FrightFest 2020 Review: HONEYDEW
Director Devereux Milburn’s Honeydew is a gloriously atmospheric horror. The film’s tension is taught and tense and it grips its viewer and drags them into is own special brand of drug-induced weirdness. It’s a slow burning, but captivating piece of horror cinema which is highly effective in its own hallucinogenic way.
Sawyer Spielberg and Malin Barr play Sam and Rylie, a young couple who encounter car trouble in the countryside. They stumble across the farmhouse of hospitable widower Karen (Barbra Kingsley) and her son Gunni (Jamie Bradley), who has recently suffered a head injury. It’s all a little strange, but the pair don’t know how strange things are about to get.
Wonderfully shot by cinematographer Dan Kennedy (who co-writes with Miburn) and superbly edited Miburn himself, the Honeydew is q wonderfully constructed film. A special mention must go to composer John Mehrmann, who delivers a beautifully macabre razor-like score. It’s one of the best film scores of the year.
Sawyer Spielberg (son of Steven) and Malin Barr deliver strong performances as the hapless couple who stumble upon horrors in rural America. Their character arcs are well drawn and as a viewer you can really believe their descent into a hazy hell.
Devereux Milburn’s Honeydew really delivers as a slice of genre cinema. It’s well made and acted – but more importantly it’s grotesque in all the right ways.
