Honey Bunch – Movie Review | Shudder (3/5)

HONEY BUNCH on Shudder is a new thriller that surprises in several amazing ways. It’s a little too long, which is a shame because a tighter first act would have made it much stronger. Having said that, the final act does make up for a lot of it. As a result, it’s a definite recommendation from us. Read our full Honey Bunch movie review here!

HONEY BUNCH is a new Shudder thriller that has a very quirky and strangely sinister vibe that evolves in unexpected and truly amazing ways. During the first half, I wasn’t entirely hooked on this genre-bending movie, but by the final half, it had completely won me over.

As a result, I would give this a 3½ if we did half ratings, because the last half of it was a strong 4. The first half, however, was struggling to stay on a three, which is why I’m rounding down. And still, I have to highlight the fact that the ending makes it so worth watching. Had the pacing been tighter in that first part of the movie, I would have gone up instead.

Continue reading our Honey Bunch movie review below. Find it on Shudder from Friday the 13th of February, 2026.

A wild and twisty ride

The story in Honey Bunch will keep you guessing for quite some time. This is also due to a few red herrings, which I am not crazy about, but I do understand why. I just feel it was used a bit too much and for too long – again, this is why I feel the runtime is too long.

In any case, the wild and twisty ride Honey Bunch takes its audience on begins when Diana (Grace Glowicki) wakes from a coma. As she wakes up, she struggles to remember what has happened. Her memories are extremely fragmented, which is why she and her husband, Homer (Ben Petrie), seek experimental treatments.

These experimental treatments take place at a remote facility – because it’s not entirely official, as is often the case with “experimental” stuff in genre movies. As Diana begins to remember and the procedures intensify, their marriage is put to the test.

Not least as Diana finds herself questioning the true motives of her husband.

In many ways, Honey Bunch is a very romantic genre mix of a movie. And then in other ways, it feels extremely invasive and possibly downright wrong. This all depends on the eyes that see and how they connect with and relate to the story.

Such a wonderful surprise

I have to admit that I was close to giving up on this movie, thinking it was just a very indie and artsy take on a genre-hybrid that would never really get to its point. That’s on me, obviously, because Honey Bunch turned out to be an actual treat of a movie.

This is not least thanks to Grace Glowicki (Dead Lover) and Ben Petrie (Blackberry), starring as Diana and Homer, the married couple at the center of the story. Also, we have Jason Isaacs and India Brown as other patients at this facility. Don’t worry, they are father and daughter, and come across as a wonderful team. I absolutely believed in and rooted for all these people.

Finally, working at this facility, we have one of my absolute favorites: Kate Dickie. She is trying so hard to help the patients, while also caring for Delwyn, who is a recovering patient himself, trying to get back to a normal life after regaining his memories. Delwyn is portrayed by Julian Richings (The Institute), and alongside Kate Dickie, they are brilliant additions to any genre production.

Kate Dickie is someone I’ve been praising for years here on Heaven of Horror, and I intend to continue because she always delivers memorable performances. You may know her from smaller movies such as The Witch, Prevenge, or Undergods, but she was also in a huge budget production like Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Northman, plus series like Loki, Game of Thrones, and Dept. Q.

And she always makes an impact! Yes, this is practically a fan club for Kate Dickie at times.

Watch Honey Bunch on Shudder, which has excellent timing for this release

Honey Bunch comes from writer-director duo Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli. The two first met at the 2015 TIFF Talent Lab, which obviously means they already had some spectacular talent before meeting. And yet, the described “instant convergence of minds” resulted in them joining forces as a filmmaking team.

Well, I for one am very happy this happened. Again, I was not thrilled at first, but I was intrigued all the way through. Before making this genre-bending movie, Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli had put out several successful short films together. In fact, this isn’t even their feature film debut. That came with the horror-drama Violation in 2020.

I have to applaud Shudder for releasing Honey Bunch on Friday the 13th, which in this case comes right before Valentine’s Day 2026. Fans of horror and genre movies can watch this as a romantic little treat on Valentine’s Day or just enjoy the sci-fi body horror elements for Friday the 13th. No matter when (or with whom) you watch Honey Bunch, just watch it… and be patient as it evolves brilliantly!

Honey Bunch starts streaming on Shudder on February 13, 2026.

Details

Directors: Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli
Screenwriters: Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli
Starring: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Jason Isaacs, Katie Dickie, India Brown, Julian Richings