The Feast is a 2021 Welsh horror film about a waitress at a dinner party who causes the host family to confront their personal failures.
Directed by Lee Haven Jones from a screenplay written by producer Roger Williams, the movie stars Annes Elwy, Nia Roberts, Julian Lewis Jones, Steffan Cennydd and Sion Alun Davies.
Plot:
Over an evening a wealthy family gathers for a sumptuous dinner in their ostentatious house in the Welsh mountains. The guests are a local businessman and a neighbouring farmer and the intent is to secure a business deal to mine in the surrounding countryside.
When a mysterious young woman arrives to be their waitress for the evening, the family’s beliefs and values are challenged as her quiet yet disturbing presence begins to unravel their lives. Slowly, deliberately and with the most terrifying consequences…
Reviews:
“Even if that slow burn isn’t your cup of tea, or if you feel like the setting has been done before or the nature of the conclusion a bit too predictable, there is still so much value here. It’s crafted head-to-toe with terrific performances, perfectly executed tension and dread, and even a progressing bizarreness that will keep you on your toes.” Arrow in the Head
“The Feast rises above a heavy-handed delivery and instead delivers a deliberately paced eco-horror film that acts as a deft mix of Karyn Kusama’s masterpiece The Invitation and the aforementioned Servant. It spends a bit too much time dawdling before the big climax (and it is a big climax), but it’s well worth your time.” Bloody Disgusting
“The Feast is a film that gets under your skin, with ideas and visuals that give just enough to make you squirm. The film paints a picture filled with the implications and the brutality that these people must have faced over this short but horrific night. While not a perfect execution, what director Lee Haven Jones brings to the screen is engaging, unsettling and memorable.” CGM Backlot
” …my preference was for the more restrained violence of the movie’s first two acts. As the first feature of a director with a considerable TV CV, you’d expect it to be full of small details and nuanced performances. It’s just that when things get bloody, I felt the sense of directorial control start to slip. Worth a watch though.” Dark Eyes of London
“The director takes his time building the dread inside a set with a strong sense of place, and memorable characters, a creepy soundtrack, and trippy visuals combine to create all the thrills and chills required. While the plot and much of the visual iconography stays in familiar territory, the story’s Welsh roots add an extra layer of interest, and the warnings to remember home and identity are universally relatable.” Elements of Madness
” …after roughly an hour of watching these characters do nothing but exist as weird beings without much in the way of actual character, it takes a tedious toll on the overall experience. The Feast attempts to make up for this with a pleasantly nasty climax […] to no avail. It’s a surface-level takedown of the rich that’s bloated with atmosphere, leaving behind minimal narrative intrigue and some admittedly creepy performances.” Flickering Myth
“The Feast blends several styles of horror, including psychological, environmental, and the supernatural, and it pays off handsomely on all counts. Gruesome set pieces and disturbing ideas left to the imagination to fill in all play a part in the film’s gripping proceedings.” Horror Fuel
” …when The Feast finally pulls back the curtain and explains what exactly is going on, it only gives you the bare minimum. It doesn’t reveal an iota more than you absolutely need to know to make the story work, and it’s perfect. I obviously won’t spoil it for you, but I will say that this seems like the kind of mythology that would definitely be ruined if you knew more about it.” Horror Obsessive
“Where Williams wins, in my books, is telling this story in Welsh. It might sound strange to foreign ears at first, but watching and listening for an entire hour and a half underlines just how beautiful the language truly is […] With moments of body horror, revenge horror, folk horror, and more, there is something altogether fairytale-like about the film.” iHorror
“Roger Williams’ screenplay explores compelling ideas like greed over environmental protection and interesting Welsh folklore. His script is never dull and he uses natural exposition which isn’t easy to pull off […] The ending, when it arrives, is somewhat predictable but satisfying nonetheless.” The Irish Critic
” …a wonderfully staged slow-burn thriller, steeped in Welsh folklore, whose gory thrills are carefully doled out for maximum effect. The stunning countryside provides a beautiful backdrop for Jones to weave his narrative, and Elwy’s enchantingly creepy performance will worm its way under your skin — to say nothing of the startling imagery in the film’s third act.” The Lamplight Review
“Because there’s so much potential for The Feast to have been a new horror classic, it’s all the more frustrating when it falls so short of the success it so clearly desires. Even with its fearsome foundation, the film can only get so far with a script that sadly fails to deliver on the plot’s initial promise, resulting in a story that is staid instead of spine-chilling.” Loud and Clear
“The Feast takes its time setting up the pegs before knocking them down in gloriously icky fashion. We’re left to speculate on what Cadi’s intentions are, and how she’s going to execute them, until the final act […] Not everyone may have the patience for The Feast, but those who do will be rewarded with intelligence and Grand Guignol in equal measure.” RogerEbert.com
“Ultimately The Feast is a horror story that takes on colossal issues but places them around a small dinner table. Business and integrity, nature and architecture, old gods and new money, all simmer in unbalanced tension underneath the table, the house, and the hill, until there is too much to be contained. The outcome is indulgently grotesque and unapologetically violent.” Rue Morgue
” …the film explores a culture that feels all too familiar to those in the throes of oligarchy around the world, but just foreign enough for English speaking audiences to remain a bit exotic. Haven’s direction and the sumptuous cinematography from TV veteran Bjørn Ståle Bratberg set the audience at ease by caressing every last inch of the estate and the ensuing carnage with the camera.” Screen Anarchy
“Whether it’s in the film’s gorgeous cinematography from Bjørn Ståle Bratberg, or the incredible sound design, every beat lends itself to the suspense and underlying terror. The Feast is one of those movies that is pointed in its message, haunting in its execution, and unnerving to watch unfold. A hypnotic, unforgettable experience that digs deep down and uncovers the dark heart of humanity – and then devours it.” Tilt
“Once its slow-burn fully ignites, The Feast serves up some truly horrifying martial. Some of it quite explicitly, others made quite clear even if they aren’t, or can’t, be clearly shown […]Merging a revenge-of-nature theme with a literal eat the rich sensibility The Feast is, an unsettling addition to the folk horror genre…” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
In the US, The Feast was released by IFC Midnight on November 19, 2021.
In the UK, Picturehouse Entertainment will release The Feast in cinemas on August 19, 2022.
Filming locations:
Wales
Technical details:
Welsh language
Original title:
Gwledd
US trailer:
Clip 1:
Clip 2:
UK trailer:
