The Woods (2006)

Director:

Lucky McKee

Writer (WGA):

David Ross (written by)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Every high school has its secrets...

Plot:

Set in 1965 New England, a troubled girl encounters mysterious happenings in the woods surrounding an isolated girls school that she was sent to by her estranged parents.

Plot Keywords:

Woods | Forest | Coven | Student | Fire

Cast

Agnes Bruckner	...	Heather Fasulo
Emma Campbell	...	Alice Fasulo
Bruce Campbell	...	Joe Fasulo
Patricia Clarkson	...	Ms. Traverse
Lauren Birkell	...	Marcy Turner
Jane Gilchrist	...	Ms. Cross
Catherine Colvey	...	Ms. Leland
Marcia Bennett	...	Ms. Mackinaw
Rachel Nichols	...	Samantha Wise
Kathleen Mackey	...	Ann Whales
Cary Lawrence	...	Ms. Charevoix
Colleen Williams	...	Ms. Arbor
Gordon Currie	...	The Sheriff
Jude Beny	...	School Nurse
Melissa Altro	...	Barb (as Missy Altro)
Maia Balestriri	...	Jen (as Maïa Balestrieri)
Maggie Castle	...	Tracy
Amber Cull	...	Mara
James Bradford	...	Doctor
Ivana Shein	...	Clara Thompson
Leslie Cottle	...	Headmistress
Anna Fuerstenberg	...	Cafeteria Lady
Melissa Carter	...	Girl #1 (as Mellisa Carter)
Stéphanie Breton	...	Girl #2 (as Stephanie Breton)
Elana Dunkelman	...	Girl #3
Alissa Amato	...	Another Girl (as Alissa APA)
Alexander Bisping	...	Orderly
Elizabeth Marleau	...	Other Girl
Angela Bettis	...	Voice in the Woods (voice)
Linda Pine	...	Mara (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jessica Kennedy	...	Witch Girl (uncredited)
Li Li	...	Asian Student (uncredited)

Directed by
Lucky McKee

Writing credits (WGA)
David Ross		(written by)

Produced by
Bryan Furst	....	producer
Sean Furst	....	producer
Marco Mehlitz	....	executive producer
Michael Ohoven	....	executive producer
Randy Ostrow	....	executive producer
Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt	....	co-producer

Original Music by
John Frizzell
Jaye Barnes Luckett		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
John R. Leonetti		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dan Lebental
Joel Plotch		(co-editor)

Casting by
John Papsidera

Production Design by
Dan Leigh

Art Direction by
Raymond Dupuis

Set Decoration by
Louis Dandonneau
Jean-Marie Francoeur

Costume Design by
Aline Gilmore

Makeup Department
Annick Chartier	....	make-up department head
Marie-Eve D'Amour	....	daily makeup artist (as Marie-Eve d'Amour)
Nelson Dacosta	....	special makeup effects artist (as Nelson Da Costa)
Georgette Drouin	....	daily hair stylist
Bruno Gatien	....	special makeup effects artist
Emilie Gauthier	....	daily makeup artist
Bunny Hamelin	....	daily hair stylist
Richard Hansen	....	daily hair stylist
Tahira Herold	....	daily makeup artist (as Tahira M. Herold)
Manon Joly	....	hair stylist
Gaétan Landry	....	daily hair stylist (as Gaetan Landry)
Jonathan Lavallée	....	special makeup effects artist (as Jonathan Lavallee)
Ludevieve Lepage	....	daily makeup artist
Joëlle Monty	....	daily hair stylist (as Joelle Monty)
Adrien Morot	....	special makeup effects supervisor
Johanne Paiement	....	key hair stylist
Jenny May Quinn	....	daily hair stylist
Mario St-Louis	....	daily hair stylist
George Tucci	....	special makeup effects artist
Fanny Vachon	....	first assistant makeup artist
Fanny Vachon	....	makeup artist
Sylvania Yau	....	special makeup effects artist
Christine Larocque	....	wig maker (uncredited)

