Divisive horror movie starring Oscar-winning A-lister called ‘a feast for the senses’ is now streaming

Ariana DeBose's latest horror thriller, House of Spoils, is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The question is, should you add this culinary-themed scare-fest to your Halloween watchlist?

The film features the West Side Story Oscar-winner as a chef who finds herself in over her head when she opens her first restaurant. Alongside the typical kitchen disasters, she must also deal with the malevolent spirit of the building's former owner who seeks to sabotage her new venture.

Blumhouse, the production company behind hits like M3GAN, The Invisible Man, and Get Out, released the film this Thursday to mixed reviews.

Despite this, House of Spoils has garnered a number of supporters who argue that the supernatural thriller is well worth a watch.

One horror enthusiast on X (formerly Twitter) commented: "#HouseofSpoils is actually pretty decent", reports the Mirror.

"Ariana DeBose gives it her all, the story is engaging and it has a unique mix of culinary drama and horror that helps make up for an underwhelming ending and lack of scares. Ironic that it's better than 95% of Blumhouse's 2024 theater releases."

Another viewer shared: "New on prime: House of Spoils. This is not going to be for everyone but the folk horror vibe really got me. I loved it personally, fantastic female lead."

"Good movie on streaming alert!" another fan exclaimed. "House of Spoils, Ariana DeBose's new horror movie on Amazon, is super fun.

"Witchy, earth mother vibes. Plus, you get to hear Ariana scream "NO MORE SPOOKY S**T!"

Regrettably, not all viewers were as captivated, with one critic labelling it a "flavourless" horror film.

"It lacked the ingredients to thrill you let alone scare you," they added. "The earthy witchy spelly suspense bored me. #HouseOfSpoils rode the coattails of The Bear's popularity but the horror narrative kept hitting the wall with a half-baked empowerment theme."

Mixed reactions continued on the social media film platform Letterboxd, with one user confessing they were "sooo mixed on this".

"It's a feast for the senses for better and worse; a dark fairy tale for the girlies who used to make mud pies at recess and are now wayyy too emotionally attached to the bear," they penned. "A witchy cautionary tale couched in the world of haute cuisine - so you'd think it'd have more bite than it actually does!

"Unfortunately it's more interested in grossing you out (fun) and then taking a baffling tonal swing to confront the image of "the witch" in our shared imagination (not fun; kinda preachy?)"

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However, another supporter of the film stated: "The Bear meets Midsommar. I loved it. The final act was way out of left field, and I love that it kept me guessing. And there were a handful of just 'beautiful' moments to round it all out and bend genre a bit.

"Great acting (Ariana DeBose jumped fields and really knocked it out of left field here), a chill-inducing set, and a fair few moments that will make your skin crawl."

Ariana's performance has been lauded by many, and comparisons have been drawn between the film and the FX series The Bear. But is this enough to ensure the success of House of Spoils?

House of Spoils is available to stream on Prime Video.