If you found yourself captivated by the dark humor, biting social commentary, and gastronomic thrills of Mark Mylod’s 2022 film The Menu, then you’re in for a treat. We’ve curated a list of 18 movies that share similar themes, tones, and twists to satisfy your craving for more deliciously devious cinema. From satirical horror to suspenseful thrillers, these films will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you with plenty of food for thought. So grab a snack (or maybe skip the meal, depending on how squeamish you are) and dive into our menu of must-watch movies like The Menu.
1. The Feast (2021)
This Welsh folk horror film, directed by Lee Haven Jones, serves up a slow-burn tale of revenge with a side of environmental and social commentary. When a wealthy family hosts a dinner party at their remote estate, their hired help, a mysterious young woman named Cadi, begins to unsettle the guests with her eerie presence. As the night progresses, the family’s dark secrets and the consequences of their greed and exploitation are brought to light in increasingly disturbing ways. The Feast shares The Menu‘s penchant for building tension through an intimate dinner party setting and exploring the corrupting influence of power and privilege.
2. Chef (2014)
For a more light-hearted palate cleanser, Chef offers a heartwarming story of a talented but creatively stifled chef who rediscovers his passion for cooking and family after quitting his high-pressure restaurant job. Written, directed by, and starring Jon Favreau, this feel-good film celebrates the joys of food, creativity, and following your dreams. While it may not have the dark undertones of The Menu, Chef still touches on themes of artistic integrity and the cutthroat nature of the culinary world.
3. Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is a masterclass in blending horror, comedy, and biting social commentary. When Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a young black man, visits his white girlfriend’s family for the first time, he becomes increasingly unsettled by their overly accommodating behavior and the strange occurrences at their estate. As the weekend progresses, Chris uncovers a sinister conspiracy that threatens his life and sanity. Like The Menu, Get Out uses its premise to skewer the insidious nature of racism and the facade of liberal “wokeness” among the privileged elite.
4. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
This meta-horror comedy, co-written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, takes the classic “cabin in the woods” horror trope and turns it on its head. When a group of college friends visits a remote cabin for a weekend getaway, they find themselves at the mercy of a mysterious organization that manipulates their every move in order to appease ancient gods with ritual sacrifices. The Cabin in the Woods shares The Menu‘s self-aware humor and clever subversion of genre expectations, while also offering a satirical take on the formulaic nature of horror movies.
5. Ready or Not (2019)
In this darkly comedic thriller, Grace (Samara Weaving) marries into the wealthy Le Domas family, only to find herself forced to participate in a deadly game of hide-and-seek as part of a twisted wedding night tradition. As Grace fights for her survival against her murderous in-laws, she uncovers the family’s dark history and the lengths they’ll go to maintain their power and wealth. Ready or Not and The Menu both feature a young woman navigating the treacherous world of the elite and fighting back against their depraved rituals.
6. Triangle of Sadness (2022)
Ruben Östlund’s satirical dark comedy follows a group of wealthy passengers on a luxury cruise that goes horribly awry. When the ship sinks and the survivors are stranded on a desert island, the power dynamics shift as the ship’s cleaning lady emerges as the only one with the skills to survive. Triangle of Sadness skewers the vapid world of influencers, the ultra-rich, and the fashion industry, much like how The Menu takes aim at the pretensions of haute cuisine and its privileged clientele.
7. Parasite (2019)
Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning thriller follows the Kim family, a poor household who cunningly infiltrates the lives of the wealthy Park family by posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals. As the Kims enjoy their newfound status, a shocking discovery threatens to unravel their carefully crafted deception. Parasite and The Menu both offer scathing critiques of class inequality and the lengths people will go to maintain or escape their social status.
8. The Invitation (2015)
In this slow-burn psychological thriller, Will (Logan Marshall-Green) attends a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife and her new husband, years after the tragic death of their son. As the night progresses, Will becomes increasingly suspicious of his hosts’ motives and the strange behavior of their guests. The Invitation builds tension through its claustrophobic setting and the unraveling of its characters’ psyches, similar to the way The Menu slowly reveals the sinister intentions behind its lavish dinner service.
9. Coherence (2013)
This low-budget sci-fi thriller follows a group of friends who gather for a dinner party on the night a mysterious comet passes overhead. As strange occurrences begin to unfold, the group discovers that the comet has created alternate realities, forcing them to confront their fractured relationships and the consequences of their choices. While Coherence lacks the overt social commentary of The Menu, it shares a similar sense of mounting dread and the unraveling of its characters’ facades over the course of a single evening.
