A surprisingly clever riff on a familiar recipe, Prime Video’s “House of Spoils” seems like a dark fairy tale you could make better yourself — at first. Part “The Bear” and part “The Witch,” this supernatural horror outing follows a nameless Chef (Ariana DeBose) in an allegory about ambitious women that lacks bite but isn’t without its own special sauce.
Writer/directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy broke out with their tenacious crime thriller “Blow the Man Down” in 2019 and show a well-earned confidence in this imperfect but still occasionally enchanting first-time genre effort. The duo’s second feature builds on a bare-bones concept that feels more rudimentary than rustic much of the time, and yet, the filmmakers’ decisive presentation is enjoyable enough as an entrée served straight to streaming.
Jeremy Allen White has the market cornered on tortured culinary professionals — and, as far as the cast of Spielberg’s “West Side Story” is concerned, Rachel Zegler is its only certified Disney Princess. Still, the quietly magical DeBose seems at home here and, on occasion, even dazzles as a final girl in what’s ultimately an ultra-modern retelling of “Hansel & Gretel.” Tales of foodies lured to spooky garden cottages deep in the woods may be centuries old, but “House of Spoils” reheats that framework as an intriguing fine dining experience garnished with a fresh take on sneaky sorcery.
Leaving her prestigious role at a famous restaurant in New York City, Chef is determined to buck the feminine mystique and run a kitchen of her own — even if she has to risk everything and move to a roach-infested farmhouse in the countryside to do it. Partnering with the flashy entrepreneur Andreas (Arian Moayed, “Succession”) and his collection of douchey outerwear is her first mistake in that endeavor. But even forced into an ill-fitting Barefoot Contessa act, Chef is intent on pairing Andreas’ poorly planned farm-to-table vision with her unique approach to food.
With an awkward local kid who can’t pronounce “prosciutto” as her errand boy (Mikkel Bratt Silset), the enterprising restaurateur studies gardening videos on YouTube while simultaneously battling bugs and mold at every indoor corner. Simultaneously, her greener-than-green sous chef Lucia (Barbie Ferreira) — another hire by Andreas — flirts up a storm with their financer and starts testing her new boss’s rapidly diminishing patience. As tensions mount and opening day nears, Chef’s behavior grows ever more erratic, and the haunting history of the house serving as both her workplace and lodging teases out creepy visions that may or may not be there.
Up against “The Bear,” yes, but also “No Reservations,” “Boiling Point,” and more kitchen-related cinema, the professional pressure that’s baked into Cole and Krudy’s underdone script isn’t all that satisfying. If you’ve seen one finger-meets-knife chopping scare, then you’ve seen them all — and an onslaught of other gross-out scares too often look the same. While the queer-coded character of Chef (peep that Old Spice deodorant, baby!) offers something vaguely new, “House of Spoils” can’t squeeze much from a niche world we’ve seen rendered more nightmarish in non-horror efforts before. That said, the well-known occupational hazards facing Chef help springboard a second half that’s fulfilling in part because it’s not as intense as that stainless steel set-up initially suggests.
Hazy and soft with a witchy femininity that for a few memorable moments can feel akin to Apple TV+’s “The Changeling,” Cole and Krudy’s story is most impactful when lingering in the foliage of folklore. It’s got some appetizing gore and a mushroom cloud of a finale that expands to depict several other types of scares — although, “House of Spoils” should mainly be recommended for bringing an unusual spectral essence to a dish you might otherwise turn down. You won’t want seconds, but it’s worth the taste test even picked for parts.
Grade: B-
“House of Spoils” premiered at Fantastic Fest 2024 on September 21, before streaming globally on Prime Video October 3.
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