Thanks to both the low cost and high competition 0f streaming content, the lead-up to Halloween has become increasingly congested in recent years, each platform attempting to outdo the other with scares for all kinds of horror fans. This year, those looking for blood-sucking (Salem’s Lot), reality-shifting (Caddo Lake), body-swapping (It’s What’s Inside), footage-finding (V/H/S: Beyond) and dystopia-sequeling (The Platform 2) will be satiated – while this week, a more unusual horror fan is being targeted. House of Spoils, a low-budget Blumhouse offering for Amazon, is for the one who’s more affected by the fear associated with restaurant-opening, whose idea of a perfect night in involves oscillating between Food Network and Shudder.
It’s not as if food hasn’t long been a recurring element of horror films but not many have been set directly in that world, one that’s become more widely used in the wake of both The Bear and the far superior Boiling Point. It’s a film that works best when it’s focused on the struggles that go into opening a new restaurant than when it’s trying to frighten us, the tension over designing a new menu proving far scarier than a malevolent spirit.
