The Grotesque plot
"Gentlemen don't eat poets."
The Grotesque is a black humorous horror work, based on the book by Patrick McGrath (Spider), in which, as in all McGrath's books, much attention is paid to the dark side of the psyche. This film demonstrates that behind a surface of respectability can lie the shadow of our darker side. Sir Hugo is more interested in assembling dinosaur bones than in paying attention to his wife, Lady Harriet. He is not content with his daughter Cleo taking her lover, Sidney, who has aspirations as a poet. The new butler, Fledge, gives Lady Harriet the attention she lacks and then seduces Sidney. Does he also have a part in Sidney's disappearance?