Summary

• The Menu, like other movies in its genre, delves into themes of class warfare and explores the consequences of wealth and privilege.
• Director Mark Mylod delivers a critical hit with The Menu, a thriller that challenges societal norms and expectations.
• Fans of The Menu will enjoy similar films like Get Out and Ready or Not that offer thought-provoking social commentaries with unexpected twists.

The Menu is a shocking thriller by director Mark Mylod, and its themes of class warfare and decadence can be found in various other movies like The Menu. In The Menu, a collection of wealthy diners, including Margot Mills (Anya Taylor Joy) attend a world-renowned restaurant on an island. As their meal progresses, it becomes clear that the rigid head chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) has different intentions than just feeding his guests. The Menu asks questions about wealth and privilege, using its restaurant setting to explore the premise.

Certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an impressive 76% audience score, The Menu and its characters are a critical hit. It was also a relative success, making $79 million on a budget of only $30 million (via Box Office Mojo), and impressed viewers with its story focusing on social status and the idea of delivering the opposite of what many people expected when walking into the theater. Fans looking for thrillers about gatherings gone wrong and commentaries on class divides can find many several similar movies that are sure to please as much as The Menu.

17 Get Out (2017)

Jordan Peele's Social Parable Disguised As A Genre Piece

In The Menu, the chef and his crew plan to "eat the rich" and it is all in the name of social commentary. In a similar format, Jordan Peele's terrifying Get Out takes the social commentary and places it in a more direct horror genre story. Get Out depicts a wealthy white liberal family who abducts Black people to live forever in a “superior body” once they age. It’s beyond twisted, and just like The Menu, the exact message isn’t immediately apparent, rewarding rewatches.

Both films expertly weave their chilling narratives with sharp wit and unsettling scenarios that force audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about society.

Get Out is one of the best movies, like The Menu, which is a social parable disguised as a genre piece. Both films expertly weave their chilling narratives with sharp wit and unsettling scenarios that force audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about society. Moreover, the depth of their storytelling ensures that each viewing can offer new insights, making them films that are engaging and thought-provoking.

16 The Cabin In The Woods (2012)

Manipulates Viewers' Expectations & Explores The Ethics Of Horror

The Menu subverts expectations by appearing to be about wealthy people gathering for an exceptional dinner, but it ends up as a tale of revenge and violence. Similarly, The Cabin in the Woods was a movie that viewers expected to be like a modern-day Evil Dead, but they got something much more meta, as it ended up being a probing satire of the horror genre and its many tropes. The Cabin in the Woods uniquely manipulates viewer expectations, using its seemingly predictable setup as a launchpad to explore the mechanics and ethics of horror storytelling itself.

Like The Menu, the 2012 movie delights in pulling the rug out from under the audience, providing a commentary-laden rollercoaster that critiques the very audience it entertains. Both The Menu and The Cabin in the Woods are best experienced knowing as little as possible going into it, and fans of The Menu’s upending midpoint will enjoy something similar in The Cabin in the Woods.

15 Fresh (2022)

Noa & Margot Have A Lot Of Similarities

Fresh is a 2022 film about a young, single woman named Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who has been consistently unlucky on dating apps until she meets Steve (Sebastian Stan). However, Steve is worse than any of the other mediocre men she’s dated when he captures her in his home. One of the best horror movies like The Menu, Fresh's twist ending is for the horror fan who has seen everything and doesn't think they can be surprised.

Noa, like Margot in The Menu, is a strong female lead put into a dangerous situation because of the secret machinations of a man they thought was only a date. Both Fresh and The Menu use contemporary settings to unpack traditional horror tropes, twisting them into fresh narratives that resonate with today’s societal issues. They challenge viewers to examine the facades of the seemingly benign individuals and settings, highlighting how horror can manifest in everyday situations and relationships.

14 Ready Or Not (2019)

Ready Or Not Masterfully Blend Dark Humor With Horror

In Ready or Not, young bride Grace (Samara Weaving) marries into a wealthy board game magnate's family. After her reception, the family forces her to play a deadly game of Hide-and-Seek, where she is being hunted. The movie immediately creates an unsettling atmosphere since Grace doesn't know if she can even trust her new husband. Ready or Not will appeal to fans of movies like The Menu, as both feature characters who are brought somewhere strange because of the person they trusted.

In both cases, a regular dinner or wedding turns into something worse than the protagonists could have thought. Ready or Not and The Menu masterfully blend dark humor with horror, presenting scenarios where a joyous occasion morphs into a terrifying fight for survival. The films highlight the protagonists’ resourcefulness and tenacity, showcasing how ordinary individuals respond when thrust into extraordinary and life-threatening circumstances orchestrated by those closest to them.

13 Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

A Twisted Examination Of Gen Z Starring Pete Davidson

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A fresh take on murder mysteries, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a twisted blast that examines whether a group of Gen Z friends even really like each other. As one person dies, and they scramble to figure out who among them did it, the characters trade insults and share the innermost thoughts that they would generally keep to themselves. Bodies Bodies Bodies and The Menu both employ their settings—a party and a dinner, respectively—as battlegrounds where societal pretensions are stripped away under extreme circumstances.

