Foodie culture has become a very popular dish in the entertainment industry, and for good reason. The viral nature of food enthusiasts on social media is likely one of the many factors why we’ve gotten Emmy-winning television shows like The Bear or fan-favorite satires like The Menu. Speaking of the latter example, MGM Studios and Blumhouse’s latest horror stint, House of Spoils, will inevitably generate numerous comparisons to The Menu, even though it’s actually the antithesis to the 2022 sleeper hit in a variety of ways. Where The Menu follows a working-class woman who is held hostage by a deluded and pretentious chef, House of Spoils tells the story of an aspiring culinary genius who becomes besieged by supernatural forces. Where The Menu casts blame on the consumers for tarnishing the art of cooking, House of Spoils argues that the problems with the industry start in the kitchen. Unfortunately, where The Menu served a sharp, clever, and riveting entrée, House of Spoils presents a dull, rudimentary, and underwhelming appetizer.

What Is ‘House of Spoils’ About?

The main protagonist of House of Spoils is a young woman referred to only as Chef (Ariana DeBose), who has spent nearly a decade of her life training among the best culinary minds in the industry. Now, Chef wants to make her mark on the world of food by running her own restaurant. With the help of a smooth-talking restauranteur named Andres (Arian Moayed), Chef soon begins prepping an abandoned mansion to become an upscale and remote restaurant destination. Before long, though, Chef soon learns that the mansion’s previous owner may have had connections to the occult, who may still be wandering the derelict home’s walls to this very day.

A psychological thriller centering around ghoulish witches and a lust for fame and power sounds like a surefire recipe for a compelling horror feature. In the case of House of Spoils, something must have gone wrong in following that recipe, as the new Blumhouse film fundamentally lacks a lot of the scares and thrills that the production company is so well-known for. In fact, it doesn’t even really feel like House of Spoils was originally intended to be a horror film, and that the standard checklist of cheap jump scares and generic ghost stories was only implemented once Blumhouse got hold of the script.

The familiar horror/thriller main course of House of Spoils could be forgiven if it was garnished with something memorable and unique, such as meaningful commentary and satire on the culinary industry. Sadly, most of the film’s commentary on the food service world has already been explored to great lengths in other movies and shows. The only thematic element that could be considered more distinct in House of Spoils is a look into the culinary industry’s sexist tendencies, but the film doesn’t commit nearly enough to say anything profound or interesting.

Ariana DeBose’s Performance in ‘House of Spoils’ Is a Mixed Bag
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Ariana DeBose’s impeccable charisma is exactly what earned the West Side Story star a well-deserved Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress. She clearly has a talent for playing sharp, clever, and independent characters, so a role like the Chef in House of Spoils seems tailor-made for her. The fact that the film’s protagonist is only credited and referred to as “Chef” opens the door to a lot of interpretation for a complex character who is not nearly as respected by her peers as she should be. The overall general concept of a chef dabbling in witchcraft is also a fun concept that House of Spoils deserves credit for trying to explore.

This is why it’s disappointing to see that DeBose’s performance is all over the place in House of Spoils. This is especially true in the film’s already uneven “scary” sequences, where DeBose’s fear in the face of a potential ghost witch doesn’t come across as convincing. Some moments where DeBose is presumably supposed to act startled and horrified appear as being unintentionally hilarious due to her unconvincing screams of terror. That being said, DeBose shines best when she’s able to get more creative with the Chef’s descent into madness, particularly when she has someone to bounce off of like Euphoria’s Barbie Ferreira and Succession’s Arian Moayed, both of whom are strong supporting cast members even in their limited screentime..

Ferreira and Moayed’s characters of Lucia and Andres, respectively, also could have benefited from some more development. House of Spoils teases that they have more dynamic arcs beyond the one-note characters they’re initially introduced as. Andres, for example, first appears as your standard sleazy businessman, but just when it seems like there’s a more vulnerable character lying beneath the surface, House of Spoils once again struggles to commit.

The Third Act of ‘House of Spoils’ is a Bitter Dessert
Image via Prime Video

The dramatic conclusion of House of Spoils might be the most underwhelming aspect of the entire film. Much of this can be linked to the big twist of the film, which, without giving too much away, completely devours any tension and suspense that was still lying beneath the film’s surface. The result is a perplexing and confusing finale that leaves viewers with more questions than answers. An early scene in House of Spoils sees Chef being forced to use pre-packaged and pre-existing ingredients to put one of her meals together. If that’s not a perfect analogy for House of Spoils, then we don’t know what is. That’s because the film feels like it’s making use of storytelling devices and clichés that have been used over and over again in other stories. The end product is something that is serviceable and easy to digest, but also far too familiar, lacking any major innovations.

House of Spoils premieres on Prime Video on Thursday, October 3, 2024.

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