Girl in Woods

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Audience Member ... I cannot understand all the bad reviews ....it follows a dissent into madness ... I thought a very original plot ... and the acting especially for the main character was very sufficient ... i'm hoping a sequel is made by the same director Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member .... can't understand the bad reviews.. I basically liked it all the way around ... The plot, The acting and the scenery ... it follows the dissent into madness ... i'm hoping a sequel is made ... Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member quite messy and weird. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Bad acting, bad movie Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Arguably, one of the earliest genres of film many cinephiles are initially attracted to his horror. As kids we routinely went to the neighborhood theater to watch the latest scary movies and enjoy being scared by the latest monster to be featured in the creature feature dominating the theater's marquee. Over time the movies we loved were transformed into the slasher films driven by copious quantities of blood and later the cinematic abomination that is become known as 'torture porn'. Underlying this change in paradigm is a move from the character driven psychological thriller to horror films that rely almost completely on the visceral shock supplied by special-effects and prosthetic makeup. This is why I was especially pleased when I received for review a movie that turned out to be an unexpected gem that helps bring the genre back from disgusting frightening and psychologically unsettling; 'Girl in Woods'. This movie is the latest offering by burgeoning filmmaker Jeremy Benson. He only has a handful of credit so far but after watching this film I am making a point of becoming familiar with the rest of his body of work. As evident by this movie's directorial style as director and screenwriter was still in the process of formation which undoubtedly strengthen his ability to create and maintain a strong central narrative for his stories. While they were still rough spots in this movie overall it was excellent, simultaneously moving away from the numerous clichés that apply to a young woman lost and alone in the woods and placing his own psychologically oriented twists on the story. What I admire most about this film was that it represented an undertaking with a significantly greater coefficient of difficult and usually found in the typical independent horror movie. All too many new filmmakers to attempt this genre because of the relative ease is to produce a reasonably profitable slasher film. All that is really necessary a few hundred gallons of fake blood, a visit to the butcher shop for some animal entrails and attractive actress on the congenital lack of modesty. Much to his credit Mr. Benson set out upon the decidedly more difficult approach to crafting his opus. He set out to create a film with the overall environment is probably in the ordinance watches as a already damaged young woman is forced to face arduous trials in order to survive. Grace (Juliet Reeves London) is a young woman who has just accepted a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Jim (Jeremy London). The decide to take a romantic walk through the heavily wooded area near to the cabin they are staying, much to Grace's surprise and chagrin Jim has brought along a rife casually slung over his shoulder, when challenged by Grace as to why he felt it necessary to be armed while taking simple stroll he dismissively replies "for protection from animals". Their hike had barely begun when Jim stops to check the weapon and winds up shooting himself in the jaw, the exit wound taking a considerable piece of his skull. Grace, understandably horrified, knees besides him promising to bring back help. Grace grabs the rife and her bag and careers off into the woods. Through a series of flashbacks, we are shown while this event had a significant greater psychological impact of Grace, more so than watching a section of the man you love fly off in a bloody spray would naturally have. When Grace was a little girl (Shaun Benson) her mother (Charisma Carpenter) died, apparently by her own hand. This profound effect on her father (Lee Perkins) ultimately driving him to take his own life. Under any circumstance this would be traumatic to a child but Grace had entered his bedroom just as he held the gun to his jaw, she rushed to him to try to stop him but the instant she gets to his side he pulls the trigger splattering blood all over her. To watch as Jim died in such a similar manner had to induce a major psychological impact on her already fragile emotional state. The strength of any story lies in the instruction of its foundation in hell road is able to support the many details and nuances that hopefully propel the narrative towards meeting its goals. This is where I found this movie eminently compelling and entertaining. Eschewing the overused bogeyman with a penchant for sharp objects chasing the hapless young lady through the woods, Mr. Benson has chosen especially more artistic and difficult path for himself as a storyteller. In a very efficient manner reveals how emotionally damaged Grace is forced even steps foot in the titular woods. This is a truly effective use of flashbacks, a plot device that is quite frequently misused as the only connection to the character. Slowing the pace that we get to know in innermost composition of Grace's psychological composition and how it manifested in her emotional reactions to the stresses that have unexpectedly enveloped her we are better able to form a bond with his character is crucial for us to truly care about what happens to her. I realize that some people felt that Grace engaging in conversation over iterations of self may seem trite and contrived. I cannot find a basis to validate this perspective. Return to terms from freshman psych 101 Grace is being confronted by her id and superego. Her id is feral, animalistic and best able to survive his harsh environments. Contrast this has superego is the rational portion of Grace's mind attempting to analyze what has happened to determine how best to continue. Neither aspect of our psyche is correct on its own but each does make valid observations that are critical to the survival. She is haunted by memories of her father's death in conversations with her mother but the only family member that actually manifests to this time of need is the one man she felt truly sacred, her grandfather (John Still), who has died some time ago. He is beckoning her to follow him representing the course of action to surrender to the fate. The last manifestation that Grace must contend with is a shadowy demon (Rezia Massey) was observed in fleeting glimpses not very far off. When you combine all of these visions that Grace experiencing the story reveals that it is the deconstruction of a young woman was survived the very psychologically damaging childhood is now forced to survive is clear and present dangers that threaten to take a very life from her. The movie is beautiful shot of the rustic beauty of the forest interspersed with the terror closing in on the film's survival girl. The survivor girl, also commonly referred to as the final girl, is the young woman with the sufficient combination of ingenuity and good fortune to manage to outwit the numerous threats mounting against her and live past the closing credits, speaking of end credits be sure to continue watching until the last name scrolls by; some of the more elusive answers are finally revealed. Ms. Reeves is an incredibly gifted actress that takes full advantage of the intricacies of this story. The demands on her would be quite challenging for an actress with substantially more experience, prior to this most of her roles were for characters referred as 'Bridesmaid', 'Rodeo Girl' or 'Pedestrian', often uncredited. Gauging by her performance here that unsung part of her career is about to come to an end. She portrays the alternated views of herself not as completely different entities but highlights their uniqueness through very subtitle nuances in her mannerisms and character presentation, this is not well suited for audiences that look upon 'Saw' or 'Hostel' as the epitome of horror. The filmmaker demonstrates a respect for the intelligence of the viewers and in return he expects us to be able to probe deeper into Grace as a human being who has endured much in the way of psychological stress in the past but now is forced to contend with immediate, physical threats to her life. Multiple viewings are recommended to fully appreciate the interwoven circumstances as past and present collide but aside from that you will want to experience this film several times just to appreciate its capacity to entertain. It should be noted that she is married to Jeremy London in real life and they recent had their first child together. Although this film is not available on DVD it can be owned or rented on through several streaming video services including Amazon Prime. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Terrible! A waste of time!!! Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Girl in Woods

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