Written and directed by Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Diana’s husband is taking her to an experimental trauma facility deep in the wilderness, but she can’t remember why. As her memories begin to creep back in so do some unwelcome sinister truths about her marriage. Starring: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Jason Isaacs, Kate Dickie, Julian Richings, Jesse LaVercombe, Sarah Kolasky, Patricia Tulasne and India Brown.
There’s one, relatively, simple thing that almost any horror film can do when trying to create something strange, weird, obscure or odd to immediately lure people in, and that’s to make it creepy. Introduce people to your film by making them uncomfortable, suspicious and dubious because you want them to ask: what the fuck is happening? And you want them to keep asking that because much like marriage, once the mystery is gone, things can go stale. Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer do that well with Honey Bunch because you will early and often question what is going on.
Part of kicking things off on the right note is the setting, any sort of isolated hospital, rehab facility, hotel is always a good place to start. Especially when it’s surrounded by the woods, and even more so when you have caretakers played by actors like Kate Dickie, who are simply fantastic at always making you question if they have sinister motives. Along with the cinematography from Adam Crosby, and the editing by Lev Lewis, Mancinelli and Sims-Fewer create a strong atmosphere filled with tension and insidious mystery.
That excellent location choice, plus the nostalgic style to the visual, make Honey Bunch feel reminiscent of Lanthimos’ The Lobster or Hadžihalilović’s Innocence. It’s all about creating a quietly twisted reality, one that can potentially become much more overtly wicked down the line, but you have to wait and see. The progression doesn’t make you hang around too much, it gives hints and smaller reveals to help you on the way to the bigger picture. Although it can move slowly, especially in the middle section, where it may lose some people. Coming in at just over an hour and fifty minutes, it is stretching itself further than it needed to, losing some of its bite.
Bite that comes most strongly in the form of Grace Glowicki’s Diana. She’s an excellent character with an undeniable curiosity and determination to know the truth. She’s made all the more interesting by Glowicki’s performance and the way she presents herself with an undefinable quality. Her portrayal refuses to let you nail down exactly who Diana is, giving her a slightly sinister edge which is well done. Casting Ben Petrie as her hapless husband was a great pairing, he does a lot with this character, creating a rather complex emotional journey and hiding his true character behind his initial pretention and bumbling nature.
Jason Isaacs brings a gradually bubbling intensity which undoubtedly helps with the tension. India Brown adds a touch of naivety, hope and fear, which is a very appropriate blend. Julian Richings is interestingly a much quieter presence here, bringing an unexpected sweetness to the table. Kate Dickie is as reliable as ever, keeping things interesting and suspicious with her indeterminable mix of stern and caring. While Patricia Tulasne tops things off as the resident physician, who keeps her tricks up her sleeve for the most part.
Honey Bunch is a great genre blend, it keeps you guessing and goes in a lot of satisfyingly strange directions. It has a strong style, particularly the colouring which manages to strike those notes of being enveloping and warm yet ominous. There’s an excellent ensemble, led confidently and curiously by Grace Glowicki who gives a terrific performance. It does however move quite slowly which won’t work for everyone, but it’s a good original story that pulls on familiar themes, with captivating direction from Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer and a great sense of mystery.
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