Nosferatu perfume to Wicked mac-n-cheese – how movie merch went bonkers

For movies to make a splash in an increasingly oversaturated media environment, they have to go big. Enticing audiences away from binge-watching Netflix and into the multiplexes is becoming more and more tricky, so creative thinking is needed.

Blockbusters are now first and foremost an exercise in branding. Stars have to plan entire wardrobes of tie-in outfits for red carpet appearances, while fans must prepare to get their wallets raided by an increasingly mad amount of merchandise.

Of course, movie merchandise isn’t new. There have always been T-shirts and posters, action figures and assorted memorabilia for die-hard fans to collect. But the new breed of movie merch is something else entirely. From creative and covetable to downright cringe, here are some of the most bonkers movie tie-ins available (of course) for purchase:

Nosferatu x Heretic

Okay so this is actually a pretty genius tie-in for Nosferatu, a revisit of one of the more terrifying vampire stories. Goth girls love gothic horror and smelling deliciously spooky, and this tie-in promises to bring the two together.

Indie perfume house Heretic (nothing to do with the Hugh Grant horror – more of which later) has made Nosferatu Eau de Macabre, a £98 perfume that promises to smell like “an encounter with an apparition in the cold, damp caves of Count Orlok's castle”. Notes include lilac, oud and petrichor – that earthy, damp smell after rainfall.

It sounds like a fitting tie-in for the film, which stars William Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Nicholas Hoult, Lily Rose-Depp and Bill Skarsgård. Director Robert Eggers, he who made the Witch so terrifying, reportedly shot all the Transylvania scenes using candlelight alone. The film is in cinemas on December 25, an this perfume will be at the top of our Christmas list.

Wicked x Absolutely Anyone, Apparently

The worst offender when it comes to endless reams of tat is, hands down, Wicked. The opportunities for tie-ins are apparently, unlimited, when it comes to this musical adaptation that is gunning hard for monetising its intended audience of young women. With green for Elphaba (played by Cynthia Eviro) and pink for Glinda (Ariana Grande), the dual colourway has been slapped on everything from Stanley cups to suitcases.

A non-exhaustive list of pink-and-green products includes: Wicked Glinda Siren Clogs and Wicked Elphaba Classic Clogs by Crocs; a bag in Wicked Green and Popular Pink from the Cambridge Satchel Company; a green Shark FlexStyle Limited Edition heat styling tool; Wicked rolling luggage from Beís; Wet Brush detangling brushds; a Prism Cold Cup with Wand Straw Topper from Starbucks; Funko Pops; Mattel dolls in the actors’ likenesses; Lego sets; endless clothing collaborations available at Walmart, Target, Forever21, Aldo and Next; makeup bags from M&S; mix-to-reveal cupcake kits; and makeup palette’s from Grande’s own makeup brand, r.e.m. Even the St Pancras Christmas tree has been Wicked-ified.

While some of the pieces seem sensible from a marketing – the overlapping Venn diagram of Arianators and Stanley cup devotees is probably just a circle – a lot of it seems like plastic tat signifying the worst excesses of consumerism. No one needs anything in two colourways. Or shelf-stable macaroni and cheese in a cup that may turn out pink or might be green.

With such a high volume of products, it was inevitable something would go wrong. Mattel has had to issue an apology after a link on the side of the Wicked dolls led to a porn site rather than the official movie website. Possibly the last thing you want to happen with a children’s toy.

Heretic x Joya

Who doesn’t want their home to smell of blueberry pie and terror? Heretic is A24’s latest horror offering, featuring a delighted Hugh Grant letting his villainous side rip. Grant plays Mr Reed, a devious man who lures two young Mormon missionaries into his home with promises his wife is baking in the kitchen. The women are lulled into a false sense (or should that be scent) of security by the aroma of blueberry pie that turns out to be a smelly candle.

A24 really doubled down on this moment, even offering special screenings where the scent of blueberry pie was pumped into theatres. The candle is also available to buy for $40 from the A24 shop, in collaboration with the design studio Joya. It’s meant to smell like “flaky, buttery crust and zingy blueberry filling” with top notes of making “your houseguests question everything”.

Not exactly cosy, but a cute piece of merch for a horror film.

Gladiator II x Pepsi

Director Ridley Scott is notorious for enraging historians with his period films that play fast and loose with the facts. There have already been complaints that his new film, Gladiator II, includes such clangers as Romans reading newspapers over 1,000 years before the invention of the printing press. With a Pepsi tie-in, Paul Mescal could well have ended up sipping on a carbonated beverage in his toga.

But to be fair to the Gladiator II, this does hark back to a truly iconic tie-in. Gladiator was released in 2000, and was still a pop culture phenomenon when Pepsi decided to use actual Colosseum in Rome as a backdrop for a gladiatorial themed advert featuring Britney, Beyoncé and Pink. It was meant to make its debut during the Superbowl, but never actually aired.

Over two decades later, Paramount Global, Pepsi, and the NFL came together to re-boot the concept, starring Megan Thee Stallion and players including Travis Kelce, the boyfriend of one Taylor Swift. Pepsi is launching a series of “Talking Cans” – collector’s items where you can use your phone to make the characters on the artwork talk to you. Not something to attempt if you’ve been drinking anything stronger than a soda.

Weird technology tie-ins are also built into the special edition Gladiator II popcorn bucket in the shape of the Colosseum. Once you’ve scoffed all your snacks you can scan a QR code to watch tiny AR gladiators fight in the arena through your phone. How pointless.

Barbie x Everyone

Honourable mention to Barbie, which kicked off this new phase of behemoth blockbuster tie-ins last year and which still has some merchandise in stock. These limited edition Barbieparty Heeled Sandals are on sale for £70 from the Barbie x Aldo collection.

There were reportedly over 100 brand tie-ins, including nail polish, pool floats, roller skates, clothes, hair accessories, toy cars, electric toothbrushes, hair dye, hairdryers, body scrubs, tiny designer furniture, jewelry, a coffee table book dedicated to documenting every single one of Margot Robbie’s Barbie-themed red carpet outfits, and – obviously – lots of Barbie dolls.

Looking back, it’s an eyewatering amount of stuff created in the name of cinema. But, clearly, a harbinger of merchandise oversaturation to come.