Fantasia International Film Festival 2017 Review: ‘The Honor Farm’ leaves an empty feeling.

THE HONOR FARM

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
  • USA
  • 2017
  • 75 mins
  • English

On prom night, a group of kids wander deep into the woods and come back changed forever.

I had very high hopes based upon the set up of The Honor Farm. It took the typical 30ish minutes to get to what seemed like the ramping up of a really great plot. Everyone is tripping on shrooms and walks into an abandoned prison farm, super cool, right? Rumor has it, two girls died there! Also intriguing, yes, yes, give me more. It’s dark, spooky, and covered in weird suggestive graffiti, this is looking like a blast. Unfortunately, this was not meant to be. While the shrooms do provide for some magical visual moments, the follow through was a letdown. There were several plotlines writer/director Karen Skloss could have expounded upon; satanic ritual, haunted location, séance, but not one of these was ever fully realized. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful, there’s no arguing that point. Unfortunately, the fear factor left me feeling unsatisfied. Even our leading lady expresses in the film, “I was hoping something real was going to happen to me tonight.” Me too, girlfriend, me too.

We’re wondering what you thought of The Honor Farm at this year’s Fantasia Film Fest! If you caught the film over the weekend or this afternoon, we’d love to hear your thoughts. For those not at the fest, you can start with the trailer and decide for yourselves. Check it out below.

CREDITS

  • Directed by: Karen Skloss
  • Written by: Karen Skloss, Jasmine Skloss Harrison, Jay Tonne, Jr.
  • Cast: Olivia Applegate, Katie Folger, Dora Madison, Will Brittain, Louis Hunter, Jonny Mars, Liam Aiken, Mackenzie Astin, Josephine McAdam, Christina Parrish, Michael Eric Reid
  • Company: Gravitas Ventures