Production Management
Ronald Gilbert	....	unit production manager (as R.J. Gilbert)
Pierre Guay	....	assistant unit manager
Geneviève Lussier	....	assistant unit manager (as Genevieve Lussier)
John Bard Manulis	....	chief executive officer: Visionbox Media Group (as John Manulis)
Chris Miller	....	post-production supervisor: Visionbox Media Group
Randy Ostrow	....	unit production manager
Gilles Perreault	....	unit manager (as Gilles Perrealt)
Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt	....	unit production manager
Lulu Zezza	....	post-production supervisor: Visionbox Media Group

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stéphane Byl	....	second second assistant director
Manon Célestin	....	daily third assistant director (as Manon Celestin)
Genevieve Doyon	....	second assistant director: second unit
Anna Ferenczi	....	daily third assistant director
Richard L. Fox	....	first assistant director
Allison Johnston	....	second assistant director
Roxanna Macedo	....	first assistant director: second unit (as Roxanna Macebo)
Natalia Ortelli	....	third assistant director (as Natalie Ortelli)
Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt	....	second unit director
Théo Thivierge	....	second assistant director (as TYheo Thivierge)

Art Department
Andy Aitken	....	sculptor
Jean-Marc André	....	sculptor
Serge Archambault	....	paint foreman
Elisabeth Bastien-Siry	....	assistant property master
Chrystian Beaudoin	....	sculptor
John-Michael Bellamy	....	graphic artist (as John Michael Bellamy)
Charles-André Bertrand	....	props buyer
Martin Blais	....	head carpenter
Laurent Bonnet	....	sculptor (as Laurent Bonet)
Marie-José Bégin	....	sculptor
Martin Chalifoux	....	construction foreman
Yves Champagne	....	greens person
Stephen Craig	....	scenic painter
Louis Dandonneau	....	set dresser
Maryse De Lottinville	....	draftsperson
Chantal Deshaies	....	sculptor/plasterer
Alain Desroches	....	sculptor
Derek Doucette	....	scenic painter
Stephen Gilbert	....	set dresser
Sylvie Landy	....	scenic painter (as Sylvie Landry)
Ian Lavoie	....	property master
Paul Le Maire	....	set dresser
David Lévesaue	....	greensperson (as David Levesque)
François Martin	....	key greensperson
Vanessa Menendez	....	storyboard artist
Russell Moore	....	set designer (as Russell D. Moore)
Jocelyne Pronovost	....	greens person
Pascale Reiher	....	art department coordinator
Gilles St. Amand	....	sculptor/plasterer (as Giles St-Amand)
Scott Thompson	....	sculptor
Annie Verdon	....	sculptor

