The Woods

Reviewer: Erin Donovan
Rating (out of 5): ****

Yet another little gem of a film squandered by infights, ego clashes and studio turnover. After three years of being shelved (allegedly in part because M. Night Shyamalan demanded first rights to the name for what later was released as The Village) Lucky McKee's (May, Sick Girl) The Woods is out of the film festival ghetto and available DVD.

Agnes Bruckner (Blue Car, Dreamland) plays Heather Fasulo, sent to a New England boarding school for girls after an incident vaguely described as "the fire" gets her expelled. Set in 1965, the new digs is like an airy asylum where conformity is brutally enforced and bizarre psychological tests are constantly proctored to ensure the students are never becoming too capable. The girls who fail are quickly fed to tree witches. Add in Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Army of Darkness) playing it straight as a beleaguered dad, lesbian subtext, a brilliant soundtrack, Patricia Clarkson's take on a maniacal stepford wife (complete with implacable hairdo) and the blond spy from Alias and one has to wonder if Sony Pictures wouldn't be better serving the customer by feeding themselves to tree witches.

The real loss here though is not seeing this gorgeous cinematagraphy on a large screen. Lensed by John Leonetti (who has been making bad movies look great since Child's Play 3) is truly at home in the light fantasy/gore arena. His images have an alluring starkness that rivals the three Mexican films none of us can stop gushing about of late. (A sidenote: Leonetti is also slated to shoot the vehicle wherein Lindsay Lohan will play a multiple amputee with split personality disorder who is out for revenge. Yes, really.)

The DVD is predictably paltry. The transfer is beautifully done but there are no outtakes, featurettes or commentaries despite reports that they were all recorded, created and ready to go. A handful of trailers are included for other straight to video titles.

See also: Picnic at Hanging Rock, Suspiria, Ginger Snaps, The Fog (original), Pan's Labyrinth, Heavenly Creatures, The Descent.