Honeydew

A delight. I reckon this piece of rural horror will have pretty mixed reviews and that I will among the more satisfied section of the public. Honeydew follows a couple of young people driving through the American countryside who get somewhere where they shouldn’t. It starts with them camping on a field and a visit to a weird old lady, and ends much worse. The story is not very important, there’s not that much going on, and it’s all laced with irrationality, so not everything has to make sense. What matters, though, is the feeling it arouses and the style of filmmaking, which is quite unique. It’s not for everyone, surely, but this sticky, sweaty and bizarre nightmare with traces of black humour pulled me in and didn’t let me go. There are several moments I could reproach, when the bizarreness becomes almost too shallow, but I welcome every attempt at horror like this. In one foreign review I read that it is like the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but produced by Studio A24, and I think it’s very accurate. (03/29/2021)

If I had to describe this film in a few words, it would be Hereditary + The Witch = Honeydew. What they have in common is that all threr are controversial, divide audiences into two camps, and regular horror fans probably won't be pleased with Honeydew (it has no gore, jump scares, and terror). Surprisingly, however, I enjoyed it and found some positive aspects. The story is a somewhat classic horror template. A couple in love goes camping, they are kicked off someone else's land, and they end up at the only house around, where a creepy grandma lives and the weirdness can begin. Although the film progresses at a slower pace, there’s a constant "wtf" atmosphere and interesting details that you can focus on (a skull carved in a radiator, etc.). In the second half, the film even shifts into exploitative waters, where the emphasis is more on psychological violence than physical, but it works flawlessly. It has the atmosphere and a touch of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There are a few interesting plot twists (one of them I really liked), and a big plus is the music, which is undoubtedly top-notch. The sound designer put his heart and soul into it, and I haven't heard such a creepy musical score in a long time (the sound of a whetstone in the background is really unpleasant). It's creepy, atmospheric, depressing, hopeless, with an artistic flair and plenty of interesting ideas and elements (split image), resulting in a unique horror experience that drew me in and definitely caught my attention – and that's saying something from a person who despises slow-paced movies. 7.5/10. (03/30/2021)

I can’t say I enjoyed this American version of Hansel and Gretel who go to the American countryside to see and experience what they never wanted to experience. The story dragged on like a snail covered in honey. The only thing that evoked a horror atmosphere was the soundtrack, which is what the one star is for. Suspense felt lacking, but I did have a few laughs, which, in a horror movie, is not a good thing. A waste of time, and it made me hungry. (06/20/2021)