The Woods (2006)

Memorable, crazy movie

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Yes, The Woods looks great, has decent performances... and, at its core, is a nasty little story about haunted trees. A dark little fairy tale. Too bad the director/writer/editor/whoever felt like they needed to toss in loads of misdirection and 'red herrings' to make the story seem more complex than it really was. It ends up being a mess... a pretty mess... with Bruce Campbell in it... but still a mess. Yes, it's obvious what's going on... no, I wasn't confused... but I was annoyed that the folks making it kept TRYING to confuse me. The story isn't deep or complex... stop trying to make me think it is.I think the people who made this should be sat down and force fed viewings of Rosemary's Baby and Suspiria... since those are the sorts of movies they seemed to be emulating, badly.

'The woods' harbours plenty of clichés, that is undeniable, but that's not all - at all. Director Lucky McKee has a fine sense of style and the cinematography is more than decent. And there are plenty of developments in the story to keep the viewers on or at least near the edge of their seats. It takes a good while then, but the finale is pretty good, even if the mystery genre dominates the horror genre.Agnes Bruckner delivers a fine performance as well, there are some pretty neat special effects, but the two predecessors are still better than this one. I haven't mentioned the role of horror icon Bruce Campbell yet, but that's merely because it's rather small.A big 6 out of 10 for 'The woods', which equals 7 out of 10 here. It's been a while since I saw this one, so a fresh viewing is in order (which goes for all of McKee's work, actually - come to think of it, I should try 'Roman' by Angela Bettis again soon, too).

It's 1965. Heather Fasulo (Agnes Bruckner) is brought to Falburn Academy by her parents (Emma Campbell, Bruce Campbell) for almost burning down the house. Ms. Traverse (Patricia Clarkson) is the head mistress. Marcy Turner (Lauren Birkell) befriends her but mean girl Samantha Wise (Rachel Nichols) picks on Marcy and starts on Heather. It's an unfriendly place surrounded by creepy woods and her mother refuses to let her come home. The girls tell a story of witchcraft and mysterious sisters coming out of the woods. Then the girls start disappearing leaving behind piles of leaves on their bed.It's a pretty standard girls school horror movie. The witchcraft is just a requirement. The creepy atmosphere is well done. Agnes Bruckner does a reasonable job. Patricia Clarkson almost elevates the whole enterprise just with her presence. The style from director Lucky McKee is OK but lacks daring. The movie needs some more excitement for the ending. Bruce Campbell coming in is fun for horror fans. I wish they push his character harder. I think true horror fans would love it if he got a chainsaw. The movie is derivative and just needs someone to add something more shocking.

The Woods is one such a movie you might watch forgetting what's around you it takes you right where it all takes place, the boarding school from the moment it begins. It is a story of an impudent, "gifted" girl in a repressive boarding school with it's own dark secret. Having been a fan of Lucky McKee, the way he portrays his female leads, for example, May (2002), this was another addition to his frail yet fatal characters. surrounding his leads is a tragedy, a woeful attraction. This film is one that would leave you in awe rather than scare or horror. it's a slow paced mood is enjoyable as lingering memories as if we experience it firsthand and not watching it as audience. The film is set in 60s and it remains loyal to its set up. The subtlety of the film is what is scary if you must!