As a die-hard horror fan who’s been through my fair share of chilling films and terrifying tales, I must admit that “House of Spoils” left me feeling rather disheartened. It seems like the creators had this grand idea of blending horror with a character-driven culinary drama, aiming to capitalize on the current popularity of shows like “The Bear” and “The Menu.” However, they failed to strike that perfect balance, leaving us with an uneven dish that’s far too derivative to be gourmet.
On October 3, 2024, I’m thrilled to share that I’ve just discovered “House of Spoils,” a chilling culinary mystery produced jointly by Blumhouse Television. Masquerading as a supernatural horror tale reminiscent of a blend between “The Menu” and “The Bear,” the storyline revolves around an anonymous Chef, portrayed brilliantly by Ariana DeBose. Her initial excitement about launching her first restaurant is dampened by the intense, high-stress work environment.
Initially, House of Spoils starts off as an engaging character-focused drama, but unfortunately, it veers into the realm of the absurd when it attempts to frighten audiences with overused, worn-out, and predictable horror cliches. A late turn in the storyline is particularly frustrating because it promises a thrilling conclusion, yet delivers a disappointing anticlimax instead. In essence, it could be argued that House of Spoils secretly regrets being a horror film and would work much better if it abandoned the tired Blumhouse approach.
Read our review
3 What Is House of Spoils About?
The House of Spoils represents a chilling psychological horror film produced by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, available on Amazon Prime Video and Blumhouse Television. The narrative revolves around a character named Chef (Ariana DeBose), who is both ambitious and gifted. After the grand opening of her city restaurant, Chef’s joyous mood takes a turn as she encounters the unforgiving truths of being a restaurateur. A whirlwind of hectic schedules, difficult customers, suspicious investors, and mounting pressures lead Chef to reconsider her decision to enter this new line of work.
If not just the stress of being a chef, but also the restaurant’s eerie history adds to the pressure. The former owner, known to be malevolent, seems to dislike outsiders. You can imagine the chilling effects: sudden loud noises, shaking glassware, suspenseful music cues, and lingering shots of shadowy corners where nothing much appears, but still sends a chill down your spine. Creepy creatures in pastries, mold growth, rotting plants outside, and other unsettling occurrences hint at trouble. Yet, the chef is determined to move forward and create a successful opening, overlooking the warnings that there might be something ominous lurking behind the restaurant’s walls.
At its finest, the House of Spoils truly shines when it spotlights the Chef’s extraordinary culinary artistry, crafting unique dishes that tantalize my taste buds and showcase her professional prowess in the kitchen. Unfortunately, at times, it seems as though the horror aspects are hastily added, lacking the authentic chilling atmosphere or spine-tingling terror that leaves a lasting impression.
2 Spoiling the Horror
The film titled “House of Spoils” is filled with predictable scares, poorly executed CGI effects, and terror that barely qualifies it as a horror movie. At one instance, the Chef serves a dish to a customer, and upon taking a bite, an army of tacky, computer-generated insects swarm over the plate in a low-budget special effect mishap. It’s quite evident that the crawling creatures were hastily added at the last moment, leading to more laughter rather than feelings of nausea or fear.
If the movie received a PG-13 rating, it wouldn’t be sufficiently terrifying. Instead, as a full-blown R-rated production, it seems disrespectful to dedicated horror enthusiasts. As The San Francisco Chronicle points out in its critique, “House of Spoils struggles particularly with genre blending. The more extreme horror scenes appear forced onto what essentially is a character study with elements of mystery.
In a similar vein, Collider observes that the horror elements in the film appear unusual given their context, suggesting that it seems to rely on familiar storytelling techniques and tropes that have been extensively utilized in other narratives. Additionally, The A.V. Club comments on House of Spoils, noting that it fails to generate authentic fear. They explain that the outcome is overly serious to ever fully embrace the campiness of a B-movie, yet not absurd or frightening enough to convey a deeper message.
The film introduces an implausible kidnapping scenario involving dark magic that seems out of place and hard to believe. It moves slowly, lacks engagement, and is tough to follow. The weak tension and suspense surrounding the central mystery make it questionable whether it’s worth staying for. If the movie had concentrated on Chef’s struggle without the excess horror aspects, House of Spoils could be revisited with interest.
1 What House of Spoils Really Wants to Be
In a world where House of Spoils isn’t a horror film, it would much prefer to be a heartwarming culinary series akin to Hulu’s The Bear. As the story unfolds within the walls of a restaurant, the conflicts that whizz by the staff at breakneck speed make for an inherently dramatic setting. However, instead of focusing on developing its characters and their journeys, the movie opts to prioritize its superficial horror elements over the potential drama.
The film effectively portrays the struggle between the imaginative Chef and her business partner, highlighting the balancing act of art and profit that’s essential for successful restaurants. Maintaining this tension between the Chef’s individual ambition and the restaurant’s corporate objectives would have provided sufficient dramatic tension to keep audiences hooked, particularly since DeBose delivers a stellar performance. Unfortunately, the movie falters towards the end by veering into over-the-top supernatural elements.
The scary movie tropes and tenets meant to terrify viewers not only come too far and few, but they also fail to land when they finally arrive. House of Spoils wants to be a character-driven spook show set in a fine dining establishment to tap into the current zeitgeist and capitalize on the popularity of The Bear and The Menu. Unfortunately, the dish is far more derivative than gourmet, proving that House of Spoils would function better as a straightforward drama than a horror movie afterthought.
House of Spoils is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-10-09 01:01