Martha Stewart goes full Michael Myers mode in a new Halloween ad for Liquid Death

The candle, which was created in partnership with Stewart, resembles a dismembered hand clutching a can of Liquid Death. In the video spot, we see a kitchen knife-wielding Martha slicing off the hands of blindfolded audience members, who have queued up excitedly believing that they’re awaiting an opportunity to meet Martha in person. When she’s finished hacking off a hand – which she explains is how she makes the candles – she presses a button labeled ‘Trap Door’ and the screaming, bleeding victim falls to join the other bodies.

Liquid Death is known for making outlandish and eye-catching ads to promote its products, as well as its commitment to reducing plastic waste. Earlier this year, it partnered with adult film actress Cherie DeVille for an ad titled ‘Don’t Fuck the Planet.’ The brand also recently filmed a taste test in which blindfolded participants sampled Liquid Death products as well as “the most expensive beverages on Earth” (which turn out to be nauseating and not at all intended to be sipped as a beverage, such as Spanish squid ink and blended Japanese wagyu cheeseburger).

Sex and comedy grab attention. So does blood – and the brand’s ad with Martha Stewart has plenty of that. It also has more than enough squirm-inducing sound effects to mimic the sound of a hand being violently amputated.

The most disturbing part of the ad is Stewart’s characteristically sweet smile: “I’ve got to admit,” she says at one point after an innocent little chuckle, “I’ve probably enjoyed making these [candles] a little too much.”

For more, sign up for The Drum’s daily US newsletter here.