Ariana DeBose is confident, stamps her presence in every scene. Her confrontations with the ghost serve up some levity even while letting in a modicum of fear
A still from House of Spoils
Film: House of Spoils
Cast: Ariana DeBose, Barbie Ferreira, Arian Moayed, Marton Csokas, Amara Karan, Mikkel Bratt Silset, Gabriel Drake, Imola Gaspar
Director: Danielle Krudy, Bridget Savage Cole
Rating: * * 1/2
Runtime: 101 min
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An attempted horror genre flick about an ambitious chef who gives up a high-paying secure job of a sous-chef at a swanky restaurant in the city, to open a restaurant on an abandoned estate in the middle of nowhere - only to end up battling kitchen chaos at every turn, is fairly engrossing thanks to the lead, Oscar winner Ariana DeBose’s presence.
Cole and Krudy’s script has a witchy ghost wreaking havoc on Chef’s plans of serving up an original menu in the potential fine dining establishment that she’d dreamed up with restauranteur Andres (Arian Moayed). Tensions mount, Chef’s behavior becomes erratic and the haunting history of the house swirls up creepy visions that put the fast-nearing opening day in a quandary.
Her ex-boss (Marton Csokas) had warned her that such dreams are often paths to failure but Chef decides to take the plunge anyway. The obvious stresses plague her. The estate and the interiors need renovation and heavy-duty cleaning, the original menu takes a long time coming and a sous-chef Lucia (Barbie Ferreira) is thrust into the mix even though she might not be competent for the task. It may not be an ideal setup but Chef is up to the challenge until she experiences ghostly interference.
Eric Lin’s gross imagery helps establish the estate’s witchy past. The narrative’s character study is lent some weight as a young woman is shown facing up to the pressures of her new job surrounded by men who hold all the cards.
DeBose is confident and stamps her presence on every scene. Her confrontations with the ghost serve up some levity even while letting in a modicum of fear. House of Spoils may not be game enough to go full throttle at generating horror but it is fairly tasty in keeping its rudimentary rustic enchantment intact. This is not a slasher movie and has very little blood, gore, special effects to add weight to the mayhem. Writer/directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy second feature is presented with some flair and is light-weight and enjoyable enough to watch on a streaming platform. Presents a refreshing welcome change from the typical horror-thriller genre film.
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