In terms of horror films, the last few months have somewhat spoiled me. Intriguing ideas married to superb execution have delivered gems such as The Babadook, Oculus and It Follows. While Honeymoon is a little more predictable than those efforts it still surprises and lingers in the mind.
THE MOVIENewlyweds Paul (Harry Treadaway) and Bea (Rose Leslie) travel to a family cabin for their honeymoon. After several idyllic days and nights, Paul awakens one night to find Bea having wandered into the forest in her sleep and acting strangely. As the days pass her behavior becomes more erratic and he is forced to accept something more disturbing may be going on.
A simple synopsis that could probably be attributed to several dozen horror movies, thankfully Honeymoon is far more than this. The best horror movies play on fears relatable to many of us. Here it is relationships and venturing into the unknown, specifically marriage. That long term commitment where aspects of a person you haven’t noticed before are revealed and makes you ask, how well do you really know your partner? To the audience, it is obvious something disturbing is happening in Honeymoon, but Paul, deep in the throes of love seems intent of looking inward to themselves rather than outside. It pays off well, shifting the fear aspect from some unknown entity outside the cabin to playing on the fears of the newlyweds.
An opening showing off scenes at their wedding sets the tone. The film takes its time, allowing us to get to know the characters, effectively weaving in stories about their past that actually play a logical role in the plot. You barely notice the rot crawling into the relationship (and film) until its too late. While the plot is somewhat light, I found the time taken to develop it sustained the uncertainty about what is happening to the film’s newlyweds. When the predictable stuff started to happen it was newly infused with shock value. While the threat is expected, by shifting the onus onto the relationship, it makes the expected ending less of the focus. The real horror in the film is the corruption of this love and that is the aspect of the film that lingers in the mind rather than any generic horror tropes.
With the relationship being the core component of the film much rests on the primary cast (who are really the only cast). Aside from another couple that makes a brief appearance this is entirely centered on Paul and Bea. Treadaway does well, although perhaps plays to some stereotypical male behavioral traits, measuring how “wrong” things are by how much he is getting laid for instance. Leslie is superb in her role, playing the deeply in love Bea with a natural ease and her decline through the film makes for uncomfortable viewing. Together they come across as very ordinary, helped by their being shot in an unglamorous way.
Writer Leigh Janiak marks her directorial debut with Honeymoon and an assured debut it is. Perhaps her female perspective goes a long way to helping put the relationship aspects of the film at the forefront. It feels light, content-wise, but is well paced. A sense of paranoia is imbued throughout and her choice of shots mirror the emotional state of the pair. Honeymoon hints at great things to come from Janiak from both a writing and directing standpoint.
THE PACKAGEHoneymoon is a film that relies heavily on atmosphere and the presentation here is of a good quality. Blacks are deep but little is lost in the murkiness, details remain evident, colors are good with decent saturation. Clarity is not sacrificed for the muted atmosphere.
Special features include two short interviews, one with the stars Leslie and Treadaway and the other with director Janiak. The first touches on their approach to their parts, thoughts on the script, as well as experiences working with each other. The second focuses more on production and how the script was put together between Janiak and her writing partner Phil Graziadei. There are also two promos showing off behind the scenes footage of two scenes from the film, one of which was later deleted, as well as several trailers. Overall a pretty well stocked disc.
THE BOTTOM LINEHoneymoon takes an idea that has been reused time and time again but is stripped down and given an intimate feel. A fresh take on the old tale of shit going down at a cabin in the woods. Great performances, an engrossing tale and an impressive directorial debut offered in a solid package. Very much recommended.
Honeymoon is available from January 13thon Blu-ray, a link to buy via Amazon is below.