'Savage House' Review
- Lara Kretler
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Release Date: 06/05/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Comedy. Drama.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: Republic Pictures.
The Verdict: A Must-See
Savage House is a darkly comedic and unsparing look at the darker side of manor life in 18th-century England. It’s as if writer/director Peter Glanz has pulled the curtain back from glitzy, glam period vehicles such as Downton Abbey and Bridgerton to show only the rubbish, filth, rats, and maggots in his creation.
Yet even with all the darkness and unpleasantness on display, there is occasional sweetness to be found in Savage House. The authentic relationships among the crooked schemer Sir Chauncey Savage, his wife, Lady Savage, and their teen daughter, Fanny, are fairly endearing and a bright spot in this otherwise dark and sordid tale.
Taking place at the beginning of the Georgian period, the film is set amid the chaos of a deadly smallpox epidemic and the Jacobite rebellion. The story centers on the financially struggling Savages, whose aspirations for higher social status drive their actions. In a last-ditch effort to rescue both their deteriorating estate and their reputation, the couple sells off belongings and uses the last of their funds to organize an opulent dinner party in hopes of impressing the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. It does not go well.
Savage House is brilliantly - if squeamishly, at times - filmed and holds its own next to other period films. This one, however, chooses to focus exclusively on the darkest and most savage aspects of life at that time, from laudanum to leeches. It’s somewhat fascinating and revolting to see just how filthy and gross things were even among titled lords and ladies in stately, castle-like mansions!
The costumes and filming locales are perfection, as are the performances here, especially those of the leads, Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy. Peter Glanz wrote and directed the screenplay, using the turbulent landscape of 18th-century Britain’s diseases, class divisions, and political instability as the backdrop for a sharp satirical commentary on the pursuit of status, power, and wealth.
Fans of sumptuous, beautiful period films and shows may be shocked and appalled by the grim realities of Savage House, but I certainly appreciated the darker artistry here and the commitment to depicting the grossest, most extreme elements of life at that time.
If you’re easily grossed out, this film may not be for you - but it’s humorous, gritty, and entertaining for those who can look past the savagery to see the heart beneath.