Sound Department
Kevin E. Carpenter	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Kevin Carpenter)
John T. Cucci	....	foley artist (as John Cucci)
Ronald Eng	....	supervising sound editor (as Ron Eng)
Tammy Fearing	....	adr editor
Dana LeBlanc Frankley	....	assistant sound effects editor
Mark Gordon	....	dialogue editor
Claude Hazanavicius	....	sound mixer
Marc Hazanavicius	....	boom operator
Carol Lewis	....	supervising adr editor
Jon Michaels	....	assistant sound effects editor (as John Michaels)
B. Nichole Navar	....	sound production assistant (as Nichole Navar)
Genevieve Normond	....	sound assistant
Dan O'Connell	....	foley artist
Willard Overstreet	....	supervising foley editor
Steve Pederson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Andy Potvin	....	sound consultant: Dolby stereo
Gary Ritchie	....	sound recordist
Brian Smith	....	adr recordist
Robert Troy	....	dialogue editor
Steve Tushar	....	sound effects editor
James Ashwill	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
Jeremiah Clifton	....	adr engineer (uncredited)
Diana Flores	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Dave Lopez	....	sound engineer (uncredited)
Matthew McKenzie	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Andy Antoine	....	special effects assistant
Dana Campbell	....	special effects technician
Ryal Cosgrove	....	special effects coordinator
Mike Cozens	....	special effects technician (as Mike Couzens)
Marc Reichel	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Ryan Storm	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Greg Astles	....	digital fusion compositing artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Dave Bachelor	....	3D artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Ian Britton	....	digital compositor: in association with ICVFX
Pauline Burns	....	visual effects project manager: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Patrick Coffey	....	digital fusion compositing artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Keith Cooper	....	3D artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Jon Cowley	....	3D supervisor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Peter Dydo	....	3D artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Mohammad Ghorbankarimi	....	digital fusion compositing artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Raymond Gieringer	....	visual effects creative advisor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Michael Hatton	....	visual effects technical advisor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Peter Hunt	....	digital fusion compositing artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Val Keller	....	visual effects assistant editor
Louis Kim	....	digital fusion compositing artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Lev Kolobov	....	digital fusion compositing artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Jason Kolodziejczak	....	digital fusion compositing artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Wendy Lanning	....	visual effects producer: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Ethan Lee	....	3D technical director: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Mai-Ling Lee	....	3D lead character artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Sam Lee	....	digital fusion compositing artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Margarida Leong	....	3D lead character artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Kenneth Littleton	....	digital compositor: LaserPacific
Jason Maher	....	3D lead character artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Jim Maxwell	....	digital matte artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Lon Molnar	....	visual effects supervisor: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Eric Osmond	....	visual effects editor
Darcy Reno	....	systems administrator: Intelligent Creatures Inc. (as Darcy Bangsund)
Brian Shows	....	digital intermediate supervisor
Leonardo Silva	....	3D artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Wayne Traudt	....	3D lead character artist: Intelligent Creatures Inc.
Diane Wright	....	digital compositor: LaserPacific
Steve Wright	....	digital compositor: LaserPacific
Berj Bannayan	....	software engineer: Soho VFX (uncredited)
Graham Cunningham	....	digital artist: ICVFX (uncredited)
Mark Della Rosa	....	3D animator: Soho VFX (uncredited)
Marc Fortin	....	digital compositor: Intelligent Creatures Inc. (uncredited)
Michael Kowalski	....	visual effects producer: Soho VFX (uncredited)
Danny Lee	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Daniel Lu	....	3D modeller: Soho VFX (uncredited)
Allan Magled	....	visual effects supervisor: Soho VFX (uncredited)
Mike Mombourquette	....	digital compositor: Soho VFX (uncredited)
Scott Riopelle	....	digital compositor: Intelligent Creatures Inc. (uncredited)
Keith Sellers	....	3D animator: Soho VFX (uncredited)
Clancy Silver	....	digital compositor: Intelligent Creatures Inc. (uncredited)
Michael Wile	....	technical director: Soho VFX (uncredited)
Diane Wright	....	visual effects coordinator: Cinesite/Laser Pacific (uncredited)

Stunts
Marc Désourdy	....	stunt coordinator
Candide Franklyn	....	stunt coordinator
François Gauthier	....	stunt double: Sheriff (as Frank Gauthier)
Brad Hruboska	....	stunt coordinator
Patrick Kerton	....	stunt double: Joe
Kathryn Kostlivy	....	stunt double: Samantha (as Katryn Kostlivy)
Héléna Laliberté	....	stunt double: Alice/Mrs. Mackinaw (as Helena Laliberté)
Karine Lemieux	....	stunt coordinator
Martin Williams	....	head stunt rigger (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alex Amyot	....	chief lighting technician
Claude Beauchamp	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Philippe Bossé	....	additional still photographer
Jerome Bouchard	....	assistant chief lighting technician (as Jérome Bouchard)
Danny Bourque	....	lighting technician
Francis Charlebois	....	technician: power pod
Rod Crombie	....	Steadicam operator
René Daigle	....	camera operator: "b" camera
René Daigle	....	director of photography: second unit (as Rene Daigle)
Jean-François Dasylva-LaRue	....	grip
Pierre Daudelin	....	electrician: second unit
Pierre Daudelin	....	lighting technician
Sylvain Desormeaux	....	lightboard operator
Sylvaine Dufaux	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Claude Fortin	....	second company grip
Candide Franklyn	....	Steadicam operator
Julie Garceau	....	video assist operator
George Haryszyn	....	generator operator (as George Hryszyn)
Brad Hruboska	....	Steadicam operator
Jean Kavanagh	....	second assistant camera
Soupharak Keoborakoth	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Jan Mark Lapointe	....	key grip (as Jan-Mark Lapointe)
Pierre-Yves Larouche	....	grip: second unit
Yvon Leblanc	....	lighting technician
Pierre Malouin	....	dolly grip
Nicolas Marion	....	first assistant camera
Daniel Moise	....	technician: power pod
Ivan Peloquin	....	camera loader (as Ivan Péloquin)
Eva Percewicz	....	camera loader
Christophe Pommiès	....	lighting technician
Robert Stecko	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Jan Thijs	....	still photographer
David Uloth	....	camera crane operator
David Wajcman	....	technician: power pod
Dany Racine	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (uncredited)

