Maybe the moral is don’t look back if a cyclist is looking at you as he’s going down the road? Or maybe it’s don’t camp on a plot of land that might belong to someone else. Whatever it is, this movie marks the acting debut of Sawyer Spielberg, the son of renowned director Stephen Spielberg and Kate Capshaw. From the first look, it would appear to be something that’s bound to be creepy in a very backwoods sort of way since the couple, after finding out they can’t camp on private land, and that their car won’t start, have to take refuge in a nearby farmhouse with an old woman and her strange son. This has the elements of a horror movie from the 80s so far, but with the added bonus of the chills and thrills that come from contemporary horror blended with a bit of the old-style feel that could be called vintage perhaps. In other words, it’s a new movie that takes on a look of something that could possibly be kind of interesting since it might be able to scare the living daylights out of those that watch it without having to go that far over the top on a continual basis. One thing that definitely kills a horror movie and the vibe that it can put off is a jump scare that becomes two, then three, and then nearly every time the camera cuts away from one scene to another.
Just looking at the trailer it doesn’t appear that this might be the case with Honeydew since it already feels like it might be kind of a slow burn that will hopefully deliver without making the audience wait too long for the payoff. Watching how things are presented makes it feel that the modern look of this movie will clash as it needs to with the old-style farmhouse and the odd mother and son duo that’s been seen in the past, but has been different with each presentation. There is a certain type of Texas Chainsaw Massacre feel to it, but obviously, that’s not the basis of the movie, even if it does feel that something odd is going on as the trailer continues to run and the couple begin to see things and experience strange happenings in the home that might even be reminiscent of The Visit in a few key ways. In any case, the movie already looks like something that’s bound to give some folks nightmares, if only because of the style of filming and visuals that are already being revealed.
There are several good qualities to a great horror movie, and it already feels as though Honeydew might be missing at least a couple of them, but it also feels a though this won’t be a detriment because as many film buffs should be able to realize, not every quality needs to be present in order for a movie to work. Horror movies are often subjected to a great deal of criticism for one or two key elements if they’re lucky, and as a result, tend to get torn apart by critics and fans more than many other movies. In a way this kind of negates any of the power that the horror actually has over people, no matter if people want to admit it or not, since deriding something that scares the hell out of you tends to make it feel less imposing and less likely to cause a restless night or two. It’s especially true in the case of movies such as this since the reality that they represent, however haunting and however improbable, is far closer than any supernatural horror that might be explained away by logic. Horror movies such as Honeydew often have a way of worming into a person’s psyche where they’ll stick around for a while, at least until the individual finds a way to lessen the grip that such a movie has over them. The sad part about this is that in the process the belief that one might have had to start with about the movie might be utterly ruined and will take time to regain if one really desires such a thing.
Horror movies are a dime a dozen sometimes, and only the best ever really stick with us. But there are those that exist on the fringes of the cinematic experience and those slip in without a lot of people noticing, and a lot of those tend to be movies such as this that are fairly unassuming and don’t make a lot of noise on their way in. But it’s also movies such as Honeydew that end up being among the best horror movies since their realism, coupled with the fiction aspects of it, come together to create a rather diabolical experience that can stick with a person for a while.
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