“The Menu”, the new Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy horror movie that everyone is talking about

Margot and Tyler travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant run by Chef Slowik, who has prepared a menu where the food is treated like concept art, but his approach to cooking has some shocking surprises for the wealthy guests. (SearchlightPictures)

This year there has been a wide range of horror movies that were liked by the public; Barbarian, Mr. Harrigan’s phone, nope!, X Y the black phone are just some of them. Although 2022 is about to end, that does not mean that the proposals of this genre have stopped and for example it is The menuthe new feature film starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult Y Ralph Fiennes. This production since its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), last September, has not stopped generating good comments for the way it mixes fear and suspense with the world of cooking.

The feature film will premiere on November 18 and horror lovers who have already had the opportunity to see this work, catalog it as one of the films of the year. Based on some critics and reviews shown so far, it looks like it’s going to be one of the most intriguing and deranged horror adventures of the year. Along with Fiennes, Taylor-Joy and Hoult, the film also stars John Leguizamo, Aimee Carrero, Janet McTeer, Paul Adelstein and Rob Yang. Before this film opens, we tell you everything you need to know about this work.

Ralph Fiennes brings chef Julian Slowik to life. (SearchlightPictures)
Ralph Fiennes brings chef Julian Slowik to life. (SearchlightPictures)

The history

Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult play a couple who travel to Hawthorne, an exclusive restaurant on a remote island. Celebrity chef Julian Slowik has prepared a lavish menu for the couple and other patrons, though it soon becomes clear that the restaurant and chef are not what they seem. The guests turn up dead, and the other chefs exhibit a cultish devotion to the head chef. The two are part of a select group of 12 who have paid a small fortune to dine at the celebrity chef’s restaurant.

Anya’s character is less involved in the dining experience than her partner, suspecting something is wrong all the time. The trailer intentionally leaves a lot of loose ends and ambiguous plot points, like what the chef’s secret really is and why the other chefs seem so devoted to him. Similarly, patrons seem bemused as the night progresses and Slowik is seen acting strangely and dedicated to his craft, and at least one guest appears to be stabbed to death, but nothing more explicit is revealed. The public can make their own guesses as to what the restaurant is all about.

Anya Taylor-Joy plays Margot, a woman who comes to a special dinner because her boyfriend invites her. (SearchlightPictures)
Anya Taylor-Joy plays Margot, a woman who comes to a special dinner because her boyfriend invites her. (SearchlightPictures)

the crazy chef

The film focuses primarily on the character of Fiennes, whom the director Mark Mylod describes as someone “who wants to go out in flames”. The actor himself spoke about the strange, dark layers found throughout this hellish three-course meal as he calls his character a disturbing, psychopathic figure. Taylor-Joy also described the style of the film as a “completely different kind of horror.” If that wasn’t enough to get horror fans excited, the trailer combines some disturbing footage showing the mad chef stalking Margot (Anya), as she smiles eerily at the camera.

It looks like Fiennes’ character will be the next great horror villain. The British actor has been one of the world’s foremost talents for decades, starring in movies like Grand Budapest Hotel, sky fall, The Hurt Locker, The Dig Y The King’s Man. Furthermore, he has a wealth of experience as a villain with his iconic role as Lord Voldemort in the franchise. Harry Potter. However, the only genre in which the famous interpreter had not ventured until now was terror.

Since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the film has received favorable reviews. (SearchlightPictures)
Since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the film has received favorable reviews. (SearchlightPictures)

A satire on the upper class

The young leading couple is served a meal to die for in The menu, a satirical thriller set in the world of haute cuisine. The film pokes fun at his wealthy guests, his ostentatious dining experience, and the celebrity chef phenomenon, all of which have led Slowik to despair and disillusionment: “To me, this story is about privilege for privilege’s sake or pretense. for the pretense,” Taylor-Joy told Reuters at the film’s London premiere. “If you’re not having fun and if you’re not enjoying life, what are you really doing? I think a lot of these characters are insatiable and it’s definitely a dark satire on that subject.”

Some specialists point out that the film surprises by making a scathing social commentary on the wealthy elite and their need to consume and take everything for themselves. This regardless of what it is, including the livelihoods and mental health of service providers such as cooks, waiters, among others. The production is loaded with black humor and horror mixed together to convey its point of view without being too intense. Power and wealth have an effect on art, and the film cleverly points this out through the stories the chef tells before each dish is served.

The film will premiere on November 18 in theaters. (SearchlightPictures)
The film will premiere on November 18 in theaters. (SearchlightPictures)

Who is behind the film?

The film’s director, Mark Mylod, famous for Succession Y game of Thrones, hired the best chefs to guarantee authenticity: “We work with Dominique Crenn, she has three Michelin stars and is literally a world-class chef. We work with David Gelp, who was the creator of Chef’s Table and he came to do some porn food shoots for us,” he said.

Additionally, Crenn and Gelp inspired some cast members to cook as well: “I wasn’t really a foodie before this. I became more interested in seeing those things and learning more about them. Now when I’m not filming, I like to get in the kitchen and I recently started doing a little baking,” said Hoult.

The feature film mixes black humor with suspense and terror. (SearchlightPictures)
The feature film mixes black humor with suspense and terror. (SearchlightPictures)

The menu has a great cast made up of English actress Janet McTeer as Lillian Bloom, a food critic who comes to check out the restaurant, unaware of the shocking surprises that await her. Paul Adelstein, co-creator of impostors, plays Lillian’s editor, who accompanies her to Hawthorne and always agrees with everything she says. the actor of Succession Rob Yang plays Bryce, a wealthy and titled “tech nerd” who has a personal relationship with Chef Slowik.

The actors that make up the production are Hong Chau from downsizing, whose character is called Elsa, and John Leguizamo, who in fiction is a movie star who is another customer of the restaurant. Judith Light is Anne and Aimee Carrero from Young & Hungry it’s happiness. Broadway’s Reed Birney is Richard. the protagonist of Sharp ObjectsRebecca Koon, plays Linda, and Peter Grosz as a sommelier, an expert in all things wine.

Before it premieres The menuyou can enjoy Anya Taylor-Joy in the soho mysterywhich is available on the platform hbo max.

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“The Menu”, the new Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy horror movie that everyone is talking about