Animation Department
Keith Cooper	....	animator

Casting Department
Clear Hadden	....	casting assistant (as Clear Hadden-Gunter)
Andrea Kenyon	....	casting: Canada, Andrea Kenyon & Associates Casting Inc.
Wendy O'Brien	....	casting associate
Shawn Roberts	....	casting assistant: Canada
Leslie Roycroft	....	extras casting: Canada
Randi Wells	....	casting: Canada, Andrea Kenyon & Associates Casting Inc.

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Hélène Bélanger	....	key costume dresser
Ingrid Cadieux	....	costume dresser: extras
Sabrine Canuel	....	wardrobe assistant
Suzanne Canuel	....	wardrobe supervisor
Sylvie Chaput	....	specialized costume technician
Anouk Chenier	....	assistant wardrobe supervisor
Guylaine Lafleur	....	costume dresser: extras
Melissa Martel	....	costume dresser
Julie Robida	....	wardrobe assistant
Jacqueline Rousseau	....	specialized costume technician (as Jacquiline Rousseau)

Editorial Department
Andrea Bottigliero	....	assistant editor
Kyle DeVriendt	....	digital intermediate editor: PacificLaser
Derek Ellingson	....	post-production assistant
Joe Finley	....	digital preview colorist
Sandra Granovsky	....	assistant editor (as Sandra Torres)
Karin Graziani	....	digital intermediate producer: LaserPacific
Susann Jones	....	post-production: Visionbox Media Group
Cindy Langelier	....	assistant editor
Mato	....	color timer
Jonathan Miller	....	post-production: Visionbox Media Group
J. Ray Mitchell Jr.	....	digital intermediate data manager: LaserPacific
Bill Newcomb	....	post-production coordinator: Visionbox Media Group
Corrine Pooler	....	digital intermediate paint supervisor: LaserPacific
Frank Roman	....	digital intermediate colorist: LaserPacific
Brian Shows	....	digital intermediate data manager: LaserPacific

Music Department
Peter Fuchs	....	music score recordist
Micha Liberman	....	music editor
Micha Liberman	....	score mixer
Paul Talkington	....	music contractor
David Weinstein	....	orchestrator
Allan Wilson	....	conductor
Jim Schultz	....	music editor: temp. score (uncredited)

