Junior Rasmussen
Honeymoon is a 2014 supernatural horror film directed by Leigh Janiak. The film stars Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway as newlyweds Bea and Paul, who spend their honeymoon at Bea's family cabin in a secluded Canadian forest. The film centres around a series of strange and frightening events that occur during their honeymoon, as Bea's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic and distant, leaving Paul desperate for answers. The film received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its slow-building horror, tension, and the strong performances of its lead actors.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Genre | Supernatural horror |
| Release date | 12 September 2014 |
| Director | Leigh Janiak |
| Writers | Leigh Janiak, Phil Graziadei |
| Stars | Rose Leslie, Harry Treadaway |
| Plot | Newlyweds Bea and Paul spend their honeymoon at Bea's family's cabin in a secluded Canadian forest. Bea goes missing one night and is found naked and disoriented in the woods, claiming she was sleepwalking. Her behaviour becomes increasingly strange and Paul suspects something sinister has happened to her. |
| Runtime | 1h 27m |
| Rating | R |
| Rating (Rotten Tomatoes) | 76% |
| Rating (Metacritic) | 65/100 |
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What You'll Learn
Plot
Honeymoon is a 2014 American supernatural horror film directed by Leigh Janiak, marking her feature directorial debut. The film stars Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway as newly married couple Bea and Paul, who spend their honeymoon at Bea's family's cabin in a secluded Canadian forest.
On their way to the cabin, Bea and Paul decide to have lunch at a rustic restaurant where Bea meets her childhood friend, Will, the restaurant owner. Will's wife, Annie, interrupts their conversation, acting strangely and saying they need to get away. That night, Paul wakes up to find Bea missing. He finds her naked and disoriented in the woods, with no evidence of how she got there. Bea claims she was sleepwalking due to stress, which unnerves Paul as Bea doesn't have a history of sleepwalking.
As time passes, Bea's behaviour becomes increasingly distant and peculiar. Paul suspects that she encountered Will during her sleepwalking episode, but soon realises there is more to it. One night, Paul sees bright lights through the window, but when he investigates, he finds nothing. He also discovers unique marks on Bea's inner thighs, which she dismisses as mosquito bites.
During an argument, Bea locks herself in the bathroom. When Paul breaks in, he finds her repeatedly stabbing herself in the genitals. He ties her to the bed, and she asks him to "take it out of her". Paul puts his hand into her vagina and removes a large worm-like creature. Bea explains that on the night she disappeared, she was drawn to the lights in the woods and encountered silhouettes that impregnated her with the creature. She believes she must protect Paul because they are going to "dispose of him".
The film ends with Bea deteriorating, her skin becoming white and flaky. She meets Will's wife, and they walk away into the lights together. The ending leaves some mysteries unresolved, such as the exact nature of the forces at work in the woods, adding to the overall tension and horror of the film.
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Cast
The 2014 film Honeymoon stars Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway as a newly married couple, Bea and Paul, who spend their honeymoon at Bea's family's cabin in a secluded Canadian forest. Rose Leslie, known for her performance as Ygritte in Game of Thrones, was chosen by director Leigh Janiak for the role of Bea. Janiak and co-writer Phil Graziadei were inspired by the idea that "even small moments...can drive a wedge between people".
Harry Treadaway, who plays Paul, is also known for his strong performance in the film. The two leads' chemistry is described as "explosive" by Andy Greene of Pop Insomniacs. Ryan Turek of Shock Till You Drop also praised the two lead actors, saying that they were "Janik's tools to slowly amplify the tension and mess with your head".
In the film, Bea and Paul meet the owner of a small restaurant, Will, and his wife Annie, who is Bea's childhood friend. Will is played by Ben Huber, and Annie is played by Hanna Brown.
The 2022 film The Honeymoon, on the other hand, is a romantic comedy starring Maria Bakalova and Pico Alexander as a newly married couple, Sarah and Adam, who embark on a honeymoon in Venice, Italy. The film also stars Asim Chaudhry as Adam's best friend Bav, and Lucas Bravo as an Italian gangster, Giorgio.
