Customer Reviews

The Woods

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was lucky enough to see this on the big screen at Fantastic Fest in Austin last night. After following the film's history online for the past two years, as it was made under the United Artists banner, which was later absorbed into Sony Pictures, and theatrical release dates came and went, my expectations weren't that high. Lo and behold, however, this is a very fun and lovingly crafted film that will no doubt gain a sizable cult following over the years thanks to this DVD release. I enjoyed Lucky McKee's film "May" but was truly disappointed in his Masters of Horror offering, "Sick Girl" -- but this film feels like it comes from a much stronger, more self-assured director with excellent pacing and art direction, strong performances from everyone involved (especially Agnes Bruckner, Patricia Clarkson and fan favorite Bruce Campbell!), and an emphasis on mood and atmosphere over graphic shocks. The film is set in 1965, which only helps to give the film a timeless quality; if you didn't know better you'd think this was a early to mid-70s release that was recently "discovered" and makes a terrific addition to the "schoolgirls and supernatural skullduggery" subgenre ala "Suspiria." Great fun, and worthy of more respect than the studio(s) gave it for sure...if Sony's Screen Gems can release pure drivel like "The Covenant" yet bury this flick with zero fanfare, then all is not right with the world.

By the way, PLEASE give John Tuturro's "Romance and Cigarettes" (another UA-Sony merger casualty) a US release next, guys!

There isn't much plot to this movie. The menace the girls face in their gloomy private school is a murky muddle. But I still found this movie absorbing and worthwhile. All the good is in the acting and in the atmospherics.

Agnes Bruckner is daunting as the rebellious teen. She projects the kind of sullen resentment that you feel could tip over at any moment into vengeful hatred. She has an equally well-cast nemesis playing the smug blonde bully at the school. Among the cold, stern teachers and administrators employed there, the teacher with the neck tic leaves the most indelible impression. That tic is a malicious hangman's twist that seems to be delivered by some invisible haunting hand that reaches down to her at unpredictable moments.

But the ultimately ominous performance is turned in by Patricia Clarkson as headmistress. She shows how frightening a persistently quiet monotone can be. It's proof of how a human's intense calm control can be so much scarier than any rampaging monster.

This isn't a slasher movie where girls at a boarding school get whacked one-by-one. This is more of an old-fashioned supernatural thriller where the elements of nature (albeit here in confused conspiracy) surround and descend on you.

I'm a fan of Lucky McGee's movie May and was hoping that this would at least come close to that caliber. I wasn't disappointed! This has an interesting story with great characters and great direction. The look and feel of the film is a lot crisper than most direct to dvd movies are these days. It has an overall creepy feel to it from the very beginning to the point when the end credits roll.

Like the previous reviewer, I was able to catch this at Fantastic Fest in Austin. It's a solid horror film, certainly one that rises above its direct-to-DVD status. There is an especially good performance by Patricia Clarkson, and the rest of the cast does fine. The only real caveat is that the movie isn't particularly "scary" in the classic sense. It's more of a dark dramedy really, with a strong sense of dread throughout.

Lucky McKee made his film debut with a movie he wrote and directed called "May." The movie, in my opinion, showed some interesting new talent in the horror genre. When he followed up "May" with "The Woods" (a film he didn't write), the movie was kept from beging released for some time. Now that it's finally on DVD, I was curious to check it out and I'm surprised to find that it's not that bad. It's not better than "May" but it has it's good moments. Agnes Bruckner plays Heather Fasulo, a troubled girl who's parents (Emma Campbell & Bruce Campbell) have had enough of her. So they send her to the prestigious Falburn Academy, a school that is secluded deep within the woods. Once there, Heather realizes that there's something wrong with the school and the forest that borders it. Children go up missing, she's hearing voices coming from the woods (the voice is voiced by Angela Bettis, who played the title character in "May")...She also gets taunted by her fellow students (I was getting annoyed when they called her "fire-crotch" for about the 100th time). Oscar Nominee Patricia Clarkson (Best Supporting Actress, 'Pieces of April') stars as Ms. Traverse, the headmistress, who knows a lot more about the strange events circling the school than she pretends too. The movie isn't a blood and gore fest (although, it has its share of blood and gore) and it's not really scary. But it's a lot better than crap like
"Beyond the Wall of Sleep" and "Freddy Vs. Jason" and "Alien Vs. Predator" and "Resident Evil." The special effects in the movie are decent, the acting is good, there's no pathetic attempts at comic relief. Not everyone will like this movie, and it's not perfect, but it's a movie that continues to show a lot of promise for director McKee.

GRADE: B

The biggest question I have about "The Woods" is why is it rated R?? There is very little gore, no nudity or language, it seems the target audience for this flick would be teenage girls, so I'm not sure why the Adult rating? Outside of that, "The Woods" isn't a bad little movie. I won't dive into the specifics as I hate throwing out spoilers. I had no idea what this film was about, and enjoyed just letting it unfold. I was kind of hoping for a "Nerd-Out-For-Revenge" flick like "Evilspeak", "Ginger Snaps" or "The Craft", but unfortunately "The Woods" doesn't really fit this catagory. Another reviewer likens "The Woods" to those 1970's supernatural horror flick, and I fully agree, only "The Woods" has more production value.
Should you buy this movie? I don't know if I recommend a purchase, but you could do a lot worse than popping this into you Netflix account.