10. The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Luis Buñuel’s surrealist classic follows a group of wealthy dinner party guests who find themselves inexplicably unable to leave the room, leading to a breakdown of social norms and a descent into savagery. The Exterminating Angel offers a scathing critique of the bourgeoisie and the thin veneer of civility that masks their base instincts, much like how The Menu exposes the ugliness beneath the polished surface of its elite diners.
11. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover (1989)
Peter Greenaway’s visually stunning and provocative film follows the wife of a brutal gangster who carries on an affair with a bookshop owner under her husband’s nose at his high-end restaurant. As the tension between the characters escalates, the film explores themes of power, corruption, and the intersection of food, sex, and violence. Like The Menu, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover uses the setting of a restaurant to stage a dark and twisted tale of revenge and moral decay.
12. Pig (2021)
In this meditative thriller, a reclusive truffle hunter (Nicolas Cage) returns to his past life in Portland’s underground culinary scene when his beloved truffle-hunting pig is stolen. As he searches for his porcine companion, he confronts the ghosts of his past and the corrupting influence of the high-end restaurant industry. While Pig is more understated than The Menu, it shares a similar reverence for the art of cooking and a disdain for the pretensions and politics that can taint it.
13. The Platform (2019)
This Spanish dystopian thriller is set in a vertical prison where inmates are fed via a platform that descends through the levels, with those at the top getting the best food and those at the bottom left with scraps. When one inmate decides to enact change from within the system, he sparks a rebellion that challenges the prison’s hierarchical structure. The Platform offers a bleak allegory for income inequality and the dog-eat-dog nature of capitalism, themes that also underpin the savage satire of The Menu.
14. Delicatessen (1991)
In this quirky French post-apocalyptic comedy, a landlord who doubles as a butcher lures unsuspecting tenants to their deaths to feed his carnivorous customers. When a former clown moves into the apartment building, he falls for the butcher’s daughter and plots to save himself and the other tenants from becoming the next meal. Delicatessen shares The Menu‘s dark humor and its use of food as a means of control and rebellion in a dystopian setting.
15. The Lobster (2015)
Yorgos Lanthimos’ absurdist dystopian romance takes place in a world where single people are sent to a hotel and given 45 days to find a partner, or else they will be transformed into an animal of their choosing. When one man (Colin Farrell) escapes the hotel and joins a group of rebel “loners,” he finds himself torn between his newfound freedom and his desire for companionship. Like The Menu, The Lobster uses a surreal and darkly comedic premise to comment on the pressures of conformity and the arbitrary nature of social norms.
16. Hannibal (2001)
In this sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) is living in Italy under an assumed identity, working as a curator at a museum. When a vengeful victim of Lecter’s past plots to capture him, FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) becomes entangled in the deadly game of cat and mouse. Hannibal shares The Menu‘s fascination with the intersection of high art and the grotesque, as well as its exploration of the complex relationship between a brilliant but twisted mastermind and a strong-willed female protagonist.
17. The Game (1997)
David Fincher’s psychological thriller follows wealthy investment banker Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas), who receives a mysterious gift from his estranged brother: a voucher for a “game” that promises to change his life. As Nicholas becomes increasingly embroiled in the game’s elaborate puzzles and mind games, he begins to question the nature of reality and his own sanity. Like The Menu, The Game slowly unravels its protagonist’s privileged existence and forces him to confront the emptiness and isolation of his life.
18. Would You Rather (2012)
In this sadistic thriller, a group of desperate individuals are invited to a dinner party hosted by a wealthy aristocrat who offers them a chance to win a large sum of money. The catch? They must participate in a series of increasingly disturbing and violent games, testing the limits of their morality and their will to survive. Would You Rather shares The Menu‘s premise of a deadly dinner party where the guests are forced to confront the depths of their own depravity and the lengths they’ll go to for money and power.
These 18 movies offer a diverse range of genres, styles, and themes that will appeal to fans of The Menu‘s unique blend of dark humor, social commentary, and suspense. Whether you’re in the mood for a slow-burn psychological thriller, a biting satire of class and privilege, or a surreal dystopian nightmare, these films will satisfy your craving for thought-provoking and unsettling cinema. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the twisted feast of movies like The Menu. Just be careful what you order…
