Honeydew is a horror film from writer/director, Devereux Milburn, and it follows a young couple, Sam (Sawyer Spielberg) and Rylie (Malin Barr), who are on a road trip out in the New England countryside where they end up in need of finding a place to stay for the night after their car gets busted. They soon find a small house in the middle of the woods, which is owned by a seemingly helpful but somewhat odd elderly woman named Karen (Barbara Kingsley). She calls for help for the car, but it never arrives, leading them to stay in the basement.
As you’d expect, things will take a strange turn, not that things weren’t strange enough already. Karen seems to take an immediate interest to Sam, giving him more attention than Rylie whenever they converse. Plus, there’s the presence of her silent son, Gunni (Jamie Bradley), who sits around with a big bandage around his head. It does not seem like a particularly inviting place in general. And once the couple settle into the basement for the night, the weirdness only escalates as they begin to experience weird thoughts and nightmares before their situation ultimately takes a turn for the sinister.
The film owes a lot to the backwoods horror films of yesteryear, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre seems to be an especially big inspiration. However, Honeydew is not interested in going down the usual path when it comes to films like this. Milburn brings a quirky sensibility to the filmmaking, not necessarily for comedic effect, but in order to build a surreal atmosphere that keep you on edge, not knowing where things will go at any given moment. This is also highlighted by the score from John Mehrmann, which seems to utilize non-traditional instruments, sometimes what straight up sounds like foley, to create an offbeat ambiance. It’s ultimately quite effective in building tension.
Milburn even brings in some interesting stylistic flourishes throughout the film, such as the use of split screen and abrasive editing and sound design. It comes together pretty well, and it keeps things engaging. Although, I think it does eventually fall short on bringing fresh ideas to the table, and bringing a payoff to certain characters. There is a cameo that shows up in the final act that did take me by surprise, but it feels like hollow stunt casting. But for the sake of anyone reading this who is curious enough to check it out, I won’t reveal who it is.
The performances are quite good here. I’m especially into what Kingsley is doing here. She plays off the bizarre tone of the film the best out of anybody else here. She acts relatively normal, like a loving grandmother, but the things she later takes part in are so horrific. The balance is well done, and the way she keeps a charming demeanor during these awful moments is really effective and creepy. Barr is really solid, and she plays off her co-star, Spielberg, really well. And yes, he is the son of Steven Spielberg. I was honestly not super impressed with him, but that’s only because this role isn’t demanding all that much.
Overall, Honeydew is a decent horror film that brings enough engaging stylistic touches and a off-kilter atmosphere to keep you hooked in. Devereux Milburn clearly has a way with imagery and tone that I think is quite memorable, and it will definitely serve to make a film that is truly special in the future. This was a nice taste at what he’s capable of, and I think there’s a lot of promise. And I would also be interested to see how Sawyer Spielberg stretches his acting muscles in later roles. While I don’t think it all really pays off into something interesting, I did enjoy the ride while I was on it, especially due to the performances from folks like Barbara Kingsley and Malin Barr. It might not have a ton of meat on its bones, but horror fans should find a lot to like and appreciate here.
Honeydew will be out on VOD platforms and DVD on April 13th.