Making gothic chocolate art for Del Toro's Frankenstein movie

WILL YOU PLAY WITH ME?

The film releases on Netflix TODAY (Nov 7th 2025) and, as I write this, I haven't seen it so I'd love you to play spot-the-chocolates with me!

The production team have confirmed that our chocolates did indeed make it to the final cut but it could be a brief glimpse, a distant glimmer or even a full screen feature - who knows at this stage.

HOW DOES The Edible Museum END UP WORKING ON THIS FILM?

Honestly, it is just years of making work that I feel proud of, and putting it out into the world. The film's production team find the trail of all that and get in touch. There are no 'friends in the right places' or applying to jobs. Just 40 plus years of making weird things and trying every day to do it well.

We get a fair number of calls suggesting interesting projects but 90% of them don't get off the ground for one reason or another. So I tend to play it cool at first. But when Rachel (the Action Props Buyer) got in touch I realised they were deeply serious, already filming and totally committed.

I jumped in full force and allowed myself to get excited. Guillermo Del Toro? Making chocolates for a gothic horror? Yes please.

They wanted to know if I could create some special chocolate beetles, in a very specific colour palette, as well as supply a good stock of hearts. The brief was fun and I got to work straight away colour blending to get the right shades of shimmer.

Once delivered we got a call saying they loved them. So much so , in fact, that they they wanted a lot more. Right away if possible. We worked a weekend to speed the jewel like chocolate beetles over to the shoot in Glasgow. 

WHY I LOVE THE DIRECTOR - Guillermo Del Toro

Guillermo Del Toro is a master of his craft in so many ways. And, God love him, he champions people making things in the real world with their hands over CGI, AI and digital effects.

He insisted on real crafts people being employed to create everything from amazing fabrics, sets, costume, the ship, EVERYTHING. 

Also the guy has built himself the library he dreamed of as a 7 year old, with secret passages, hidden doors and a 10 foot Frankenstein head. What's not to love? He totally immerses himself in his fantasy world and for that reason alone he is an inspiration.

The jewellery for the film was created in collaboration with Tiffany & Co no less. With nearly two-centuries of exceptional craft they created new and archive pieces including designs which feature... dung beetles (let's call them scarab beetles because it's way sexier). The Egyptian Revival period piece is so beautiful I may have to make an edible necklace inspired by it...

Mia Goth will wear the Tiffany & Co. Archive Favrile Glass Scarab Necklace by Meta Overbeck, circa 1914, in Frankenstein. (Courtesy of Tiffany & Co.)

I doubt they made a human heart necklace, but let's see.

WHY SPECIFIC COLOURS FOR THE BEETLES?

Del Toro designed the film with a very specific colour coding in each scene. Each set of colours referring to specific people or episodes of the character's life. Red, for instance, connotes his mother. 

 Let's watch and see!

See a video on Tiffany and Guillermo Del Toro working together.

There is an exhibition of the film on at Selfridges in London, though it shuts very soon - go and see for a glimpse into the amazing work of some of the designers involved.