The Woods

If you are looking for a bloody slasher flick, then look elsewhere, as this film is a spooky thriller along the lines of Dario Argento.

Agnes Bruckner, a superb young actress, plays a troubled teen whose mother puts her in a boarding school. It just so happens that she has special talents the headmistress (Patricia Clarkson - The Station Agent, The Green Mile, Pieces of April) and the other teachers are looking for.

Despite warnings from sexy Rachel Nichols, she is trapped and part of their diabolical scheme.

The suspense is tense throughout and it only gets bloody at the end. The acting is great and the tree effects are spectacular.

Alot of this movie to me screamed mediocre. It does keep you interested and had some good scenery shots otherwise imho this fell flat. The firecrotch thing got old fast. Seems like the girl would have done something about that sooner so to me it was roll of the eyes when she finally did it was like whatever. Ending was stupid. I would say pass. Banal. Go watch the witch instead.

Compared to the lame horror films that the major studios theatrically release these days, THE WOODS is superior and stands out. It easily deserves a wide theatrical but remains on the shelf for no logical reason. The film is a variation on a SUSPIRIA-type witch story and delivers genuine scares; not the trendy, superficial jarring jumps 'boos' that the reviewer above probably expects. Director McKee (MAY, SICK GIRL) delivers a deliberate pace and gradually building mood and atmosphere. Above all else, THE WOODS is character-driven with real acting! We not use to seeing that in a recent genre film. The photography and 60's period production design is flawless. THE WOODS has the true power to creep you out and you may never drink milk again!

The film has some solid traits. The acting, even by the young cast is solid. The cinematography and set design is good. Though, in the mid 2000's there was a fad of doing these rapid cuts accompanied with loud noises and a photo negative filter. It hasn't aged well and was honestly not popular back then. The mystery of the plot kept me interested. The biggest complaint I have is the protagonist was unlikeable and unrelatable. Agnes Bruckner did fine as her, but ultimately she comes off as a brat, even having a scene where she finds someone in a hospital who asks her for help and she simply turns her back on him. Additionally, the whole bullying subplot feels a bit off. Maybe have the bully show a little less interest in the protagonists "fire crotch".

A young arsonist is tossed into a prestigious all girls boarding school for "gifted" children and immediately starts to realize that the teachers might be witches using the student body for their own nefarious rituals.

The Woods appears to have a decent budget and the cast is wonderful, but the script feels a few drafts away from memorable and the tone switches from serious to semi-comic a bit too often to take anything that's happening on screen seriously. It also sticks us with a lead character who comes across as too sour and surly to ever get on her side and root for her.