Blu-Ray Review: HONEYMOON

Psychological horror is definitely on the rise and indie cinema is flourishing. One year that wasn’t talked about enough last year was Leigh Janiak‘s Honeymoon. The film has recently been released by Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Releasing.

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The Movie

Bea and Paul are newlyweds who after their wedding drive out to Bea’s family cabin by a lake. Their honeymoon is modest just like their wedding. The couple interweave personal things into their wedding dinner course and they don’t need a fancy getaway. They just need each other.

Honeymoon crafts a unique little thriller that touches many genres, mainly sci-fi and horror. It also utilizes paranoia to an extent that works on many levels. Whether it is Bea seeing a potential past lover down to the question of if Paul wants kids right away. We can only assume, as the viewer, that this couple haven’t been together long but we know they are madly in love. However, they are still figuring each other out and there are awkward moments that they need to work through as well as Paul’s doubts to Bea’s commitment to him. Director Leigh Janiak and co-writer Phil Graziadei expertly craft an intimate tale that works well with the viewer in trying to figure these two characters out as the characters are trying to figure out each other and adapt and it produces some terrifying moments.

The film will no doubt get compared to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, I would also say it hits the same level of paranoia and fear that the film does as well. Honeymoon doesn’t shy away from getting gooey either. There are hints of body horror throughout the film’s last half that may make you squirm.

Of Note: I previously reviewed this film upon its release. Click here to read the full review.

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Presentation

Magnolia/Magnet’s presentation of the film seems pretty faithful to the source, which is a digital source since the film was shot on the Arri Alexa. Some of the indoor shots feel a bit muted in color but they seem more of a stylistic choice as opposed to a shoddy transfer. It does feel like there may be some detail lost in some scenes but overall the image quality is good, if not above average.

DTS 5.1 Master Audio is the only audio track available on the disc.

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Special Features

• Interview with Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway (9:04, HD) – This is a pretty standard, press junket interview with both of the English actors who talk about their portrayal of their characters. They also talk about containing and nailing down their American accents.
• Interview with Director Leigh Janiak (7:28, HD) – Janiak talks about how her and her writing partner tried to get into the Hollywood system to no avail. She also talks about being motivated to just make a film after seeing Gareth Edward’s Monsters (coincidentally another Magnet film). She also goes over casting as well as how involved she was in the score and sound design.
• The Worm Behind the Scenes (1:46, HD) – Raw footage of Rose Leslie trying to pick up a worm. It’s a short but humorous clip (Grow a pair, Leslie).
• Canoe Behind the Scenes (2:33, HD) Raw footage of the two characters canoeing.
• AXS TV: A Look at Honeymoon (2:23, HD) – The typical Magnolia/Magnet EPK featurette that combines some of the press junket footage (with little overlap from the previous featurettes) mixed in with footage from the film and pull quotes from outlets. These are created for HDNet usually to motivate VOD and Theatrical ticket sales.
• Festival and Theatrical Trailers