DVD Review: HONEYSPIDER (2014)

HONEYSPIDER
Directed by Josh Hasty
Distributed by Brain Damage Films

  This is one of those films that can really grab your attention just from the DVD cover art.  I mean, look at that cover...looks pretty cool doesn't it?  I even love the font they used for the title.  But, does HONEYSPIDER the film live up to the snazzy cover art?  Well, before I give you my opinion, lets check out the plot synopsis from the Brain Damage Films website:

  It’s Halloween in 1989 and college student Jackie Blue wants to enjoy a quiet birthday in the midst of a chaotic semester. Her friend Amber persuades Jackie to come to the annual Monster Mash party on campus after her shift at the local movie theater. As murder plays out on the silver screen during the theater’s Horrorthon, Jackie begins to fall under a strange spell, all while a mysterious stranger watches her every move. As the night unfolds, Jackie slowly unravels. Everyone around her is turning up dead. Jackie finds herself helplessly trapped as the night comes to a shocking and gruesome end.

 From the looks of the cover, I was expecting this to be more of a "creature-feature" type film.  It turns out, spiders play a very small role in the film, and it actually a mixture of a slasher and occult film.  That might sound like a weird combination, but it actually fits together pretty well.  Now keep in mind this was a pretty low budget film.  For being such a low budget film, I think the filmmakers did a remarkable job with all aspects of the film.  There were some great sets and costumes, as well as a few pretty good gore effects (using all practical effects) that looked really good.   

  The plot of the film sounds simple enough, but I have to be honest about this...I had a hard time following what was going on.  The movie was kind of all over the place, and just when I thought I knew what was going on, something else happened that confused me.   Maybe I'm just easily confused, though!  Ha!  Either way, this did not keep me from enjoying the film overall.   There are a few dream/hallucination sequences that were very creepy and atmospheric, almost giving this film a sort of art-house feel to it.  Also worth noting is the acting.  I thought everyone involved did a great job, which is something you don't see a lot of the time with these low budget independent films. I especially liked newcomer Mariah Brown, who plays the main character of Jackie.  Her gorgeous smile and dimples were very nice to look at, and she did a remarkable job with some of the hard scenes she had to act in.

  Overall, HONEYSPIDER was a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend this one. The DVD is available now from Brain Damage Films and contains the following special features:

*  Director Commentary
*  Producer Commentary
*  "The Ghost in You" Music video
*  Menu with Poster Art
*  Trailer


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD