31 Days of Hell: Honeymoon

Shayne turns in his review of Magnet's latest release, Honeymoon. Why? Because marriage is scary.



"Damn it! You're so clingy!"
I get so excited when I know there’s another movie coming from Magnet Releasing. I get all giddy inside and feel like running through a field of flowers in slow motion.  As always, I was not disappointed.

Right from the start, the first thing I noticed was how beautiful this film is.  The cinematography in the opening scene is heavily influenced by Kubrick and is tonally reminiscent of The Shining.  It has an old school feel, complete with  overlaying title and credit text.  

We’re also treated to a gorgeous score, keeping music at a very basic level that’s just enough to keep an eerie vibe. The same thing goes for the rest of the sound design; audio cues are minimal and most of what you hear is the natural ethereal language of the woods.  Let me also mention how raw and brutal the gore scenes are. That said,  I like to think I’m rather experienced in gory images but this had me cringing like a little school girl. 

"Who ever ripped my granny
panties is going to PAYYY!!!"
Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones) and Harry Treadaway give extremely convincing performances as our newlywed couple. You actually feel like you’re in the middle of this deteriorating honeymoon.  This film is uniquely uncomfortable from the aspect of this relationship and it’s painfully hard to watch as the stress and strange behaviors keep piling on.  I’m thrilled they did such a great job with this because without it, this movie would be nothing at all. Honeymoon is strictly centered on the couple. In fact, there are only four people in the entire cast.

By the time you reach the ending, you’ll be uncomfortable, grossed out and most likely confused, but in a good way.  The film is open for interpretation and I happen to love that Janiak decided to end the film in this fashion.  There’s something very mysterious about this entire piece and the open-ended conclusion just keeps the wheels in your head spinning.  Package all of this up and audiences get an decisively eerie psychological horror film that adequately portrays a feeling of desolation and heartache.
Good luck looking at calamari the same ever again.


-Shayne McGuire