Eating Raoul 1982

Paul Bland (played by) is a connoisseur of fine wine who labors in a humble wine shop, his refined palate often at odds with the establishment’s pedestrian offerings. Meanwhile, his alluring wife Mary toils as a nurse, where she frequently finds herself on the receiving end of unwanted advances from overzealous patients. As their financial situation becomes increasingly precarious, Paul and Mary are forced to confront the very real possibility that their long-held dream of opening a restaurant may forever remain just out of reach.

The Blands’ bedroom is a sanctuary, a space where they can retreat from the world and indulge in their peculiarities – specifically, their prudish aversion to intimacy. The couple sleeps apart, each occupying their own twin bed as a testament to their strict moral code. Their apartment building, however, is a different story altogether. A regular hotbed of hedonistic activity, it’s a constant reminder to the Blands of the licentious nature that surrounds them.

One fateful evening, a tipsy reveler stumbles into their humble abode, intent on causing chaos and destruction. Paul, driven by a primal urge to protect his loved one, seizes a cast-iron frying pan and delivers a crushing blow to the would-be perpetrator’s cranium. As the intruder slumps lifelessly to the floor, Paul and Mary are faced with an unexpected opportunity – and an unspoken agreement is born.

As the Blands’ entrepreneurial spirit takes hold, they begin to target “rich perverts,” exploiting their baser desires for financial gain. Doris, a stalwart presence at the apartment’s frequent soirees, advises them on how best to capitalize on this newfound enterprise, guiding them towards the lucrative world of classified ads and anonymous trysts.

The Blands’ fortunes flourish as they continue to prey upon men willing to pay top dollar for their basest desires. In an effort to safeguard Paul’s prized wine collection, they opt for a new lock installation – only to find themselves in the unlikeliest of circumstances when Raoul Mendoza, their unsuspecting locksmith, stumbles upon the gruesome aftermath of their latest conquest.

Paul and Raoul are faced with an impossible decision: do they risk exposure by reporting each other’s involvement to the authorities or opt for a morally dubious arrangement that will allow them to continue profiting from their illicit activities? As the two men weigh their options, it becomes clear that their fates are inextricably linked – and that their relationship with Raoul will forever be marked by an unspoken understanding.

As the evening wears on without a sign of their intended client, Paul leaves Mary to procure the essentials - a fresh supply of groceries and a new frying pan, one that doesn’t bear the scars of their deadly culinary endeavors. Meanwhile, Mary is left alone, her senses heightened as the minutes tick by. It’s then that the door swings open, and their would-be customer arrives, his intentions far from innocent. Raoul appears just in time to dispel any sense of unease, silencing the predator with a swift and deadly chokehold. The two of them retreat to the bedroom, where they indulge in a moment of twisted intimacy.

But Paul’s growing suspicion proves a potent aphrodisiac for Mary, who finds herself once more entwined with Raoul after their nocturnal tryst. Little does she know, however, that her paramour has been leading a double life - one that involves profiteering from the very people they’ve killed, selling their bodies to the highest bidder and pocketing the proceeds for himself. It’s an unsettling revelation, one that sets Paul on a path of vigilante justice.

Raoul, oblivious to the danger lurking in the shadows, continues to pursue Mary with a persistence that borders on obsession. He nearly runs Paul down in his desperation, prompting our hero to seek the services of Doris, the enigmatic dominatrix, who poses as an immigration agent and a public health worker in a bid to deter Raoul’s advances. But even these desperate measures fail to deter Raoul, whose fixation on Mary proves as unyielding as the saltpeter tablets that render him impotent.

As tensions simmer just below the surface, the Blands find themselves facing an unexpected challenge - their dream of opening a restaurant is threatened by the prospect of losing the property to another buyer. In a desperate bid to accumulate the necessary capital, they attend a raucous swingers’ party, where they hope to find their next victims. It’s there that Mary encounters Mr. Leech, a financial backer who had previously rejected her advances with an ungentlemanly air. Her solution is as swift and merciless as it is unexpected - a rattail comb becomes the instrument of his demise, and his lifeless body is dispatched from the window like so much trash.

As they flee the scene of their latest crime, Paul and Mary are forced to confront the reality that their presence at the party has not gone unnoticed. The host, enraged by their impertinence, demands they join the other revelers in a communal hot tub or face the consequences. Paul’s temper gets the better of him, and he hurls an electric space heater into the bubbling water, sending the partygoers to a watery grave and clearing the way for them to plunder the abandoned cars.

In the aftermath of their latest caper, Raoul reappears, his intentions far from innocent. He’s had one too many drinks, and his threats against Paul are as empty as they are menacing. Mary, however, sees an opportunity to eliminate her problem once and for all - she lures Raoul into the kitchen, where he meets a gruesome end at the business end of the frying pan that has borne witness to so much bloodshed. As the dust settles on their latest crime, Paul and Mary find themselves left to ponder the true cost of their twisted desires.

As Mary reveals her illicit tryst with Raoul to a stunned Paul, she’s met with an unexpected revelation - he’s already privy to the affair. The ensuing awkwardness is short-lived, as the Blands’ minds are hijacked by a pressing reminder: James, their real estate agent and facilitator of their new restaurant venture, is scheduled to arrive for dinner in mere hours. With the pantry devoid of any substantial protein sources and no time to procure fresh supplies, the family’s culinary creativity is forced into high gear. In a bizarre twist, they opt to prepare Raoul as the main course, describing the unconventional dish as “Spanish-inspired.” As the evening wears on, the Blands successfully close the deal on their new property, with Paul and Mary’s Country Kitchen soon to become a reality.