The Woods (2006)

Director: Lucky McKee
Writer: David Ross
Actors: Patricia Clarkson, Bruce Campbell

Rating: 2 1/2 Black Sheep

Here is another movie I had never seen and I got it at the same time as Apartment Zero. The description on the back didn't particularly make me want to see it but I had to get it for three reasons: 1)Any movie with either Patricia Clarkson OR Bruce Campbell is worth at least one viewing and to have both of them together only reinforces this view, 2)I absolutely loved the film May, another one directed by Lucky McKee, and I was excited to see if he could deliver on another film, and 3)the deal was three for five bucks, I had to get something else if I wanted to buy Apartment Zero!

First things first, I was pretty disappointed by this movie. It is by no means a terrible movie and at times plays out as a decent ghost/horror story. However, decent is not enough for a film that boasts McKee, Clarkson, and Campbell on one bill. The story is set in the 50's and is basically about a troubled girl, Heather, who gets sent to boarding school by her parents, her father being played by Campbell. Heather arrives at the school and of course it is spooky right off the bat and all the teachers are a little strange to say the least. Things go from spooky to downright deadly pretty quickly and Heather finds that she is somehow the key to some sort of witchcrafty plot on the part of the teachers to use the students as vessels for the spirits that reside in the woods.

My first complaint is that Campbell's character is far too underused and that's not just because I want Ash from The Evil Dead to have a little more face time (although that is certainly true too). Campbell comes back to kick ass in the end but his character just felt too one-dimensional and underdeveloped for my tastes. Patricia Clarkson's character of the headmistress left much to be desired as well. I feel like the part could have been much more complex and there are moments where you feel there is something more going on but it just never quite fully makes sense. At times she is distant but occasionally Clarkson's headmistress reveals a subtle genuine depth of feeling, a kind of sad longing that never quite comes to the surface. In the end, we are forced to believe her intent was based on evil but it just doesn't add up for me. I really wanted this movie to go deeper. It's as if there were more scenes that got left on the cutting room floor that had they been included, the story would have retained its much needed depth.

So, if you love Patricia Clarkson, Bruce Campbell, or Lucky McKee, go ahead and get your hands on this flick, it still has some worthy moments and I'm not sorry I watched it. If you don't care about any of these people and you have no need to see a mediocre film about haunted school girls, then by all means, skip it.