THE WOODS

I have to admit that the only reason I bought this movie was because the great Bruce Campbell was in the film. But to my surprise this film had another good thing going for it, director Lucky McKee. For those who do not know who he is, he is the writer/director of another wonderful film "MAY". So I knew before even viewing this film that it would be a great film, little did I know that it would turn out to be a classic.

The story follows Heather Fasulo [Agnes Bruckner] has she is dropped off at an all girl's boarding school by her parents [Bruce & Emma Campbell]. It seems Heather is a problem child and is in need of some good education. Upon arriving at the school she takes a test that determines how gifted she is., it turns out that she is one of the brightest at the school and requires special classes. But after arriving she befriends one girl and is constantly fighting with another, but it doesn't take long for her to notice something is wrong. Not only is head mistress Ms. Traverse [Patricia Clarkson] and her staff out of this world creepy, but Heather's class mates keep disappearing into the woods. And only after a trip in the woods herself does she hear the story of what happened long ago at the school. Apparently it seems long ago three girls came from out of the woods looking for a place to stay. The school let them stay and put the girls in classes, but after some of the students found the girls practicing witchcraft the girls were tormented. Unable to take it any more the girls called to the woods for help, and offered the woods all of the student's souls for revenge. After all was said and done the students were under the witches control and they murdered the head mistress. Heather has learned of a horrible secret and wants to find out what is happening to the students before the woods take her as well.

Director Lucky McKee did an excellent job with this film; he definitely is a filmmaker to look out for in the future. Also writer David Ross has created an excellent story for all to enjoy, which apparently based on the ending is based on true events [the ending at least]. DP John R. Leonetti did an amazing job as well on this film; the cinematography in this film was great. As far as on screen talent went star Agnes Brucker was outstanding as Heater, plus it doesn't hurt that the girl is beautiful. She portrayed her character with an eloquent grace that is sorely missed in Hollywood these days; this girl should become a huge star soon. And on the opposite end we have the creepy head mistress played excellently by Patricia Clarkson. Bruce Campbell is great as always, as is Emma Campbell, in fact the entire cast did an excellent job.
I recommend this film highly to any & everybody out there, I also recommend that you buy this film and skip renting it, yea it is that good.

Well, I think McKee is eventually going to have all horror fans eating out of the palm of his hand. Momentairly, I believe he is one of the most promising new writers/directors of the last decade. I hate how his movies are underrated. May was a good 5 stars and I'm rating The Woods the same. Not only the plot line was inticing to the end but the filming itself was chilling and dark. This is a very peculiar movie, something simular to the craft but deeper. It's something fresh to watch considering Halloween is coming up, and the mainstream can't think of anything original. All I hope is that McKee doesn't become a sell out and start doing [...] like The Fog remake or Boogeyman.

The Woods is a pretty nuanced affair, delicately drawn out suspense slowly boils to a seemingly abrupt conclusion. Usually, a film like this would bore me. In theis case, the solid acting is what captivated my interest in the film, as almost everyone was dead on with their delivery. Agnes Bruckner carried the weight of this thriller with hardly an effort and she was developed to be likeable enough. She didn't seem dumb when it came to dealing with the horrors around her and she also proved particularly thick skinned, especially during a conflict with the resident bully. Lauren Birkell also offered a similarly likeable performance, although she was not such a strong willed character. Her purpose in the film seemed a tad bit sinister. Bruce Campbell was just a regular schmo at first until the movie approached the climax and then pieces of the cult favorite Campbell became evident. The scene steeler of course came in the form of Patricia Clarkson as she simply chewed the role up and spit it out. I was a little bummed that she was not in the movie more and her characters final moment in the movie seemed to happen too fast. The rest of the acting was decent... although the girl who played the bully was not very convincing when in bad girl mode but came through when she became freakishly concerned for Heather (Bruckner).
The story was good. Heather gets dropped off at a private school after setting a tree to flame in her yard. Her mother seems overtly eager to get rid of her while her father is completely reluctant but obviously whipped into agreement by his demanding wife. Heather senses a little oddness at first but manages to settle in after befriending an odd girl named Marci. Of course, the good doesn't stay good and her time spent at the school starts to get a little eerie. There are the woods bordering the champus... and the entire faculty seems to be a little off in the way they mingle with each other and domineer over the students. When a girl who failed an attempt at suicide disappears, that is when the terror starts to reveal itself. Of course, it isn't as scary as the hype built it up to be, but there is still plenty of creepy goodness to be had.
My only real complaint about this movie is its completly abrupt ending. The build up to a bitter violent show down is imminent but in the end it ends way to fast and before you know it, the credits are rolling. That aside, this is one suspense thriller that is worth checking out.

Heather thinks her parents hate her when they put her in a strict private school in the middle of a big forest to "straighten" her out. What she doesn't realize is her school and the students are controlled by witches. It may sound hokey, but it is really effective. These particular witches are interested in Heather and determined to stop anyone from getting her out of their clutches, including a couple of worried fellow classmates and her parents. Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead's Ash) is her Dad by the way and he is great! I can see why it got mixed reviews, you need quiet to watch it, and absorb whats going on. Not one of those movies where death after death more gruesome than before. I'm getting sick of those anyway.