Just as movies like The Menu descend into murderous disasters, Bodies Bodies Bodies turns a regular party into a fight for survival. Both movies maintain a sense of humor and comment on how wealthy elites can often be victims of their impulsivity and naïveté. This satirical lens on privilege and friendship pushes characters to reveal their true, usually dark, natures when survival stakes are high. In both films, humor is used not just for relief but as a sharp tool to critique the absurdities of their social circles.

12 The Feast (2021)

The Feast Is A Cautionary Tale Of The Consequences Of Greed

The Feast takes place at a gorgeous mansion in Wales as a rich family invites two people over for dinner, and each family member begins to act strangely before the event happens. The Feast is as surprising as a movie like The Menu and has a dark ending with characters who are not all they seem. The movie itself is set in a beautiful, affluent setting like in The Menu, and the distinct characters are memorable long after the film ends.

Like The Menu, The Feast will appeal to fans of morality tales that punish those who don’t respect beauty, whether that be a dish or a mountain. The Feast and The Menu both use their opulent settings to unravel the veneer of high society, revealing the dark and often grotesque underbellies of their respective gatherings. These films craft intense, visually striking narratives that not only entertain but also serve as cautionary tales about the consequences of greed and disregard for nature. Each story builds tension and mystery around its characters, leaving a lasting impression with their haunting conclusions.

11 All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)

Mandy Lane Isn't Just A Traditional Final Girl

Many slashers are about the ever-present social politics in high school, including All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which sees the titular protagonist (Amber Heard) attend a pool party thrown by a classmate and ends with the bullied students becoming the aggressors. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane has a twist ending and the characters have no idea what is really going on, just like Margot as she attends a mysterious meal in The Menu. Additionally, like Margot in The Menu, Mandy Lane is not a traditional final girl.

Audiences who enjoy a horror lead who has more control than even the villain will approve of All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and The Menu both play with the element of the unknown, wrapping their central characters in layers of mystery that unfold in shocking ways. These films challenge traditional horror archetypes, especially in their portrayal of their leads, who defy the typical victim narrative by wielding more awareness and influence over their situations than initially apparent.

10 Would You Rather (2012)

Would You Rather Explores Themes Of Desperation & Moral Compromise

In Would You Rather, Iris (Brittany Snow) attends a gathering and plays the eponymous game to win enough cash to save her sick brother. It's hard to know if Iris will really go through with it, as the game has much higher stakes than the standard party version. The games in Would You Rather are similar to the games Chef Slowik plays on his guests in The Menu in that they’re as much a test of how someone reacts as they are about succeeding.

Would You Rather and The Menu both elevate simple concepts— a dinner party and a game night—into sinister psychological tests that expose the darker sides of human nature. As participants in both settings are pushed to their limits, the films explore themes of desperation and moral compromise, challenging the audience to think about what they might do under similar duress. This shared focus on high-stakes decision-making connects the films, offering a gripping look at the extremes of human behavior.

9 Scream (2022)

Both Scream & The Menu Scrutinize The Obsession With Perfection

Scream (2022), the fifth installment in the Scream franchise, once again uses slasher film tropes to both poke fun at and pay homage to violent horror films. This time, the characters talk about their wish to “reboot” the Woodsboro killings in a metatextual reference to the movie, itself a “very soft” reboot. The villains in Scream are obsessive in their pursuit of making a big, important statement, just like the characters in The Menu are obsessive about either creating something memorable or experiencing it. There’s something enjoyable about watching a character break multiple moral boundaries to achieve perfection.

Scream and The Menu both delve into the art of crafting a narrative, whether it's a murderous spree in a slasher film or a culinary experience in an exclusive restaurant. Each film scrutinizes the obsession with perfection and the lengths to which individuals will go to create a memorable impact, often at great personal and ethical cost. These stories captivate audiences with their blend of tension and commentary, making the characters' relentless pursuits both horrifying and fascinating to witness.

8 You're Next (2011)

The Menu & You're Next Both Subvert The Damsel In Distress Trope

In You're Next, Erin (Sharni Vinson) visits her boyfriend Crispian's (A. J. Bowen) family when masked intruders appear and systematically kill the party gatherers. What they didn’t count on is Erin having some serious survival skills. Just like The Menu, the “helpless” girlfriend turns out to be the only one with any survival instinct and a history that makes them much more formidable than meets the eye. Both movies reveal their heroines as being unexpectedly ready for the danger they’re about to face.

You're Next and The Menu both subvert the damsel in distress trope by showcasing heroines whose hidden depths and abilities become central to their survival.

You're Next and The Menu both subvert the damsel in distress trope by showcasing heroines whose hidden depths and abilities become central to their survival. Erin and Margot both appear initially as typical characters who might easily be victims in their respective dangerous scenarios, but as events unfold, they reveal cunning, resourcefulness, and a readiness to confront their adversaries. These films celebrate the idea that underestimating someone based on their outward appearance can be a fatal error, making both heroines stand out in their genres.