82
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversAn ugly masterpiece.
- 90Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranThis pleasantly twisted low-life serenade harks back to several decades earlier, to the golden age of the B-picture and the moody fatalism of film noir. Harsh, gritty, unflinchingly intense and absolutely unforgettable, it’s as heartless as its protagonists, and that is saying quite a lot.
- 88Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenThe Honeymoon Killers is an intense, terrifying portrait of repression and instability.
- 83The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThat nauseous mixture of laughs and shocks, and the fact that real passion drives Kastle's characters even when they plot against each other, is what makes The Honeymoon Killers such an enduring one-off.
- 80Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrLeonard Kastle, a composer who turned filmmaker for this single feature, brings a spare dignity and genuine depth of characterization to his exploitation subject—the series of murders committed by Ray Fernandez and Martha Beck in the late 40s.
- Within the limits of its type it is one of the best and, curiously, most beautiful American movies in recent years.
- 80EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanShot in a grainy grey and white helps to give the film an amateurish and at the same time realistic feel, particularly as it's based on true events. With standout performances from Lo Bianco and Stoler, this is a forgotten gem that's waiting to be rediscovered.
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineThe acting is second to none: the two leads are frighteningly good in their psychotic roles and supporting characters are also well dileneated. But there are some technical problems with the film, notably too much shadow in the frame, several highly visible microphones and the choppy editing, which jumbles the story at times.
- 70Village VoiceAndrew SarrisVillage VoiceAndrew SarrisDespite its horror or rather partly because of it, The Honeymoon Killers is memorable more as a deliriously freakish love story than as a grand guignol.