House of Spoils

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]

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.

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.

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.

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.