"The Woods" is a good horror movie that has a great sense of humor. Ignore the low rating.There is a mutant strain of IMDb 'critics' who just live to crap on people's work. You can see their handiwork on classic movies that clearly deserve a 9 approaching 10 but are sandbagged by these idiots into the 7s.While 'The Woods' may not be a classic, it is an entertaining movie with good direction, good acting and good visual story telling. It also doesn't take itself as seriously as most more recent independent Horror movies do.It's the story of a young rebellious girl who gets sent to a girl's school and finds out all is not as it seems. Lucky McKee directs and I think he has a future as a high level Indy Horror filmmaker.It gets 4 points from me right off the bat just by having Bruce Campbell playing a pivotal role in it.Don't listen to the haters. Give it a try.

Wow, talk about captivating...that's just what agnes bruckner is in this film...and with a strong supporting cast.thanks to comet TV, my fave channel now, i'm getting to watch some pretty obscure stuff.this film kept the suspense level high, with not much horror involved. which was a good stable sold mix.i felt the ending was a bit too 'easy'...i mean, i was trying to figure out after the movie ended if the witches wanted to be killed, or they were trying to sacrifice the main character.so, yeah it was a little disappointing. i felt there should have been much more intensity during the ending conflict.especially as the main witch lie there waiting to be axed and says 'so gifted'. this threw me way off as to what was happening. and the main character's mother...was she a witch also? idk.even more confusing...the trees weren't burnt down. does that mean the witches are now back in the woods? i thought that's what they were trying to escape from in the first place.as i said, then ending was full of contradiction, at least my own mind.but a good flick nonetheless.enjoy.

Recalcitrant and rebellious problem teen Heather Falsulo (an excellent performance by Agnes Bruckner) gets sent to an exclusive all-girls boarding school that's run by the imposing Ms. Traverse (a superbly understated portrayal by Patricia Clarkson) and located deep in the forest. Heather finds her life in considerable jeopardy after she discovers that the place is harboring a horrifying secret. Director Lucky McKee, working from an absorbing script by David Ross, relates the compelling story at a deliberate pace, offers a flavorsome evocation of the 1960's period setting, makes inspired unnerving use of the isolated sylvan setting, and does a masterful job of creating and sustaining a beautifully chilling and brooding sinister atmosphere. Moreover, McKee warrants extra plaudits for eschewing cheap scares and excessive graphic gore in favor of a supremely creepy mood that becomes more increasingly scary and unsettling as the narrative unfolds towards a harrowing conclusion. The exceptional acting from the top-rate cast helps a great deal: Bruckner and Clarkson both do sterling work in their parts, with stand-out support from Rachel Nichols as snarky bitch bully Samantha Wise, Lauren Birkell as the mousy Marcy Turner, Kathleen Mackey as the fragile and frightened Ann Wales, and, in a nice atypical straight dramatic role, Bruce Campbell as Heather's father Joe. John R. Leonetti's sumptuous widescreen cinematography gives the picture an impressive polished look. John Frizzell's shivery score hits the spine-tingling spot. A real sleeper.

Predictable plot devices can't harm what's a compellingly performed and slickly directed slow-burn supernatural feature "The Woods" just happens to be. Even with its foreseeable nature, the chilling story manages to balance your interest with its eerily haunting atmospherics of its remote surroundings and the slightly offbeat mannerisms of its characters. The opening half of the dreary plot is smartly captured, drawing you in as it tries to screw around with the possibilities where it drums up an intriguing urban legend-like theme. The school has something of a past… terrible and dark secrets that the girls like to talk about in hush-hush means although the teachers (looking all but suspicious with their glaring eyes and minor nodding) simply pass it off. However after building upon it's tearing psychological traits and devious developments, it somewhat goes off the rails delving in shock-tactics with an overload of some mediocre computer FX work. This is when it turns outrageously silly, especially in the final 15 minutes or so. The old-fashion build-up is all but lost. Good chemistry between the actresses, as there is very adept performances by Emma Campbell and Agnes Bruckner. They might be stoic, but that's the film's tone. Cult fans will enjoy the presence of Bruce Campbell. Director Lucky McKee's sober, but classy handling crafts out some striking visuals demonstrating some moments of mystic and suspense. Also it's beautifully scored with a very fitting soundtrack.