Fantastic Fest 2024 audiences had the opportunity to attend the world premier of House of Spoils. With films and shows such as The Bear, The Menu, and What You Wish For, there has been a lot of chef-based entertainment on the market lately. Luckily, writing and directing duo Bridget Savage Cole (The Stand, Blow the Man Down) and Danielle Krudy (The Stand, Blow the Man Down) delivers something different with House of Spoils. The film centers on a chef who has decided to leave her head chef job at a big city, high-end restaurant to open her own restaurant in the country. Once there, the past collides with the present in supernatural ways, threatening the chef’s career, livelihood, and even her life.

What makes House of Spoils unique in a time of a lot of chef-based horror is that the protagonist is a woman, referred to only as “Chef” throughout the film. Not only that, she is a black woman in an industry that is dominated by white men, even when it comes to those previously mentioned films and shows. At the time audiences meet Chef, she’s already at the top of her career after years of fighting tooth and nail to get to where she is. When an investor offers Chef her own restaurant, it’s too great of an opportunity to pass up. The restaurant is set in a spacious manor tucked away in the countryside, meant to be a destination of elegant, high-end dining. From the moment Chef arrives, she’s plagued with issues. Eventually she learns the dark history of the woman who previously owned the house, who was accused of being a witch and disappeared soon after, and finds the previous owner’s garden filled with all manner of spices, herbs, and other edible plants. Even when things start to look up for Chef and her upcoming opening night, the dark history of the house threatens to destroy everything.

House of Spoils is not only a great restaurant drama, but it also incorporates a fascinating supernatural mystery that keeps audiences guessing right up to the final moments. Every time you think you know what’s going on, the film hits you with another surprise. Throughout the film there is a theme of feminism, connecting with the earth and yourself, and the power of good cooking. It all culminates in an ending that might not appeal to all horror audiences, but those who connect with the themes and significance of that ending are sure to find it incredibly satisfying.

With a range of familiar and newer faces, House of Spoils has a fantastic cast. Ariana DeBose (Wish, Argylle) stars as Chef. DeBose is a powerhouse, at first giving Chef more “masculine” personality traits she’s had to pick up working in a male dominated industry, even talking about her non-existent balls and dick early in the film. Yet, it’s when Chef reconnects with her femininity and what made her fall in love with cooking, even when it seems it might drive her insane, that DeBose gives her most powerful performance. Arian Moayed (Succession, Spider-Man: No Way Home) plays Andres, the person funding Chef’s new restaurant. Moayed offers a lot of comedic relief as Andres, often embodying the arrogant persona of a promotor/restauranteur. Despite this outward persona, there are still moments when Moayed reveals his humanity hidden beneath the surface. Finally, we have Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria, Nope) as Lucia, Chef’s new sous chef. What is great about Ferreira’s performance is how she conveys Lucia living a “fake it til you make it” lifestyle, which makes her quite annoying at times. Yet, the closer Lucia and Chef work together, the more audiences get to see the real Lucia.

While House of Spoils is rather understated with many of the sights and sounds, they still leave a lasting impression. Audiences will likely immediately notice the beautiful score by Jim Williams, as it seamlessly ties together the horrifying and whimsical moments through music. The sound design as a whole adds a lot to the film, especially when it comes to the sounds of the CGI insects that repeatedly infest Chef’s new kitchen. Many of the visuals add a lot of appeal to the film. The most apparent is in the cinematography, lighting, and set design. It brings the new restaurant and surrounding property to life in a way that adds a warm glow to each scene and embodies the cottage core look of any kitchen witch’s dreams. Even the costume design plays a significant role, especially when it comes to Chef and Lucia. Chef is almost always shown in her chef jacket, simple pants, and clogs. When out of her chef outfit, she just wears sweatpants and other items with no shape, color, or personality, indicating her career is her entire life. For Lucia, at first she is shown wearing flashy, eye-catching attire to put out an air of confidence before she tones it down and wears more practical items as she gets more involved in the kitchen. Everything combines to add to and elevate the compelling story being told.

House of Spoils delivers a feminist, supernatural take on restaurant horror with plenty of twists and turns for edge-of-your-seat suspense. Cole and Krudy did a phenomenal job of incorporating witchcraft and candlelit intrigue into an otherwise very modern tale of one woman trying to make it in a male-dominated industry. DeBose is an absolute powerhouse throughout the film, giving the performance of her career (so far). This is the kind of film that will likely piss off a certain demographic of horror fans and, if I’m being completely honest, that makes me love it even more. You can catch House of Spoils on October 3rd, streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10