There’s a pretty good idea in Horror in the Woods. Yes, I am a sucker for found movies, and I will also feel compelled to watch them because I find them scary, and I like a good scare. So, while I fell in love with the Format of found images, Horror in the Forest is a good opportunity to see what is right and wrong in the use of the format today.
There is something interesting behind its very simple premise and what some would describe as a “monotonous execution”. It’s a horror movie that looks like other movies you’ve probably seen before. He fulfills all the rules of the book and even copies an important scene from his undeniable Inspiration. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. We cannot accuse him of duplicating content, because then we will have to do it with most Hollywood films. What I found interesting about it is what you can actually find beyond that first look. At the heart of its premise is a commentary on trauma that works.
The setting of the film is similar to other found films. The filmmakers decide to make a documentary about something in the woods. The so-called curse of the Rudwick Forest is responsible for the disappearance of people. After a cold opening, it is quite clear that something personal is hiding in the forest. Our team is meticulous in interviewing the people involved in the disappearance. From the family to those responsible for the maintenance of the place. In the end, you will be faced with something that is out of this world.
May I say so? Well, I would prefer that you see it for yourself. I will only say that the entity is quite nasty.
Directed by Brendan Rudnicki, The man behind Forest of away, this one also becomes entirely generic with its title. Rudnicki tries Found Footage and makes the most of it by opting for a subtle horror film that is more about other things than the average horror tropes in the subgenre. Of course, the jump fears are there, but Rudnicki also gives screen time to a working dynamic between the main actors, and he also gives dramatic weight to the of a father with a strange attitude towards the forest. Adding trauma to the equation at this point would have been deemed unnecessary in any other film. In this matter, I just thought there was enough power to make the Film flow naturally until its end.
Some disturbing images and the absence of excesses make The horror in the woods a counterpoint in the discussions on “the found images are dead”. As we have seen in the past with other independent productions and in particular genre films, a director should be able to see the limits of a production. Instead of betting on cheesy digital effects and cheap scares that make no sense, Rudnicki stays on a more sober path that makes it a good step in the construction of his movietic universe. Yes, there is no way that we cannot see his latest series of films as part of something bigger that will make him grow, learn and make better films in the future.
Tags: film, FOREST, horror