Made in 2020 Honeydew is the feature-length debut film from Devereux Milburn-who since 2008 has put out around ten shorts, all based around unsettled & uneasy oddballs. Coming in at just shy of the two-hour mark Honeydew, does feel like it maybe could have had the odd nip & tuck in places, but there’s no doubt Milburn does create his own woozily horrifying atmosphere, which at points really will have you shuddering & wincing.

The film focuses in on twenty-something couple Sam (Sawyer Spielberg) & Rylie( Malin Barr)- he’s a waiter-come-budding actor, and she’s studying to be a botanist. The pair are out in the US countryside, studying a recent infection that’s hit farm grasses- which has affected the cattle farming in the area. After a jarring & puzzling opening montage, we drop into on leads- Sam is rehearsing his lines in a rest stop toilet, while Rylie is watching an 80’s doc about the grass disease- which apparent in olden times caused all manner of ailments in animals & humans- with Milburn utilizers split screens here in an effective & disorientating way. Fairly soon the pair are hitting the road again, and this is when the films quirky & unbalancing soundtrack comes into play- it’s a blend of chopped-up rhythmic textures & odd vocal harmonizing. They locate a field where they think the crops have been affected by the disease & set up camp, later on as they are settling down to sleep- headlights shine in the tent, and they are informed by a polite if odd older man they are on private property. They pack-up, getting into their ageing car to look for a place to stay, but it won't start- so they set out on foot, first coming across a spotlight lite bear trap, then a house- they knock on the door, and are greeted by a seemingly helpful, but odd older women Karen(Barbara Kingsley). This is, I know, a fairly typical & repeated horror story trope- but Milburn does some fairly original & effective things after they get in the house.

As things unfold we meet Gunni(Jamie Bradley)- a large and seemingly non-talking son, who is sat in the kitchen watching black & white Popeye cartoons, sucking lemons, and drinking milk via a straw. Karen seems helpful, ringing up a neighbour to help with the car, & feeding the pair. I won’t detail  the plot beyond this point, as it would ruin the films odd unfold, and of course its impact.

The small cast is all good- Kingsely is great as the seemingly eccentric Karen, Spielberg & Barr are believable as a couple, each given their own quirks. The house set is well done- been largely subtle in its creepy & unsettling detail.  Through-out Milburn nicely builds the feel of queasy dread & unwell unease, with some great moments of jarring shock & shudder. Aside from the film been maybe ten/ twenty minutes too long, Honeydew is an impressive feature-length debut, I do look forward to seeing what Milburn does next- and I’ll be tracking down some of his shorts too.

In finishing Honeydew is an effective rural set horror film, which nicely builds from quirkiness & quiet unsettlement into something distinctively deranged & unbalancing. It’s always nice to see a film using the genre tropes, and twisting them into its own bizarre way- and exactly what Honeydew does.