Honeymoon

Honeymoon Horror (1982)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

A husband goes out for cigarettes while on his honeymoon but when he returns home he finds the bride with another man. The bride busts her husband over the head with a bottle, a fire breaks out and he is burned to a crisp. Fast-forward a few years and the "bride" is still with the man she was cheating with and she's used the insurance money to build a honeymoon resort. Three love bird couples show up as well as a murderer.

HONEYMOON HORROR is an ultra low-budget slasher that borrows elements from THE BURNING and a few other films. The end result is pretty much what you'd expect. They obviously didn't have the money and in some cases didn't have the talent to pull off a very good picture but at the same time the film does have an interesting look and feel to it so fans of the genre who must see everything it has to offer will find a few nice things here.

The majority of the death scenes aren't the greatest that you'll ever see but again it's obvious they didn't have too much money to do them. MOre times than not we will see the weapon going towards the victim and then there's a cut to the aftermath. The body will be lying on the floor or wherever else with of course plenty of blood flowing. None of the scenes are terrific but at least they tried to give us some of the red stuff.

The performances are pretty much what you'd expect out of a film like this. They range from poor to "good-enough-for-the-genre" but to be fair, not too many of them went onto other projects. I will say that I really liked the look of the film as well as the setting. The plot is overly familiar and I'm sure most people will guess who the killer is. One wishes that there was some more action or a bit more energy but overall I've seen much worse than HONEYMOON HORROR.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Honeymoon Horror; before launching into my critique, here's a breakdown of my ratings:

Story - 0.50 Direction - 1.00 Pace - 0.75 Acting - 1.00 Enjoyment - 1.00

TOTAL - 4.25 out of 10

Honeymoon Horror would have been a better movie had the writers gone for a more mysterious approach and thrown in a few red herrings. Sadly they elected for a step-by-step structure, which leaves no doubt about the killer's identity. When using this formulaic approach, you need to have a brilliant director; one who can keep the audience's eyes on the screen.

And Harry Preston, who also co-wrote this story, nearly pulls it off. There is plenty of angled camerawork. I particularly like the scene where the girl answers the door. She comes out of the bathroom, and the camera pans down her body to her hand swinging by her side. But no sooner has the camera framed her hand than she reaches for the door handle to answer the knocking. The camera keeps the framing as she grips and turns the handle. It's a nice shot and better than the standard point and shoot that most would do. It shows imagination and skill. He is also talented when it comes to shooting in the dark. For the most part, the shadows are heavy, but you can still see the action. Unfortunately, a few scenes are in complete darkness, which is annoying. But the worst thing is the steady, unhurried pace. You need to use everything to entertain the viewers if they know the killer's identity from the start because there won't be a surprise at the climax. Even though the camerawork was fine, it didn't work with the movie's single tempo. There needed to be excitement, thrills, tension, and suspense. All of that was lacking.

The cast is another plus for the picture. All the performers do well in their roles. However, they are held back by stereotypically written characters.

I had the feeling Honeymoon Horror was written and shot to tag onto the Slasher genre that was doing so well in the 1980s. As such, it just misses the mark, though it could have been better. It needed a more powerful story filled with interesting characters. As it stands, I wouldn't recommend rushing to watch Honeymoon Horror. But, should you stumble across it online, it will pass an hour and a half. It's not all bad.

Please feel free to visit my Killer Thriller Chiller list to see where I ranked Honeymoon Horror, or better yet, to find something more entertaining.

Take Care & Stay Well.

I recently watched Honeymoon Horror (1982) on YouTube. The storyline follows an island where a romantic bed and breakfast has just reopened. It seems like the perfect getaway for couples and newlyweds. Three couples arrive at the inn, but soon after, people start disappearing. Could something-or someone-be on a killing spree?

Directed by Harry Preston in his only directorial effort, the film stars Paul Iwanski (As), Bob Wagner (No Drums, No Bugles), Cheryl Black (Dallas), and Bill Pecchi (The Pyramid).

This is one of those '80s movies that tried to capitalize on the rising slasher craze but didn't quite stick the landing. Everything about it is mediocre-the acting, dialogue, and overall execution. The storyline is a bit corny, but still engaging enough to make you want to see how it unfolds. The kills and corpse effects are lackluster, and the villains aren't as terrifying as intended. Even the big reveal at the end falls flat.

Overall, Honeymoon Horror is an average '80s slasher, worth watching only for diehard fans of the genre. I'd rate it a 5/10.

The plot = 3 young newlywed couples jets off to a secluded lover's paradise, namely Honeymoon Island, unknown to them that the place has a murky past and before long the young couples find themselves in danger from something that lurks in the shadows.

When I saw "Honeymoon Horror" I thought what a complete waste of time, it failed to excite on almost every level. Obviously modelling itself on the ever popular Friday the 13th movies, but doesn't have half the charm of those fun movies. Now, with a title like that I certainly wasn't expecting anything astounding, but I was kind of hoping for a good healthy dollop of prime cheese- and being from 1981 the vintage was just right but it wasn't, the effects were cheap and nasty, the whole thing was just boring, (I mean it took way too long for something good to happen) and when it did happen, well it lacked any kind of impact, the cast were all just boring and seemed uninterested in they're roles.

All in all if you like camp/backwood slashers that are good and fun then stick with movies like (Friday the 13th, The Burning and Sleepaway Camp).

Awful Friday the 13th. ripoff with an extremely low budget about several newlywed couples taking their honeymoon at a new island hotel designed with just newlywed couples in mind. However, they soon begin to fall prey to a killer lurking in the shadows and spying in the windows during love making sessions.

Avid horror fans might want to rent this because of a cool looking effect on the back of the tape box, but trust me this film is really awful. Just about everyone is miscast in this film and give nothing but wide eyed, jaw dropped heavily performances. The actors expressions remain almost the same no matter the situation. The director of this film, has given this film a murky, sleazy feel when it should at least be romantic at the beginning. The script copies Friday the 13th. all the way. This flick isn't even good for T & A since most of the cast members are in their mid 30's to 40's and are not attractive at all. Do yourself a favor and forget about this flick.

Rated R; Violence, Nudity, Sexual Situations, and Profanity.