2022 has been a strong year with horror and the new film The Menu may have topped them all.

The Menu is the new Horror/Dark Comedy/thriller from director Mark Mylod where a group of people went to an island to go to an upscale restaurant for a huge evening of dining. Tyler (Nicolas Hoult) and Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) were a couple who found their way into the party. The Chef (Ralph Fiennes) led his staff with an iron fist. The dinner courses began to be served and it was not long before everyone realized that something sinister was going on.

This was so awesome. I really loved this movie. It was so creative and unlike anything that I had ever seen before. I never was sure where it was heading next and that was a great feeling.

Ralph Fiennes was tremendous as the Chef. He was so menacing and his dialogue and facial expressions were top notch. This is one of Fiennes’ finest performances in a career of great performances.

He is matched with every beat by Anya Taylor-Joy, who played Margot, a woman who was not supposed to be at this dinner originally, and it threw a wrench in the plans. Taylor-Joy was savage throughout the film and showed such strength and power and it made her stand out among the storng cast.

Also in the film were Nicolas Hoult, who character is one of the worst of worst in the room, John Leguizamo, Hong Chou, Reed Birney, Judith Light, Janet McTeer, and Aimee Carrero.

The film was also like a food film, where each course of the dinner is described and explained. These were some of the funniest bits in the film, a great break from the tension and bizarre anxiety that was going on at the restaurant. It is a parody of the food shows and a satire of the precociousness of the type of people who would eat these artsy foods.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but when it was apparent that things were not what they were (the course labeled “The Mess”) I literally shouted out in the theater it was such a shocking moment. It was when things got real for the group of characters and for the audience.

Plus, the ending was absolutely epic.

The Menu was funny, tense and scary. It worked on all levels for me and Ralph Fiennes and Any Taylor-Joy give amazing performances. This may not only be one of the best horror films of the year, but also one of the best movies of the year. Horror fans should love this. Foodie fans should love this. Dark comedy fans should love this. It appeals to all.

5 Stars