Savage House (2026), written and directed by Peter Glanz, meets at the intersection of earlier films such as The Favourite (2018), Barry Lyndon (1975), and ironically, Pride & Prejudice (2005). Starring Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy as Lord and Lady Savage, impoverished nobility who receive word that the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire have chosen them to accommodate them in their yearly tour of Yorkshire, quickly descend into every poor choice imaginable in order to impress their betters. The supporting cast features familiar faces such as Pip Torrens and Vicki Pepperdine in a darkly funny comedy of manners set against the Jacobite Rebellion in 1715.
Director Glanz was allegedly inspired by the January 6, 2021, riot in Washington, D.C., but just taking that information at face value doesn’t actually give you any idea of how the plot of the film could correspond to today’s bullshit. The gist of it is that the Savages are so dug into maintaining their status that they are willing to tolerate conspiracists (their annoying neighbors, the Bennetts), fascists (Mr. Black, played by Pip Torrens), the billionaire class’ fuckery (the flighty Duke and Duchess of Devonshire), debt (the insane cost of having to host the Devonshires) and disease (the explosion of the highly contagious pox that precedes the Devonshires’ need to decamp to Savage House) for the slimmest chance of elevating their status by a tiny bit. It’s definitely an inditement of a class war that doesn’t know it’s in the middle of a class war. I don’t know if we will look back at this film in a decade or two and write screeds about how, even though it was set in 1715, it’s more about the 2020s than not, but I can’t let this opportunity to pass without at least pointing out that it’s trying to hold a mirror up to the contemporary world we live in.
The costumes were designed by Alex Bovaird, who has designed several of my favorite TV shows in the last decade or so (Widow’s Bay, the most recent season of White Lotus, and the final season of True Detective), but none of them were historical. For her first foray into period film, I give it a solid 8/10. The early 1700s silhouettes are solid, the costumes meet every expectation, and there’s nothing that will annoy the staunchest of accuracy snobs too badly. Yes, the fabric choices could have been less obviously modern, but we’re not talking egregiously out of period decisions here.
Ultimately, Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy carry this film through sheer force of their combined charisma and that is more than enough. So, let’s take a look at the costumes, shall we?
Have you seen Savage House (2026)? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
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