DAY ELEVEN - HONEYMOON #31daysofhorror
DAY ELEVEN OF 31 DAYS OF HORROR
HONEYMOON - 2014
"What happened? You look like her, but you're not her. You have her toes... you have her toes. You have her knees. You have her thighs. You smell the same."
Bea and Paul have just gotten married and are having their honeymoon in Bea's family cabin. They want to be alone, just the two of them, and enjoy their newly married life. But one night Bea mysteriously goes sleepwalking and Paul begins to notice strange changes in Bea as the honeymoon continues.
The directorial debut of Leigh Janiak, Honeymoon is one hell of a dread filled film. It begins with a great setup of this adorable couple, showing them reminiscing in their wedding videos of their first date and their engagement. Harry Treadway plays Paul and Rose Leslie plays Bea, and the two feel so natural together with some great chemistry. As a newly married couple they are adorable and you never question the endless love they have for each other. Which makes the story that much more heart wrenching. Considering this movie is pretty much these two the entire time, they had a lot on their shoulders to carry this entire story.
When Bea first starts showing changes it's quite scary even though it's mundane things like forgetting how to make coffee and make french toast. As Paul discovers more is different about his new wife, your heart goes out to him. Is Bea just showing her true colors or is something seriously wrong? At one point Paul catches her practicing her lines to him in the bathroom and when he questions her about their first date she has seemingly forgotten. It plays on that feeling you get sometimes when you've been with someone for ages, do you truly know them? One day they'll do something or say something that completely throws you off guard and it can be scary. Do we truly know the ones we love?
Although you can pretty much figure out what's going on from the get go, it's still interesting to watch Paul try and unravel it all. Rose Leslie is incredible as she plays this character and in the final moments, is really terrifying. The final few scenes confirm what we've been expecting all along in a grotesque, emotional way.
While it's not jump scary, it's a continuous feeling of fear and dread that builds up as the movie continues. You become fully invested in these characters from the get go and as you watch this honeymoon fall apart, you fall down the rabbit hole with them.
A solid first film from Janiak and a great show of performances by all!
9/10
