October Horror Challenge 2023 #69: "The Menu"

I'm addicted to 2 things in this life: horror movies and the Food Network, and this movie is the lovely mix of the two. Plus it has Anya Taylor-Joy in it, and she'sa modern day scream queen, so if you see her name on a movie, it's bound to be good. I saw a bunch of ads for this movie when it first came out, and it had me rolling with its satirical commentary on the food world that i experience primarily through watching the Food Network. Ralph Fiennes plays the head chef, and he's a good actor, but he outdid himself with this performance. I felt sorry for the chef even while he creeped me out. I've been watching commercials for this movie all summer, and i was so excited to finally get to see it.

So this movie is about opening night at a new, fancy restaurant and only VIPs are on the list to attend. There's a famous food critic as well as a few celebrities and people in positions of power, all eager to eatthe food of a famous eccentric chef. Unfortunately for the guests, this is no ordinary swanky restaurant. This chef takes his work very seriously, and tonight he's going to exact his revenge on those who have done wrong. This meal is about retribution, and nothing will stop him from carrying out his evil plan. Unbeknownst to him, however, one of his guests has brought an uninvited friend to the party, and she throws a wrench into the works. Will she be able to outsmart the crazy genius and beat him at his own game?

What can I say about this movie? I haven't watched the Food Network all month now because I've been watching horror movies exclusively this month, so I've missed hearing people talk about food, and that aspect of the movie was a lot of fun. I could picture one of the chefs i admire so much on the Food Network saying some of the lines from this movie, and that made it even funnier. There's not much gore here, but what gore there is happens to be very well done. Body parts get chopped off, someone gets stabbed in the leg, someone gets stabbed in the throat. It's an unpleasant affair for everyone involved (though the chefs making the food seem to be under the head chef's spell, and they trespond in unison whenever he asks them a question, like some kind of deranged Greek chorus). I really enjoyed this movie, and if you're obsessed with horror films and the FoodNetwork like i am, you should check it out too.