By Geno McGahee
A cabin in the woods is a great setting for a horror film. The isolation sets the tone and the surrounding darkness and trees present an imposing force. The characters are alone and if something occurs, they have nowhere to run. We saw it in the EVIL DEAD and we see it here in the 2014 horror flick “HONEYMOON.”
Written by Phil Graziadei and Leigh Janiak, HONEYMOON concerns a young couple on their honeymoon when strange things begin to occur. Paul (Harry Treadaway) and Bea (Rose Leslie) are going away to a remote cabin to enjoy each other and celebrate their new union. Everything is great at first. They are playful and loving, but when an old flame comes into the picture things begin to change.
Will (Ben Huber) is seen angrily tossing things around as Paul and Bea walk over. When Will recognizes his old flame, his demeanor changes and Paul begins to get nervous. There is a level of tension in the scene and Bea acts awkwardly around him. Will’s wife, Annie (Hanna Brown) comes around and gets treated poorly by her man and the newlyweds take off.
The night comes and Paul wakes up alone. He walks around the cabin looking for his wife and she is nowhere to be found. He runs outside and frantically looks around the woods and eventually finds her, naked and disoriented. He carries her home and she says she was sleepwalking, but he suspects that Will may have had a thing behind his back. The suspicions get stronger as Bea begins to act stranger.
Bea is having serious issues with her mind. Paul sits there and listens to his new wife struggle to remember what a suitcase is, as she calls it a “clothing box.” She can’t remember much, including simple things, and he catches her in front of the mirror practicing what she is going to say to him later on. A notebook with facts written down about herself is found and Paul begins to suspect that his wife may not be his wife at all.
Lights in the night sky illuminate the cabin and Will’s wife exhibiting the same behavior as his wife leads Paul to investigate frantically and thoroughly, leading to some shocking discoveries. With his wife tied to the bed, he begins to unravel the mystery and finds out that his life is in danger and the only person that can save him is having serious mental issues. Her skewed perspective leads to a serious nightmare for Paul in the end.
HONEYMOON reminded me of a few films, but it mostly reminded me of THE STEPFORD WIVES. It captured some of that magic in this flick. This film is incredibly well done. It is well-written and paced and is carried on the terrific performances of Harry Treadaway and Rose Leslie. I was especially impressed with Leslie. She was very compelling and the overall mystery of this film kept me watching. I highly recommend HONEYMOON. It is one of the better horror films I’ve seen this year.
Rating: 8/10
