10 80s Slasher Movies You May Not Have Seen
2. Honeymoon Horror (1982)
Honeymoon Horror follows business owners Elaine and Vic as they prepare to welcome three newlywed couples to their "lover's island" Honeymoon resort. However, someone uninvited prowls the island thirsty for blood.
When one considers that this picture was made for a mere $200,000 in just two weeks, the final feature seems a lot more impressive than the campy offering it appears to be on the surface. The tree shrouded island setting provides a surprisingly effective atmosphere as lingering P.O.V. shots show a raspy voiced stalker watching from afar.
The acting on show isn't particularly good, and the tired "comedy cops" routine in particular is groan-inducing. However, the eerie isolated setting and a surprisingly unsettling ambient score make for some particularly tense moments, especially towards the conclusion. The gore when it comes is unflinching and brutal, successfully keeping the little-seen killer an ever-present threat.
It should also be noted that although now considered obscure, Honeymoon Horror was quite popular upon release. The movie was the first ever film to be released directly to video, in a move by Sony to take advantage of a newfangled market. Evidently it worked as Honeymoon Horror went on to gross $25 million.
Today the film can only be seen on faded VHS rips, having never received an updated release. Doesn't that seem a little unfair, given the profit this little movie made?