The Menu: A Delicious Yet Disturbing Movie
By: Mallory Johnson
Assistant EIC
The Menu is a horror comedy movie that came out in November 2022, and I saw it in theatres with a friend; we experienced a range of emotions while watching it. The movie stars Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, The Queen’s Gambit), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Constant Gardener), Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, About a Boy), Hong Chau (Downsizing, Watchmen), and more. The film follows a rich couple who travel to a remote island to go to a very expensive, very fancy restaurant who experience more than they planned. Before I go any further, SPOILER ALERT. Also, trigger warnings for: suicide (graphic, more than once), discussion of sexual violence, murder, people getting burned alive, blood, gun violence, entrapment, a cult, gaslighting, discussion of past child abuse, addiction and alcoholism, a hostage situation throughout, drowning, cheating, jump scares, childhood trauma, self-harm, and general claustrophobia.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this movie! I had seen trailers and generally knew the plot, but I made an assumption that was very wrong beforehand (I had prepared myself for it but was not prepared for what had actually happened in the film). It is wild from start to finish, and is chock full of twists, turns, and social commentary. The movie comments on social class and sex work particularly, fandom culture, and the violence that sex workers risk in their field. All the acting is great, but Anya Taylor-Joy really stole the show and did an outstanding performance as the bold main protagonist Margot. Margot was brave and stood up to the employees at the restaurant, which made me nervous and happy at the same time. I loved how the courses were described with text on the screen; it made me feel like I was watching a show like Chopped or MasterChef on the Food Network.
I am providing another SPOILER ALERT here because I will be discussing an aspect of the movie that is a MAJOR spoiler!
One part of the movie that has stuck with me is how Tyler, who is played by Nicholas Hoult, hired Margot, a sex worker, to go to this extravagant restaurant with him while he knew everybody at the restaurant would die. I kept thinking: he hired a sex worker to kill her (although he personally was not killing her himself, but still; it is horrifying to think about). Sex workers are forced to risk and experience brutal violence from their patrons because they are rarely (if ever) able to vet their prospective customers. The film does not make this comment through an intersectional lens, as Margot is a white, straight (passing) cisgender woman, but the rates for violence for Black transgender women sex workers are concerningly high. The movie tackles this subject in a classy way, with the head chef subtly asking Margot privately if she enjoys doing her ‘services.’ At one point I whispered to my friend, “I know these two movies aren’t similar at all, but this is giving Midsommar.” Midsommar is a cult horror movie that is incredibly disturbing and brutal, but the cult connection reminded me of it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it if you want a wild film for your next movie night. It is now streaming on Disney+ in Canada which is great! I give it a strong 10/10 and I cannot wait to watch more movies similar to this one.