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.

The ambitious assistant (Ariana DeBose) of the famous Chef Marcello (Marton Csokas) quits her job to work as a Chef in a new remote restaurant in the countryside, despite the offer from Marcello to double her salary. She delivers her apartment and moves to live in the restaurant owned by Andres (Arian Moayed). The place is dirty with insects, and she has hard work to clean the kitchen. Andres is in a hurry to open the place since he has many debts and invites a group of selected friends, including his investor, to write reviews about the new place. However, there is an infestation of insects and a rabbit destroys her vegetable garden, and the Chef loses her supplies and is forced to improvise dishes. But the famous food critic Hiral Sen (Amara Karan) does not like the food, the investor gives up the business and Andres fires her. But the Chef asks for one more chance to Andres that reluctantly accepts her request. She chases the rabbit to kill it and sees a creepy garden with several plants. She tastes them with her assistant Lucia (Barbie Ferreira) and they decide to use them in her new trial with several guests. Meanwhile the Chef is haunted by nightmares, and she learns that a witch lived in that area and was the previous owner of the restaurant, but she vanished. Will the Chef and the restaurant succeed?

"House of Spoils" (2024) is neither a thriller nor a horror movie, but the story of an ambitious and arrogant woman that wants to be a Chef. She accepts the challenge of working in a new restaurant and is pressed by the new situation. The plot is confusing, and it seems that the previous owner, who was falsely accused to be a witch, haunts her to find her body and learn her true story. Ariana DeBose performs an obnoxious character and has a histrionic performance in the role of the Chef, abusive with Lucia most of the time. The pointless conclusion does not let the viewer know what is the point of the intriguing, but messy plot. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "A Casa Mórbida" ("The Morbid House")

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.

Food movies have been all the rage the last few years. And almost all of them have been pretty good. 'House of Spoils' is sadly the first real letdown in the sub-genre that I've seen. It felt very much like a film that didn't have enough of any one thing, so tried to throw multiple things at the wall in the hope that one of them would stick.

The end result is a bit of a chaotic mess - and not a particularly interesting one either. The film is probably at its most interesting when it is just being a regular kitchen drama. But even then all the drama and obstacles feel very forced.

I had hopes that all the grind of the first hour was just setting up for a strong finish. Unfortunately the final 20-30 minutes are probably the most dull part of the film. It really does whimper home. This one wasn't for me. 4/10.

I just watched this movie on a whim not knowing what it was about, and I enjoyed it. I liked the aesthetic a lot and while the sudden shift at the end might be a bit far fetched..well its a movie so that is part of the experience. I liked the parts with the plants and the earthiness, and just the creativity. It is refreshing to see knew ideas, especially because these days they are far and few between. I do see the issues that people may find with it, but thats people these days, they find issues with everything. This one I am recommending you give it a go and see if you find enjoyment in it like I have.