The Woods Review

by BakeSnaker October 27, 2006

If you haven’t yet seen Lucky McKee’s “May”, I highly suggest it. It’s one of the few horror films made in the last ten years that doesn’t go the comedy route or the Saw/Hostel torture route. It’s a serious psychological horror film that is quite intense and disturbing. I hear Lucky also made the best of the Master of Horror shorts..but I haven’t seen it. So when I heard that he had a new film, I had to see it right away.

Set in 1965 New England, a troubled girl encounters mysterious happenings in the woods surrounding an isolated girls school. Stars Agnes Bruckner, Patricia Clarkson and Bruce Campbell.

Unfortunately, it seems like this film had alot of problems with the studio… it was on the shelf for a year. (Night Samaylian or however you spell his name wanted to use the title “The Woods” for “The Village” and couldn’t because of this film.) It has an incredibly rushed ending which makes me think something went wrong in post. Perhaps an accelerated post schedule…who knows…but anyway, this film has its moments but just loses it making it completely unsatisflying. Worth the rental though.

“The Woods” has definite nods to both Suspiria (not in style, but in characters and setting) and Evil Dead (the living woods and Bruce Campbell co-stars.) Very nice cinematography and solid acting but it just don’t work. Almost though. Actually you edit out the violence and I could see it having a young female teeny bopper following.