Director: Leigh Janiak.
Cast: Rose Leslie, Harry Treadaway, Ben Huber, Hanna Brown.
Certificate: 15.
Running Time: 87 minutes.
Synopsis: A young couple’s honeymoon goes awry after the wife (Leslie) sleepwalks one night and starts to act weirder and weirder.
Perfect honeymoons have no place in the world of horror. Such happy times need to result in the worst time of the characters’ lives. It’s ironic, it’s cruel, and it’s a joy for us twisted fans of horror. Besides, if you are going to spend your honeymoon in an isolated cabin in the woods, then you pretty much deserve to be a victim of some kind of gruesome madness. In Leigh Janiak’s debut feature, having graduated from the role of assistant on a number of productions, we follow one such foolish happy couple as their relationship succumbs to strange goings on.
Game Of Throne’s Rose Leslie and Penny Dreadful’s Harry Treadaway, play Bea and Paul, a newly wed couple with their whole lives ahead of them. These pair of Brits offer up convincing accents, as well as loving chemistry that is the key to this rather impressive effort. The horror found within is actually a grotesque invasion upon a well crafted romance. Leslie and Treadaway feel like a real couple and give no sense that they are in a horror film, even when weird shit hits the fan.
It all starts off subtly, with bizarre light flickerings, an intense local, and a case of sleepwalking for Bea. These are knowingly uncomfortable situations and are grounded in reality, a nice way to start any horror film that eventually pushes some boundaries. Without revealing the true nature of what is going on, you can expect some shocking moments of body horror that hurt twice as much, having fallen for these characters.
Janiak builds tension slowly but surely and uses horror tropes well. HONEYMOON may not be the most inventive of horror films, and genre fans will certainly be able to connect some dots, but it does take pride in itself and makes sure it does everything to a high degree of professionalism. Thanks to the gradual progression of the plot and the brilliantly written characters, the film also never feels confined due to budget, time or logistics. Instead, it comes across as a naturally occurring story, making it all the more terrifying.
Leslie and Treadaway astound throughout, giving realistic portrayals of how people may react in such situations. There may be a few moments where you can’t believe other actions weren’t taking, but the romance and relationship is sold so well to begin with, that it is certainly easier to accept. A strong debut, and a solid horror, HONEYMOON offers an emotional punch the genre often lacks.
[usr=3]HONEYMOON is out in UK cinemas on 26th September.
