The Honeymoon Phase - Psychological Horror at its Best
Imagine you’re newlywed, the honeymoon phase is in full effect – you can’t keep your hands off of each other, everything is wonderful, you’re more in love than you ever thought you could be. But what if you wake up one day and realize that maybe your partner isn’t who you thought they would be?
In The Honeymoon Phase written and directed by Phillip G. Carroll Jr, he explores what the honeymoon phase really is and what would happen to couples during that time. Starring Chloe Carroll, Jim Schubin, and François Chau, The Honeymoon Phase was released this past August by Dark Sky Films.
Premise:
Thomas and Evelyn are given the chance to join an experiment that studies couples in the honeymoon phase. Only problem is they’re not actually married. But the gig is 30 days long and pays $50k. Tom is writing a novel and Eve is an artist, so the couple see this is a great opportunity to have some quiet time to create and make some money. They sign up to the experiment and are accepted. They’re given a beautiful house to live in that provides them with anything they want and the two are in heaven. But as the days pass, Tom seems to be changing, and Eve is feeling more and more uneasy. After one particularly scary night when Eve witnesses another couple at her front door covered in blood, Eve begins to fear they’ve gotten in way over their heads.
“My wife committed suicide on our wedding day.”
What I loved (full spoilers):
This was such a unique and interesting concept. From the get go you’re on edge about this strange experiment – it really does seem too good to be true. And when you learn that the creator, The Director, started this after his wife passed away, you know this won’t be a love story. I loved the casual futuristic elements of it – the jumpsuits that Eve and Tom wear, the hologram of their Handler that shows up in their living room to chat with them, the tube that delivers them food and drinks. None of it feels over the top and “sci-fi” like. It feels very realistic and gives the story a more modern and minimalistic look.
I loved Eve so much, Carroll plays her with such authenticity and honesty that it’s really wonderful to watch. As the story progresses and Eve’s world gets more and more unreliable, you are on Eve’s side fully. Tom, played by Schubin, was also incredible in the way he plays this calm, loving boyfriend only to switch with the blink of an eye to this terrifying, commanding spouse. The two of them playing off of each other really made this story believable and frightening.
The overall story is fascinating – that this is all a scientific experiment where people are being cloned and replaced so that The Director can ultimately bring his wife back to life. As Eve stumbles through this world, she’s forced to see herself as unreliable by everyone around her – blaming her suspicions on drugs, paranoia, and emotions. When she finally escapes at the end and falls into this horrific lab you feel so justified alongside her that her fears were right. An incredibly tense scene involves Eve trying to figure out which Tom is the real Tom. As she stands between them, bleeding, wielding a gun, you’re so on edge you’re breathless. It’s a really well done story that doesn’t leave a lot of plot holes open, which can usually be the risk when mixing horror with sci-fi.
Another stand out horrifying moment for me was when Eve finds herself pregnant, realizing that Tom has been poking holes in the condoms, forcing her to have his baby despite her lack of consent. What a terrifying vision to watch play out, especially in 2020 when consent is something that somehow is still debated. Eve has never consented to any of the things that are happening to her body and yet it continues. It was a hard watch but an important one.
The ending, of course, was the most emotional. We realize that after all of this Eve accidentally chose the wrong Tom as he strangles her to death in their bed. Or perhaps there was never a good Tom in the first place? Perhaps Tom has just shown his true colors all along and there was never really a chance for poor Eve to live happily ever after.
“You’ll learn to love me.”
Overall:
The Honeymoon Phase is a really unique and fresh take on the horror sci-fi world and I’m so glad I got the chance to watch it. This is more of a psychological horror than a body one, but don’t let that deter to you as the end gets pretty violent (especially a certain scene with a hair curler…). Highly recommend this flick!
Want to subscribe to our newsletter so you won’t miss the next post? Just sign up HERE
Want more Halloween content? Just search below:
