Honey Bunch – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

HONEY BUNCH – Review by Liz Braun

January 21, 2026January 22, 2026 Liz Braun Ben Petrie, Dusty Mancinelli, Grace Glowicki, Honey Bunch, Kate Dickie, Madeleine Sims-Fewer

Viewers of a certain age will be thrown back in time at Honey Bunch, a clever horror entry with subversive things to say about long-term commitment. The film is steeped in the sights and sounds of the early 1970s —real life and reel — and some of the dread on tap is rooted in movie nostalgia. The story begins as a recovering accident victim and her earnest husband drive to an elegant private care facility set in a secluded spot off the main road. Shades of Hill House and Horror Hospital. Please … don’t go down to the basement. As cinematic sleight-of-hand goes, Honey Bunch manages to be simultaneously disturbing and delightful — no mean feat. The movie wraps up in a way that makes one keen to see what writers-directors Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer do next.

Festivals Reviews

HONEY BUNCH (TIFF 2025) – Review by Rachel West

September 10, 2025September 10, 2025 Rachel West Ben Petrie, Dusty Mancinelli, Grace Glowicki, Honey Bunch, Kate Dickie, Madeleine Sims-Fewer, TIFF 2025

Honey Bunch aims for a 1970s psychological comedic thriller, but its ambition far outweighs its execution. Writing and directing duo Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli’s second feature is a muddled mess of style over substance. Though there’s ambition and style here, Honey Bunch never finds its footing. For all its visual flair, the film collapses under the weight of its own ideas.