This week on Shat the Movies, we’re getting spooky with Haunted Honeymoon (1986)! Join us for a hilarious look at this dark comedy starring Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, where a newlywed couple finds themselves trapped in a spooky mansion filled with eccentric characters. Expect plenty of laughs, wacky moments, and a fun mix of mystery and comedy. If you’re in the mood for a quirky, light-hearted romp, this is the episode for you!
Plot Summary
In the 1986 horror-comedy Haunted Honeymoon, Gene Wilder directs and stars alongside Gilda Radner and Dom DeLuise in a spooky screwball romp that blends classic Hollywood horror vibes with over-the-top farce. Wilder plays Larry Abbot, a popular radio drama actor with a case of the nerves, who travels to his family’s eerie estate to marry his co-star and fiancée, Vickie Pearle (Radner). But what should be a romantic weekend quickly descends into madness when a series of bizarre, supernatural events threaten to derail their nuptials—and Larry’s sanity.
Set in a gothic mansion dripping with cobwebs, thunderstorms, and secret passages, the film follows Larry as he reunites with his delightfully kooky extended family. Dom DeLuise steals scenes in drag as the dramatic Aunt Kate, whose flair for the theatrical rivals anything Larry ever performed on the radio. As lightning flashes and bodies begin to pile up, it becomes clear that someone—or something—wants Larry dead before he can say “I do.”
Haunted Honeymoon lovingly parodies old Universal monster movies while leaning heavily on slapstick and vaudeville-style humor. It’s a strange cocktail of horror, comedy, and camp, buoyed by the real-life chemistry of Wilder and Radner (in what would be her final film role before her untimely death). The jokes may not all land, but the film’s heart and atmosphere remain charming.
Join our podcast review as we revisit this offbeat cult favorite, discuss its place in 80s horror-comedy, and debate whether it’s a forgotten gem or a creaky clunker.
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