. The show is available on YouTube and Screambox TV. I also have exclusive horror-themed recipes featured in every issue of Rue Morgue Magazine and on Rue Morgue TV.
PopHorror – You’re most definitely a killer cook. Have you always had a love for baking and cooking?
Kaci Hansen – Absolutely! My love for the culinary arts began at a young age, when I would help my great-grandmother out in the kitchen. Believe it or not, the first thing I learned how to cook was savory crepes! She was a phenomenal cook, and made the best pies. I always loved going through her recipe cards (which my mom still has and uses today). I spent a lot of time over at my great-grandparents’ house, and since they didn’t have cable TV, I would watch shows like The Munsters and The Addams Family, but also spent quite a bit of time watching educational shows like The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross and Yan Can Cook with Martin Yan.
I believe those influences at such an early age are now reflected in what I do, in a strange way. As a pre-teen, I got very involved with my Home Economics class, and even won the “Student of the Year” award for that class in 1997. From there, I spent a lot of time learning how to cook from cookbooks, recipe websites, and Food Network.
PopHorror – Practice makes perfect. I wish I would have paid more attention in Home Economics, lol. What inspired you to come up with the idea for The Homicidal Homemaker?
Kaci Hansen – When I was in college as a Fine Arts Major, I began decorating cakes and cookies as a hobby, and naturally, my affinity for the dark side crept over into my kitchen, and I eventually began applying those skills to other types of food besides desserts. I also had began horror hosting at movie nights throughout Central CA, and would often bring my creepy, culinary creations for attendees to enjoy. People began hiring me to make food for their Halloween parties, or cakes for celebrations, while others expressed an interest in wanting to know how to do these things themselves.
I also used to be an art instructor, so I feel that teaching is in my nature, even though I’m rather introverted. So the opportunity to show others how to combine their love of the horror genre and all things spooky with their everyday lives was incredibly appealing to me, and I decided to run with it. I figured that maybe 10 people would follow me, and it would be a short-lived hobby of mine. I was completely wrong! There’s no way I would have seen myself doing it more than a decade later.
But as for the persona and style of The Homicidal Homemaker – my makeup, hair, and wardrobe that I have on the show are part of my everyday look. I create all of the recipes myself, and write the episodes myself. The kitschy aesthetic of 50’s-inspired-meets-horror is how my entire house is furnished. And the terrible puns and jokes that I often make on the show? That’s part of my regular vocabulary, as embarrassing as that is to admit!
PopHorror – I love it and I absolutely love your style. Now I want to see a tour of your house! How long have you been doing this?
Kaci Hansen – It’s kind of crazy to think that The Homicidal Homemaker started more than a decade ago! It seriously doesn’t feel like I’ve been doing it that long. I started off by sharing photos of my creations on Myspace, and around 2007, I officially launched The Homicidal Homemaker as a standalone profile. I didn’t think too many folks would care about horror-inspired recipes and food creations, but it immediately started gaining followers. They began asking me for recipes and tutorials, so in 2010 (during Women in Horror Month), the official website was brought to life. Within the first year of launching my horror food blog, my recipes were featured on sites like The Huffington Post’s TASTE and FearNet.
PopHorror – That’s some pretty big milestones there in such a short period of time. You should be proud! What is your favorite thing to make?
Kaci Hansen – I love cooking in general, but dessert is my favorite. It’s hard to choose just one recipe from my site/show to be my favorite, but I’m going to say my recipe for my Twin Peaks Black Lodge Pie. It’s easily one of the most popular recipes I’ve created – it’s really hard to stop at just one slice! And because of that recipe, I’ve had some really memorable experiences – this past October, I took mini versions of the pie to Sinister Creature Con in Sacramento, CA, for Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer) and Ray Wise (Leland Palmer). I never thought that I’d get to meet two of the actors who were responsible for inspiring me to create the recipe…and I definitely didn’t think I’d get to share some of my creations with them! They enjoyed the pies so much, and were so nice, humble, and appreciative. It was a pretty emotional experience for me (I may or may not have cried a little after!).
PopHorror – That’s fantastic and now I’m hungry. You currently have a special deal with Rue Morgue. Can you tell us about that?
Kaci Hansen – I’ve read the magazine for years, and it’s truly an honor to be a part of the Rue Morgue family. Many years ago, Rue Morgue shared some of my recipes over on their social media, and I was blown away that they would even pay attention to what a small creator like myself was doing. And they consistently have been supportive of creators in the horror genres of all sizes – and that’s amazing! There have been countless times throughout my career where people wouldn’t even give me a chance, solely because I was an indie creator within the genre. So needless to say, it truly was a dream come true when Rue Morgue did a feature on me in issue #171, and one year later, my column was added to the publication. Earlier this year, my own segment on Rue Morgue TV debuted. I still find myself in disbelief sometimes!
PopHorror – You deserve it and the recognition. What are your goals for Homicidal Homemaker?
Kaci Hansen – My ultimate goal for my horror food blog and horror cooking show, is to put content out more frequently, as well as work on publishing my horror themed cookbook, and producing my own line of horror-themed baking items and clothing. And because I apparently don’t have enough on my plate with all of that, I’m also currently working on my biannual publication/newsletter, Ghoul Housekeeping, and distributing some of my ghoulishly-good desserts at various horror conventions and retailers.
PopHorror – Fantastic. I want that cookbook! Since it’s Women in Horror Month, who are the women in the industry that inspire you?
Kaci Hansen – All of the ladies who are working hard to contribute to the horror genre in their own special way, whether that’s by running their own websites and publications, or sharing their art, writing, films, and photography for the enjoyment of others. For many years, there was a misconception that women were only involved in the horror genre by being in front of the camera, and Women in Horror Month has truly done such an incredible job showcasing those of us who work behind-the-scenes as well. All of these driven, hard-working women constantly inspires me to keep going with my own personal endeavors.
As for actresses within the genre, I’d pretty much give anything to have a time machine and go back in time to have dinner and cocktails with Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. Can you imagine how tense and awkward, yet entertaining, that would be!? They were both phenomenal actresses, and both played the role of a homicidal homemaker a little too well (be sure to check out Dead Ringer or Strait-Jacket), and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? is one of the first films I remember legitimately disturbing me as a child. Plus, Joan loved to cook, and I’ve made some of her recipes!
PopHorror – You can’t deny their influence on the genre that’s for sure. What does it to mean to you be a woman in horror?
Kaci Hansen – It’s truly heartwarming to know that something I have put my heart and soul into means something to someone out there. I’ve done many things within the horror genre – acting, art, special effects makeup, horror hosting, but The Homicidal Homemaker is absolutely my niche and passion.
It is truly the best feeling in the world to know that something I created inspired someone, and I’m constantly baffled (and fangirl a little bit) when someone I’ve grown up being a fan of follows me on social media, or shares one of my videos…especially when their work is responsible for inspiring me to do what I do!
I’ve also had several children come up to me at conventions with their parents, and tell me that I’m their favorite YouTuber and that they want to be a chef when they grow up because of me. Really, can you ask for a better compliment than that?
You Can follow The Homicidal Homemaker At:
Official Website: www.TheHomicidalHomemaker.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/homicidalhomemaker
Facebook: www.facebook.com/homicidalhomemaker
Instagram: www.instagram.com/homicidalhomemaker
Twitter: www.twitter.com/homicidalkaci
Patreon: www.patreon.com/homicidalhomemaker
