PopHorror Let's Get Scared
PopHorror has the lucky privilege of covering some of the films at the Fantasia International Film Festival. This time we will be discussing the exciting thriller called The Honor Farm, which was shown at the festival on July 15th.
The Honor Farm is directed by Karen Skloss as well as co-written by herself and Jay Tonne Jr. The film stars Olivia Grace Applegate, Katie Folger, Louis Hunter, Dora Madison, and Liam Aiken.
Official Synopsis:
On prom night, a group of kids wander deep into the woods and come back changed forever.
I can honestly say I haven’t seen anything quite like The Honor Farm. The beginning starts out with a bizarre and sensual opening scene that is almost like a foreshadowing of what is t0 come, but not quite. I’m not sure what it meant, but it intrigued me. The rest follows a group of high school students at the ditch prom and head out to Honor Farm, an old abandoned prison. This prison has a dark history and people often perform black magic ceremonies there. Once they arrive, they take shrooms and let it guide them on their journey (whatever that may be). “It’s not the distance, but the journey along the way.”
I loved the characters. The leading characters Lucy (Applegate) and Annie (Folger) stood strong in their roles; delivering powerful and charismatic performances. I loved their transformation throughout the story and how they handle tough situations like surviving a creepy old prison and trying drugs for the first time. JD (Hunter) also brought a lot of balance to the story and helped not only guide the girls on this journey but helped guide us viewers as well. Beyond that, I will say the characters definitely have more to offer than the average teenage story and even stand up against evil when the opportunity arises.
The psychedelic experience was intriguing and realistic. With most stories dealing with drugs, especially shrooms, it’s often flashy with bright colors and sounds – but not in this film. In The Honor Farm, you can tell they are having an out of body experience, but it’s subtle. They’re just kind of floating along and experiencing things for the first time. Forever changed.
I didn’t find The Honor Farm scary on any level, but there are some rituals throughout the film and sacrifices with minimal blood and gore. Although one scene is slightly shocking, nothing goes overboard and it deescalated quickly. I would have loved to see more of that, but the story wasn’t really about that. It’s more of a spiritual journey and I think the presence they find at the abandoned prison aka “The Honor Farm” represents that.
I highly recommend you check out The Honor Farm when given a chance! It’s different from the average thriller/horror story and takes you on a bizarre journey that you may just love.
