[To get you into the spooky spirit, the Daily Dead team is spotlighting double features that we think would be fun to watch this Halloween season. Keep an eye on Daily Dead for more double feature recommendations, and check here for our previous Halloween 2017 coverage.]
The two films in this Halloween season double feature recommendation seem like an unlikely pairing, but definitely have more in common than meets the eye. Despite little differences here and there, both films are small, loud, shocking, and out of this world. I also really enjoy films whose plots slowly unravel, and we learn what is going on as the truth is revealed to the characters. For me, that kind of pacing keeps you guessing from start to finish, and Honeymoon (2014) and 10 Cloverfield Lane have all of these elements in spades.
To set the mood for what will be roughly four hours of an extraterrestrial-beings-take-over-our-world marathon, I recommend that you start things off with Honeymoon, directed by Leigh Janiak and starring Harry Treadaway (Mr. Mercedes, Penny Dreadful), Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones), Ben Huber, and Hanna Brown. It tells the story of newlyweds Paul (Treadaway) and Bea (Leslie), who are celebrating their honeymoon at a remote lake property owned by Bea's family. Everything is going smoothly for the happy couple until one night when Bea goes sleepwalking in the nearby woods and comes back at least looking the same...
As I mentioned earlier, Honeymoon is a bit of a slow burn, so a lot of the heavy lifting relies on the film's characters until we piece together what is going on. While there are two other characters, Will and Annie, who are also living on the lake in a different property, they aren't featured nearly as much, so it’s integral that the chemistry between Harry and Rose be electric, and it certainly is.
If at this point you are thinking to yourself, "Oh, no, this is starting to sound like something found in a rom-com," have no fear, because this is not that kind of movie. No offense to rom-coms, but these people feel like a couple that you know in real life. They are sweet and good together, but also have real conversations that need to be had. The fact that they are so sweetly honest with each other is what makes Bea's behavior seem even more off-kilter when she is found sleepwalking in the woods.
When what truly happened to Bea in the woods is revealed, the body horror kicks into high gear. The budget for this film was only $1 million, and so much was done with so little. There are at least three or four moments that are so cringeworthy in the best way. Let’s just say I would not recommend eating while watching this film.
I recommend that this film be the initial watch in the double feature, because if Honeymoon had a mantra when it comes to revealing what is really going on, it would be "less is more." Watching Honeymoon is a good way to dip a toe into mysterious cinematic waters before you dive all the way in with 10 Cloverfield Lane.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg and produced by J.J. Abrams, 10 Cloverfield Lane follows Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who finds herself in an underground bunker with its owner, Howard (John Goodman), and a man named Emmett (John Gallagher, Jr.) after she wakes up from a terrible car accident.
Much like Honeymoon, the true meat of 10 Cloverfield Lane comes towards the back end, so the strength of the characters is vital, and these characters definitely have a lot of baggage to unpack. Because Michelle wakes up already in the bunker, what little pieces of the plot we do get initially comes from Howard. He insists that there was a mass invasion of some kind and that they can no longer go outside due to a nuclear fallout. Because Howard seems jittery and paranoid, he doesn't feel like a reliable narrator and as the film progresses and Michelle meets her other bunker-mate, Emmett, the doubts begin to really mount around Howard and his stories. You can cut the palpable tension with a knife, and it is an uncomfortable pleasure to witness.
The climax here is a much louder one than Honeymoon, with explosions and an actual look at what is behind all the mayhem. And despite the big battle taking place in a larger space, Trachtenberg somehow finds a way to capture the looming claustrophobic feeling that we as an audience have felt since first entering that bunker with Michelle.
Honeymoon (2014) and 10 Cloverfield Lane have something for everyone and should go great together as a double feature this Halloween season. Both films have very interesting characters, even more interesting worlds, small budgets with large visions, incredibly talented actors, and sensible gore and horror. Happy Halloweening!
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In case you missed it, check here to read our other special features that celebrate the Halloween season!
Tamika hails from North Beach, Maryland, a tiny town inches from the Chesapeake Bay.She knew she wanted to be an actor after reciting a soliloquy by Sojourner Truth in front of her entire fifth grade class. Since then, she's appeared in over 20 film and television projects. In addition to acting, Tamika is the Indie Spotlight manager for Daily Dead, where she brings readers news on independent horror projects every weekend.
The first horror film Tamika watched was Child's Play. Being eight years old at the time, she remembers being so scared when Chucky came to life that she projectile vomited. It's tough for her to choose only one movie as her favorite horror film, so she picked two: Nosferatu and The Stepford Wives (1975).
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