House of Spoils

Sure, it's not the best horror-thriller ever, but I was still reasonably entertained, at least till the (slightly deflative) end. The premise of an ambitious cook trying to create her own restaurant in an isolated and dilapidated mansion is pretty original for a horror, the atmosphere is pleasantly creepy, and for the first hour the mounting pressure on the chef (Ariana DeBose) to perform, while more and more strange and inexplicable happenings are undermining her confidence and sanity, kept me curious about what to expect next.

But after we were confronted with the shimmering ghost of the former owner, who was apparently a woman interested in natural ingredients but considered by the locals to be a witch, the story rapidly lost its focus. The chills and scares lessened, the ghost got hardly any background; and the chef turning rather abruptly raving mad, but still capable of totally impromptu creating her best dinner-menu ever, was really too far of a stretch.

Ariana DeBose nevertheless gave a strong performance as the at first firm and resolute, but gradually mentally overwrought chef, and Arian Moayed did a great job too as her relentless, opportunistic financial back-up. The photography is fine, and there's even some social criticism discernible at posh and hedonistic restaurant-visitors who revel over exotic flavors, as well as a hint to better appreciation of the use of natural ingredients and nature in general. But the rough way in which the chef seizes, kills and roasts a poor rabbit to make it the height of her prize-dinner seemed to me totally out of character with this supposed love of nature.

I was looking for a horror movie to stream, and settled on this without high expectations. Then I was pleasantly surprised to find I was intrigued and wanted to keep watching this under rated find. This is pretty decent story. Far better than the usual slasher with a chainsaw, or me too haunted house with footsteps upstairs and curtains blowing in the breeze. Surprisingly good acting all around, though I wasn't familiar most of the cast. DeBose did a fine job here. Very little blood, gore, or even special effects. Which says something about a story that can stand on it's own without them. Recommended, for something more chill and subtle in the horror genre.

Director duo Coke and Krudy manages to set up a an interesting starting point, that even, lo and behold!, seems to bring some new settings and approaches to the horror genre. As "House of Spoils" progresses however, it turns into a repetitive odyssey of insecure filmmaking. Constantly failing to pack a punch and stir up any scares, the convoluted ending gives "House of Spoils" a strong flavor of early 2000s made-for-TV movies. Whatever the directors serve you, it's impossible to work out what they want to tell us. Are they satirizing pretentiousness? Some vague environmental themes? This film leaves you hungry for a horror movie that goes its lengths to actually scare you. Like craving McDonald's after dinner at an overpriced restaurant.

Blumhouse presents an interesting concept and an overall promising premise in this film, where Ariana DeBose plays a chef who opens her first restaurant, a venture that doesn't go quite as planned. It appears that the spirit of the estate's previous owner is sabotaging her new business, and it's up to her to withstand the mounting pressure.

Ariana DeBose portrays her role very well, and I certainly enjoyed her on-screen presence. The premise sounded intriguing and offered a refreshing departure from the typical fare that Blumhouse usually churns out. However, unfortunately, this movie doesn't reach its potential and ultimately falls into the same category as most Blumhouse productions. It suffers from tired tropes and slow pacing. Despite its 101-minute runtime, it felt much longer, and I found myself checking the time around the 60-minute mark, surprised to see over half an hour remaining.

The horror elements are ineffective, consisting mostly of cliché jump scares and futile attempts to build tension. These moments fail to leave a lasting impression, making the film feel flat in its delivery.

While this wasn't a terrible movie, it wasn't particularly entertaining either, burdened as it is with several flaws. There may be a niche audience that truly enjoys this, but I suspect the majority will view it as mediocre at best. If you thought the premise was interesting, I would suggest checking out The Menu (2022) for a more pleasant viewing experience. [4,9/10]

The movie is well done, cinematography, acting, dialogues. The story contains something that's pretty out there and is at times hard to watch. I'm a chef myself, but I'm critical when it comes to fine and "haute cuisine". The main element of the cooking I find inspiring, but like I mentioned, it's hard to watch in context of the basis of the story. What I also liked was the ending but not in the sense of how it all turned out. I mean rather the scene/picture of the snobby guests sitting together with all cooks and employees outside at the fire. This scene alone could be an inspiration for a complete different story/movie, no matter which genre.

Unfortunately it's not enough for me to give it more than an average rating / 5 out of 10 stars. When I give 5 stars it means I made it to the end without getting bored. Not sure I would recommend it to friends or thus to anyone. Simply because there's just not enough in it. Better watch "The Menu" instead, if you haven't already.