Agnes Bruckner stars in this eerie 60s set chiller from Director Lucky McKee (May) about a young girl (Bruckner) who is sent to a secluded boarding school in the middle of the titular location, only to discover that the staff are a bit weird. When her classmates begin to disappear she must uncover the truth about Falburn Academy. Are the faculty witches?
The Woods took forever to see the light of day via a low key DVD release, which is a shame as it’s a well made film, but you can kind of see why it happened. It starts out well enough but is very slowly paced and not much happens. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing but I can’t see many restless giggly teenagers sitting through this in a cinema, so hopefully it will find its audience on DVD; if audiences can find the film on DVD that is (talk about hard to find).
Bruckner is very good here as is the always excellent Patricia Clarkson, but it is Rachel Nichols who steals the show with her portrayal of bitchy school bully Samantha. Her scenes with Bruckner showcase some of the worst school bullying since Carrie in terms of sheer humiliation, and you can’t help lauging at Bruckner’s witty comebacks. Bruce Campbell fans will no doubt enjoy seeing him take on some more scary trees and possessed bitches but he isn’t really given that much to do. Gordon Currie is also sadly underused but the film is all about women, so it makes sense.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Featuring a deep lesbian subtext, abandonment issues and more, The Woods is one for distinctly mature youths.
