If a film has any sort of gastro elements, I’m always going to be curious. This rings especially true if it is horror, thriller, mystery, or any mix of the 3. Dinner to Die For has elements of all three. I think folks will try to soften the film’s edges by simply calling it a thriller, but the director and co-writer, Diana Mills Smith, acknowledges and even seems to revel in its horror aspects: “I think genre has a lot of wiggle room. We had initially set out to make a psychological thriller, but the first cut felt like it was missing a stronger genre voice. While it wasn’t our initial intention, Horror was the angle we knew it needed. We dialed up the genre across all post-production departments and even went back to do a pickup shoot. I think the end result celebrates both the thriller and horror genres.”
In Dinner to Die For, “Hannah, a culinary photographer, and her friend Evan share a passion for true crime content. When Evan suggests role-playing their own true crime scenario involving a killer meal and the girl next door, things take a twisted turn.”
Given the gastro horror/thriller elements within Dinner to Die For, it’s obvious why I’m writing about it and also why I absolutely loved it. The film doesn’t shy away from showing the food. This is all the more impressive when you consider that Mills Smith and the prop master, Camilla Pantiggio did the food styling for the film. When asked whether she had background in food styling, Mills Smith answered, “I do not. However, I am obsessed with food content. My wife and I watch food content on a daily basis. I love to cook myself and am always trying new ingredients and techniques. I do have a background as a storyboard artist so framing and composition has always been a strength of mine.” Despite this, from stunning avocado toast to matched food cuts, and a loaf of bread you won’t soon forget (they used 15 different types of bread in the final sequence!), Dinner to Die For is a gastro horror lover’s dream.
As someone who has done food photography for my own food blog alongside my husband, I really appreciated how the film showed Hannah having to pay the bills by doing product photography. It did a good job of showing how commoditization and commodification of creatives can impact their drive. You can feel the monotony that Hannah feels as she shoots the product photos of the cereal. The shot feels sterile compared to the other food we see leading up to this point and after, even when we see that she’s added some faux foliage. Her passion isn’t in it and it is clear this isn’t what she wants to do. It’s also worth mentioning that this scene also has a great gastro horror moment. This comes from Mills Smith’s own background with her sharing, “I think many of us creatives share this frustration. I’ve worked in advertising for the past decade while my heart has always been in narrative storytelling. While some of the work can be inspiring and exciting and aligns with my passions for filmmaking, it can also be suffocating of the creative voice. Over the years I have done whatever it takes to keep making narrative short films and write scripts that would pave the way for my first feature film.”
Food aside, Dinner to Die For also explores the fascination people have with true crime. It seems that if crimes are committed, there is a macabre curiosity about them. Mills Smith built upon this further saying, “My wife got me into true crime. I might not be as obsessed as others, but I really enjoy it. Human nature is dark and twisted. I am fascinated by how people can get to that point. Learning about the killer’s motivations and psyche says something about our own. I wanted the characters in our film to read very human and be relatable. We might not agree with their methods, but we certainly get where they are coming from.” The way Hannah and Evan’s true crime role-playing throughout the 2nd and 3rd act escalates leaves the audience to consider, “When does too much consumption of this type of media become too much?”
The chemistry between Hannah and Evan and Hannah and Blaire is incredible. Shamilla Miller’s performance in these moments is perfection. You get a sexy, dangerous vibe between Steven John Ward’s Evan and her, but then a sense of vulnerability when she interacts with Nina Erasmus’ Blaire. The way the cast plays off of each other really works since it is primarily only the three of them. If even one person was miscast, it wouldn’t work as well as it does.
Overall, Dinner to Die For is a fun romp that will keep you guessing. It doesn’t show its hand too early, which keeps the audience engaged and on the edge of their seat, akin to The Menu, which I think would pair well with the film. So much so that Mills Smith mentions it as one of the films that inspired her. Other films included Tarantino’s filmography due to “the way he does food in such a unique way and really taps into the intersection between food in its pleasure and violence,” Burnt, and The Hundred Foot Journey for their themes of obsession and precision. Dinner to Die For serves up mystery, thrills, and a bit of horror. This is a meal you don’t want to skip.