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Reception
The 2014 supernatural horror film Honeymoon received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 76% based on 58 reviews, with an average rating of 5.80/10. Critics described the film as "smart, stylish, and nail-bitingly tense" and praised its ability to pack "more slow-building horror than many bigger-budget productions". On Metacritic, the film received a score of 65 out of 100 based on 10 critic reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".
Ryan Turek of Shock Till You Drop gave the film a positive review, praising director Leigh Janiak's "confident direction" and her effective use of "space, sound design and two very good lead actors" to amplify the tension. Similarly, Ryland Aldrich of Twitch Film called Honeymoon "a good story, excellently told, and very, very scary". Andy Greene of Pop Insomniacs gave the film a mixed review, acknowledging the "explosive chemistry" between the lead actors but suggesting that the film "isn’t going to blow your mind, or scare the crap out of you". Mike McCahill of The Guardian gave the film a more negative review, awarding it 2 out of 5 stars and commenting that it "manages only vague unease" rather than the "sustained dread" it aims for.
Some viewers praised the film's ability to build tension and create a sense of mystery. One Reddit user described it as "one of the best build-ups I've seen in a long time", while another appreciated the "perfect balance of providing info on the plot, without ever explaining what exactly is happening by the end". However, some viewers were left wanting more from the film's ending, with one person commenting that they wanted their "imagination indulged and satiated" rather than being left with an "air of mystery".
Overall, Honeymoon was well-received by critics and audiences, with particular praise for its direction, acting, and tension-building. However, some viewers felt that the film could have benefited from a more ambiguous ending that left more to the imagination.
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Filming
The 2014 film Honeymoon is an American supernatural horror film that marked the feature directorial debut of Leigh Janiak. The film is based on an original screenplay written by Janiak and Phil Graziadei, inspired by the micro-budget horror movie Monsters (2010). Principal photography for Honeymoon began in spring 2013 and had a limited budget.
The film stars Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway as newlyweds Bea and Paul, who spend their honeymoon at Bea's family's cabin in a secluded Canadian forest. The film's setting is eerie and unsettling, with strange lights in the woods and a sense of isolation. This contributes to the overall tension and suspense of the film.
One of the most notable aspects of the filming of Honeymoon is its use of location. The secluded cabin in the Canadian forest, surrounded by eerie woods, sets the tone for the film and enhances the sense of isolation and dread. The natural environment becomes a character in its own right, with the strange lights and mysterious sounds adding to the tension and hinting at the supernatural elements of the story.
The film also makes use of practical effects and makeup to create the disturbing and gory moments that are typical of the horror genre. For example, the strange corrosions on Bea's thighs and the scene where she stabs herself in the genitals, revealing a large worm-like creature, required detailed special effects and makeup applications.
The performances of the lead actors, particularly Rose Leslie as Bea, have been praised for their commitment and intensity. Leslie's physical and emotional transformation as Bea is a key element of the film, and she effectively conveys the terror and strangeness of the situation. Her performance adds depth to the film, making it more than just a standard horror movie.
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Similar films
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- Green Rush (2020)
- Get Out Alive (2016)
- Borrego (2022)
- Fear Bay (2019)
These films are suspenseful, captivating, tense, and disturbing, with themes of survival, revenge, couples, and travel.
- Along Came the Devil 2 (2019)
- Twisted Seduction (2010)
- Demon Inside (2013)
- Dark Image (2017)
- The Invited (2010)
These films deal with demons, supernatural abilities, and suspense.
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Frequently asked questions
Honeymoon is a 2014 supernatural horror film about a couple, Bea and Paul, who spend their honeymoon in a secluded Canadian forest. Bea goes missing one night and is found naked and disoriented in the woods, claiming she was sleepwalking. As time passes, her behaviour becomes increasingly strange and Paul suspects something sinister took place in the woods.
Bea starts to act erratically and Paul finds unique marks on her inner thighs. She locks herself in the bathroom and is found stabbing herself in the genitals. Paul removes a large worm-like creature from her vagina and Bea explains that she was impregnated by silhouettes she saw walking towards bright lights in the woods.
Bea knocks Paul out, ties an anchor to his feet and throws him to his death in a lake, believing she is protecting him by "hiding" him under the water. Bea is shown to be deteriorating with her skin peeling off and her eyes discoloured. She meets Will's wife Annie, who is similarly deteriorated, and they walk into the lights together.
