Advertising executive Henry Hogan (Larry Manetti in his second appearance on the show; he was also in “Printer’s Devil“) tracks down a small New Orleans bakery called Cuzzin’s Dozens, run by an elderly voodoo practitioner named Ruby Cuzzins (Mabel King). Smelling a massive payday, Henry pitches a grand franchising scheme to turn her local treats into a nationwide empire. Ruby initially brushes him off, but after a tense confrontation, Henry leaves with a sample of her specialty: a gingerbread man.
Before he departs, Ruby’s abused father, Aloysius (Vernon Washington), slips a stern warning to Henry, claiming that Ruby is a witch who uses her baked goods as voodoo dolls. Henry laughs it off as eccentric folklore until he dips the gingerbread man into his coffee at home and watches in shock as his wife, Helen (Therese Pare, who also appears in another episode, “The Madness Room“), suffers a sudden, painful burn on her leg. Realizing the horrific power of the partnership, Henry pushes forward, propelling Ruby into massive wealth while his own fortunes eventually take a nosedive.
When Henry returns to demand more magical leverage to fix his financial woes, Ruby reveals she engineered his ruin to keep him completely dependent on her. Left with only one cookie and a bitter grudge, Henry flees. Back at home, a jealous Helen discovers lipstick on a cookie wrapper, mistakes it for evidence of infidelity and furiously tears the gingerbread man to pieces, simultaneously tearing Henry to shreds in the shower. Meanwhile, back at the bakery, Ruby taunts her father in rat form, only to realize a terrifying truth: Aloysius only gave Henry twelve cookies to begin with. The rat devours the head of the final cookie, sealing Ruby’s gruesome fate.
This episode was directed by John Harrison, who frequently collaborated with George A. Romero, notably serving as first assistant director on Day of the Dead, composing iconic scores for Romero’s films and directing numerous episodes of Tales from the Darkside. It was the fourth and final episode of the show written by Romero.
