The latest collaboration between Blumhouse and Amazon, House of Spoils, explores the high stress restaurant environment with a witchy twist. Writer/Directors Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy (Blow the Man Down) deliver a culinary visual feast when it comes to the food and the inner workings of the kitchen, one that happens to be a little haunted. But don’t expect heavy scares in this feminine horror film that feels more like Hell’s Kitchen meets Practical Magic.
Ariana DeBose (West Side Story, I.S.S.) stars as a high-pressure “Chef,” introduced as the star of renowned restauranteur Marcello’s (Marton Csokas) kitchen. Chef plates with poise and earns Marcello’s praise, but once the night’s service has ended, she draws his ire by quitting; she’s been offered the rare opportunity to head her own kitchen at a new venture. She’s teamed with nervous investor Andres (Arian Moayed) to open a destination farm-to-table restaurant from an old house, one rumored to have been owned by a witch. Naturally, that’ll become a pesky problem for Chef as she works to develop a menu and please her difficult boss.
Food takes center stage in House of Spoils. Chef moves into the dusty, creaky house and gets to work getting it service ready, finding herself dealing with a bug infestation and mysterious food spoilage. But every gross out food moment is offset by delectable, down-to-earth stylings from food stylist Zoe Hegedus that whet the appetite. Cole & Krudy’s latest works best when fixated on the minutiae of Chef’s work and her ongoing, shifting development of her menu.
DeBose is also effective as the Chef who’s abandoned a rare post for a riskier venture, giving up everything to become Head Chef while crumbling under pressure. It’s here where Cole & Krudy feebly attempt to inject a few jump scares, spooky background images, and nightmare sequences, but there’s no heart behind any of it. Instead, these few horror moments come fleeting and without bite. It’s more horror-lite than horror as if it were an afterthought. That becomes a problem for the film’s climax; with the horror so scant and underdeveloped, the more horror-forward finale feels unearned even when Chef’s arc feels complete.
The sound design and emphasis on food is impeccable, with the film at its strongest when Chef is working with or railing against her sous chef, Lucia (Barbie Ferreira). The subtext to their push-and-pull adds depth and nuance, and the way they develop the textures and flavors for their unique menu is bewitching. Yet even Ferreira can’t meet DeBose’s energy, with Lucia often getting swallowed whole by DeBose’s fiery, volatile Chef.
Chef and Lucia’s frictional relationship becomes as vital as the food stylings here, both shaping Cole & Krudy’s uplifting, slightly spooky take of feminine bonding and nourishment for the soul. The horror elements are scarce, making for a more uplifting tale perfect for the Halloween season rather than one that’ll induce frights. It makes for a breezy, feel-good culinary treat, but one that won’t satiate those looking for something to get under their skin.
House of Spoils made its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest and premieres globally on Prime Video on October 3, 2024.
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