Sawyer Spielberg in Horror, Thriller for Acting Debut

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

Palisadian Steven Spielberg’s son Sawyer can be seen in his film-acting debut in the upcoming horror pic “Honeydew.”

“Honeydew,” written and directed by Devereux Milburn, follows Sam (Spielberg) and Rylie (Malin Barr), a young couple that seeks shelter in the home of a farmer (Barbara Kingsley) and her son after a failed road trip.

As Sam and Riley await help, their host reveals more about herself, “which is also when Sam and Riley’s night shifts from annoying to something much, much worse,” according to the Tribeca Film Festival.

They begin having unusual cravings and hallucinations that lead them down a bizarre rabbit hole.

“It’s a familiar horror film setup: A desperate situation leads folks to enter the wrong house in the wrong part of the woods. But none of those films are quite like ‘Honeydew,’” according to the Tribeca Film Festival. “With its quirky sound design, playful visual language, and blend of twisted violence and macabre humor, ‘Honeydew’ steadily distorts genre conventions while introducing an unforgettable new geriatric horror villain.”

Milburn is a New York City-based filmmaker who specializes in the production of music videos, narrative films, commercials and web promos. “Honeydew” marks Milburn’s first feature film.

“Honeydew” also marks Sawyer’s feature acting debut. Sawyer is Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw’s youngest son; he made a brief appearance in his father’s 2017 film “The Post.”

“Honeydew,” which is currently not rated, has a runtime of one hour and 46 minutes.

The film had original plans to premiere in early 2020 at the Tribeca Film Festival but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, premiered in October 2020 at the Nightstream Film Festival.

Dark Star Pictures recently acquired the North American distribution rights, and “Honeydew” is slated for a release in the United States on March 12 in theaters, before it arrives on digital platforms April 13.

“Writer-director Devereux Milburn has expertly crafted a macabre vision oozing with style that will have genre fans and cinephiles salivating for what he brings next,” Dark Star Pictures President Michael Repsch told Deadline.