A few months ago, I saw a film called “Boy Eats Girl”, about a young man who dies and comes back as a zombie. The people who love him are willing to ignore his ravenous potentially murderous behavior because they just are that committed to him. “Zombie Honeymoon” is basically along those same lines. Except, in spite of its evident camp it’s much more in the vein of a tragedy, and it works. Can you love someone who is uncontrollably murderous? Can you love someone beyond circumstances that are not in your control? Do you fight the tide, or welcome it with open arms? “Zombie Honeymoon” in spite of its ludicrous title is actually much more classy and straight-faced than its moniker would dictate to audiences; which would also attribute to the lack of interest from many I’ve come across.
If this review doesn’t do it for you, then by all means give the film a chance. From the very beginning credits where we hear gruesome chewing sounds over a wedding invitation, I could sense what the director was shooting for. Though it is low-budget, and low-tech, it’s also very inspired. I forgave much of the lapses in logic only because I read a large article concerning the production in Fangoria, and the budget problems the director experienced during this, so once you take in to consideration that fact, “Zombie Honeymoon” is forgivable. And then it becomes a worthy independent horror film. Not just that, but it also becomes a worthy romance that I was hooked on from the very beginning. Though director and writer Gebroe can never seem to know whether he’s giving a horror comedy or horror at the first twenty minutes, “Zombie Honeymoon” picks up very considerably and turns in to a very bleak and engrossing horror romance.
After Denise and Danny elope, they speed off to their honeymoon at a beach house for the weekend. After very good extrapolation into their chemistry, relationship, and passion, Danny is attacked by a deformed man at the beach. While the man lunges at Danny, he vomits a black bile in to his mouth and dies. Danny is rushed to the hospital and dies as well, but awakes moments later feeling good as new. It then continues to pick up from there in to a very tense and gruesome zombie film and a rather heartbreaking romance about how far some of us are willing to go to help the people we’re in love with. Gebroe obviously draws much of the inspiration in the character chemistry from Romero films, and the way they come across the man at the beach is very reminiscent of the opening of “Night of the Living Dead”.
But the plot is drawn heavily around “Deathdream” in which at first its just two people attempting to figure out what happened, what is happening and how to solve it, and then progresses into a woman unable to let her husband go and resorts to extreme lengths to keep him with her. “Zombie Honeymoon” is a pretty unusual film, but it’s also pretty damn good. And the fact that Gebroe is willing to go through these different balances of comedy and horror and romance really will split its audience apart. The romance between Denise and Danny is very strong and believable and though their characters are grating in the beginning, they become much more realistic. Gebroe constantly shows pictures of the happy couple in the background as bleak but very effective foreshadowing of what’s to come. He manages to competently mount the tension and hits us with unabashed gore and very above par special effects.
Danny’s transformation in to a zombie is very entertaining and the fact that at any moment he can turn on everyone becomes a constant attention gauge. Gebroe relies much of the film on Coogan’s performance. She’s the stand out here displaying very much talent and range and handles the weight of her character well. Her emotional scenes are powerful, and her grappling with her husband’s new—uh—habit is fascinating to watch. Sibley also gives a very competent performance as the man attempting to keep his hunger at bay while dealing with his wife’s mental breakdown. How long can he go before he finally turns on her? How long can he go without losing control? I couldn’t help but watch and wait. Gebroe’s film has an admirably sick humor about it. While she hears her husband eating his victims in the distance, she watches a cooking show. In spite of its truly grim story, the film worked, and I very much enjoyed it.
You know, in spite of the breaks I gave this, there were still just too much plot holes to turn the other cheek at. How come no one noticed Danny attacking people? How come no one became suspicious at the man with the blood all over his face at the beach? Does his bite make others the living dead, or was it just one instance where he became infected? How come no one beyond the sheriff noticed the rising body count? How come no one reported these incidents? How can you attack a hospital patient and sneak him out without anyone noticing or hearing anything? Why would a small town sheriff investigate a possible murder? Even a low budget film such as this could have sealed up these plot holes. If you’re actually looking for an original film that you or your wife/girl-friend can enjoy, then this would be a surefire crowd pleaser. While you’re oohing and aahing at the above par visual effects, make up, gore, violence, horror, and zombies, your wife can enjoy the very good performances, heart wrenching story, and genuine characterization. “Zombie Honeymoon” is the perfect fractured date movie. Seriously.