The Menu (2022): A Tasting Menu of Terror and Twisted Satire

One exclusive reservation, twelve deadly courses, and a chef with a vendetta sharper than his knives.

Imagine arriving at a secluded island for the culinary experience of a lifetime, only to discover the menu holds more than gourmet delights, it spells your doom. The Menu masterfully blends pitch-black humour with escalating horror, serving up a scathing critique of elitism and excess in the world of fine dining. This 2022 gem has quickly carved out a space in modern cult cinema, rewarding repeat viewings with its layered dialogue and shocking twists.

  • A razor-sharp satire that skewers celebrity chefs, foodie culture, and the ultra-rich through a nightmarish dinner party gone lethally wrong.
  • Standout performances, particularly Ralph Fiennes as the enigmatic Chef Slowik, elevate the film into a masterclass of tension and dark comedy.
  • Explores profound themes of authenticity, punishment, and the commodification of art, leaving audiences hungry for more while questioning their own indulgences.

A Reservation Straight from Hell

The film opens with a ferry gliding towards the misty shores of Hawthorne Island, carrying a disparate group of diners each embodying the excesses of high society. Food critic Lillian Bloom, played with icy precision by Janet McTeer, embodies the snobbery of the gastronomic elite. Tech bro Tyler Ledford, portrayed by Nicholas Hoult, obsesses over authenticity in cuisine while revealing his own profound ignorance. Margot, the reluctant escort brought by Tyler and brought to life by Anya Taylor-Joy, stands as the outsider whose street-smart instincts become her lifeline. As they step onto the island, the air thickens with anticipation, the staff’s eerie efficiency hinting at the madness to come.

From the outset, director Mark Mylod establishes a tone of discomfort through meticulous production design. The stark modernist architecture of the restaurant contrasts sharply with the wild, untamed landscape, symbolising the artificiality of the diners’ privileged lives. Sound design plays a crucial role too, with the rhythmic clatter of kitchen prep underscoring every conversation like a ticking clock. Seth Reiss and Will Tracy’s screenplay weaves exposition seamlessly into banter, ensuring the audience invests in these flawed characters before the horror unfolds.

The first courses arrive with theatrical flair: a simple bread roll presented as a relic of simplicity, followed by a foam that dissolves into nothingness. These early dishes serve dual purposes, delighting visually while planting seeds of unease. Chef Slowik’s monologues about the purity of ingredients and the labour behind each plate grow increasingly fervent, mirroring the real-world cult of personality surrounding celebrity chefs. The film’s critique sharpens here, exposing how fine dining often prioritises spectacle over substance.

The Chef’s Macabre Masterpiece

Ralph Fiennes inhabits Chef Julian Slowik with a chilling charisma that commands every frame. His Slowik is not a mere villain but a philosopher of destruction, his eyes gleaming with righteous fury as he unveils the evening’s true agenda. Fiennes draws on his history of playing complex antagonists, infusing the role with subtle tics, a whispery cadence, and sudden volcanic outbursts that keep viewers off-balance. The smoker’s rasp in his voice adds gravitas, making each pronouncement feel like a death sentence delivered with gourmet finesse.

As the menu progresses, the horror escalates from psychological to visceral. The ‘chef’s table’ course forces select diners to participate in their own demise, a grotesque inversion of interactive dining trends. Production anecdotes reveal how the cast endured real discomfort, filming in a custom-built set on a Vancouver soundstage where smells of actual cooking permeated the air, heightening authenticity. This immersion technique echoes the practical effects era of horror, grounding the film’s excesses in tangible reality.

Themes of class warfare bubble beneath the surface, with Slowik targeting those who have commodified his art. His backstory, revealed in fragmented monologues, paints a portrait of a once-passionate artist corrupted by fame’s machinery. Margot’s arc provides counterpoint, her negotiation for survival highlighting genuine human connection over performative connoisseurship. The screenplay’s rhythm builds like a symphony, each course a movement crescendoing towards catastrophe.

Twists Sharper Than a Boning Knife

Midway through, the film pivots into full-throated horror with revelations that upend assumptions. Without spoiling the ingenuity, the script’s structure mirrors a degustation menu itself, each twist a palate cleanser before the next assault. Cinematographer Peter Deming employs wide shots to isolate characters within the vast dining room, amplifying claustrophobia despite the space. Lighting shifts from warm amber to cold blues, visually charting the descent into dread.

Supporting cast shines in ensemble moments: Hong Chau as the unflappable Elsa delivers deadpan humour amid chaos, while Reed Birney and Judith Light as a corporate couple mine dark comedy from oblivious entitlement. These performances humanise the satire, ensuring the audience feels the sting of recognition. The film’s commentary on cancel culture and performative wokeness lands with precision, never devolving into preachiness.

Influences abound from earlier satires like Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel, where dinner guests find themselves trapped, to The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover with its operatic violence around food. Yet The Menu carves its niche by updating these for the Instagram age, where every bite demands documentation. Marketing leaned into this, with viral trailers teasing the menu without revealing horrors, mirroring the film’s own deceptive allure.

Satire with a Side of Scream

Post-release, The Menu resonated amid real-world scandals in the culinary world, from aggressive kitchen cultures to exploitative pricing. Critics praised its timeliness, with festivals buzzing over its blend of laughs and gasps. Box office success followed streaming dominance on platforms like HBO Max, spawning memes and discourse on social media about ‘smoked pigeon’ and the infamous bread roll.

Legacy potential looms large, with whispers of franchise expansions or stage adaptations capitalising on its theatrical set piece. Collector’s editions already circulate, including script books and prop replicas of the menu cards, appealing to horror enthusiasts. Its score by Colin Stetson blends industrial percussion with haunting strings, evoking the mechanical horror of kitchens as factories of death.

Ultimately, The Menu succeeds by making audiences complicit, forcing reflection on personal indulgences through laughter and revulsion. In an era of endless content, it stands as a rare feast that satisfies on multiple levels, proving dark comedy horror remains a potent recipe.

Director in the Spotlight: Mark Mylod

Mark Mylod, born in 1965 in Britain, emerged from a television directing background that honed his skill for wrangling ensembles and building tension in confined spaces. After studying at the University of Oxford, he cut his teeth in British TV with shows like Murphy’s Law (1990s episodes), quickly transitioning to the US market. His breakthrough came helming episodes of Entourage (2005-2006), where his sharp comic timing caught Hollywood’s eye.

Mylod co-created and directed the sitcom Episodes (2011-2017), starring Matt LeBlanc in a meta take on Hollywood excess, earning him two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series. This period solidified his reputation for blending satire with character depth. He then tackled prestige drama, directing multiple episodes of Shameless (US version, 2011-2021), including pivotal season finales that showcased his adeptness at chaotic family dynamics.

Venturing into fantasy, Mylod helmed Game of Thrones episodes like ‘The Laws of Gods and Men’ (2014) and ‘Home’ (2016), masterfully orchestrating large-scale battles and intrigue. His feature directorial debut was the little-seen Significance short, but television remained his canvas until Succession (2018-2023), where he directed 12 episodes across four seasons, including the explosive ‘Nobody Is Ever Missing’ (Season 2) and the series finale ‘With Open Eyes’ (Season 4). These earned him further Emmy nods and critical acclaim for capturing corporate savagery.

The Menu (2022) marked Mylod’s bold feature return, adapting a spec script with producer Adam McKay’s backing. Influences from his TV work shine through in the single-location intensity, drawing comparisons to his Succession boardroom clashes. Post-Menu, he directed episodes of The White Lotus Season 2 (2022), continuing his streak in high-tension anthologies. Upcoming projects include directing a pilot for a untitled HBO series. Mylod’s career trajectory reflects a director equally at home in comedy, drama, and now horror, always prioritising actor-driven storytelling.

Key works include: Entourage (selected episodes, 2005-2006); Episodes (co-creator/director, 2011-2017); Shameless (multiple episodes, 2011-2021); Game of Thrones (‘The Laws of Gods and Men’, 2014; ‘Home’, 2016); Succession (12 episodes, 2018-2023); The Menu (2022); The White Lotus Season 2 (2022). His style emphasises rehearsal-driven performances and precise blocking, making confined narratives explode with energy.

Actor in the Spotlight: Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Fiennes, born in 1962 in Suffolk, England, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before storming stages with the Royal Shakespeare Company in productions like Henry VI (1987) and King Lear (1989). His film breakthrough arrived with Schindler’s List (1993) as the monstrous Amon Göth, earning an Oscar nomination and establishing him as a chameleon capable of profound villainy.

The 1990s saw Fiennes dominate with Quiz Show (1994), The English Patient (1996, Oscar-nominated lead), and the iconic turn as Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2009-2011). His stage work persisted, including Broadway’s Modern Boards (2000) and a Tony-winning Faith Healer (2006). The 2000s brought diversity: The Constant Gardener (2005), The Duchess (2008), and The Reader (2008).

In the 2010s, Fiennes blended blockbusters like Skyfall (2012) as M and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014, Oscar-nominated) with arthouse fare such as The Invisible Woman (2013, which he directed). Recent roles include White Noise (2022) and The Forgiven (2021). His voice work extends to animation like The King and I (1999). Awards tally Emmys for Bernard and Doris (2007), BAFTAs, and countless nominations.

As Chef Slowik in The Menu, Fiennes channels this pedigree into a role that’s equal parts poet and psychopath, drawing on Voldemort’s menace and English Patient’s intensity. Comprehensive filmography highlights: Schindler’s List (1993); Quiz Show (1994); Strange Days (1995); The English Patient (1996); Oscar and Lucinda (1997); The Avengers (1998); Onegin (1999, also directed); Red Dragon (2002); The White Countess (2005); Harry Potter series (2002-2011); The Hurt Locker (2008); Coriolanus (2011, directed/starred); Skyfall (2012); The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014); Spectre (2015); Hail, Caesar! (2016); The Dig (2021); The Menu (2022); Conclave (2024). Fiennes remains a theatre mainstay, recently starring in Patriots (2022) on the West End.

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Bibliography

Collis, C. (2022) ‘The Menu Director Mark Mylod on That Bizarre Bread Roll Scene’, Entertainment Weekly. Available at: https://ew.com/movies/the-menu-mark-mylod-interview/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

Fleming, M. (2022) ‘How The Menu Chefs Created a Tasting Menu from Hell’, Variety. Available at: https://variety.com/2022/film/news/the-menu-chefs-cooking-will-tracy-1235432109/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

Goldsmith, J. (2022) ‘Mark Mylod on Bringing Succession Savagery to The Menu’, Hollywood Reporter. Available at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/mark-mylod-the-menu-interview-1235267890/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

Kiang, J. (2023) ‘The Menu: A Perfect Satire of Fine Dining Excess’, Sight and Sound. Available at: https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/menu (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

Rubin, R. (2022) ‘Ralph Fiennes on Playing a Chef with a God Complex’, Deadline. Available at: https://deadline.com/2022/11/ralph-fiennes-the-menu-interview-1235174021/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

Scott, A.O. (2022) ‘The Menu Review: Eat the Rich, Literally’, New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/17/movies/the-menu-review.html (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

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