Transportation Department
François Schnupp	....	head driver (as Francois Schnupp)
Victor Labelle	....	driver (uncredited)
Dominic Thiffault	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Michel 'Ramteck' Arel	....	security/set surveillance
David Beauchemin	....	production assistant
Russell Bennett	....	assistant accountant
Anne-Justine Berger	....	assistant: Mr. McKee
Melanie Bergeron	....	on-set medic
Carol Boissy	....	craft service assistant: Eggscellence
Josef Brandmaier	....	bank services
Nathalie Cecyre	....	receptionist
Sylvain Chaput	....	craft service: Eggscellence
Saddia Cohen	....	production assistant
Louis Didier	....	production assistant
Genevieve Doyon	....	production assistant
Paul-Andre Glaser	....	production assistant
Paule Greslot	....	receptionist
Maral Hassib	....	production coordinator (as Manal Hassib)
Amelie Jasmin	....	continuity: second unit
Jean-Patrick Joseph	....	special equipment supplier
Katherine Lambert	....	production assistant
Nathalie Laporte	....	accountant
Michael Lawson	....	unit publicist
Marie-Laure Lemaire Viens	....	key set production assistant (as Marie-Laure Lemaine-Viens)
Michel Léonard	....	assistant location manager
Benoît Mathieu	....	location manager (as Benoit Mathieu)
Claudette Messier	....	script supervisor
Bruce Miller	....	assistant accountant
Shauna Phelan	....	assistant to producer
Tracey Phillips	....	assistant accountant
Joel Plotch	....	title designer
C.J. Dixon Roach	....	travel coordinator
Mario Trépanier	....	first aid: SASI (as Mario Trepanier)
Randy Weiss	....	production coordinator: Visionbox Media Group
Stephanie Dixon	....	stand-in: Agnes Bruckner (uncredited)
Josh Kimmel	....	stand-in: Bruce Campbell (uncredited)
France Raymond	....	utility stand-in (uncredited)
Bernhard Speck	....	production controller: Cinerenta (uncredited)
Ian M. Stratford	....	production counsel (uncredited)

Production Companies

• United Artists (presents)
• Cinegreen
• Cinerenta Feature Films (as Cinerenta)
• Furst Films
• SLS Video Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (2006-) (worldwide) (all media)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM) (2006-) (worldwide) (all media)
• Gaumont/Columbia TriStar Home Video (GCTHV) (2007) (France) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Nordic (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Intelligent Creatures (visual effects)
• Soho VFX (additional visual effects)

Other Companies

• Andrea Kenyon and Associates  casting: Canada (as Andrea Kenyon & Associates Casting Inc.)
• Bon Appetit Traiteur  catering (as Traiteur Bon Appetit)
• Concept & Creation Mordicus  construction
• Crew Call Catering  catering (as Crew Call)
• Eggscellence  craft service
• Gray Krauss Des Rochers  legal services
• LaserPacific  digital imaging services
• SASI  first aid
• Tapey Music Services  music preparation
• Visionbox Media Group  post-production supervision and services
• Visual Motion  camera trucks and trailers provided by

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence and language, including sexual references

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R | Germany:16 | Australia:MA (2006) | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Cité du Cinéma, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

This film, which sat on the shelf for nearly three years, caused M. Night Shyamalan to have to change the name of his 2004 film from "The Woods" to The Village (2004).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Heather sits down to eat with the girls for the first time, she is holding a plate of mashed up cake, she is told to pull her socks up by one a girl, the camera flashes to her socks then back to her and the cake is now whole.

Quotes:

Samantha:We have a certain way of doing things here. And you better find out what that way is or there will be serious consequences.

Movie Connections:

References Suspiria (1977)

Soundtrack:

Young and Foolish

Stylish, Imaginative Horror Period Piece Along The Lines Of "Suspiria".

I'd been awaiting this film's release for over a year now, and finally, after a bunch of problems with editing and whatnot, this movie got a DVD release. "The Woods" tells the story of a troubled girl named Heather (Agnes Bruckner), who is sent to a secluded private girls school in 1965 by her estranged parents after causing problems and lighting a tree on fire in their back yard. Ms. Traverse (Patricia Clarkson), along with two other women, run the old school. Heather doesn't seem to fit in at the school, and has a rough first week there, getting in scuffles with a snobby bully named Samantha (Rachel Nichols). Her only friend is Marcy, a quiet girl who is nice but shy. As she spends more time around the school, Heather has nightmares and hears strange voices, and is told the story of some witches who took over the school 100 years ago. As more strange events occur in and around the woods surrounding the school, girls begin to disappear.

Unlike some, I found "The Woods" to be a satisfying horror film. I'll start off with the story - it's intriguing but derivative, I'd describe it as a hybrid of "Suspiria" and "The Watcher in the Woods", which are both films that I love, I might add. While it does borrow ideas from these films, it's nonetheless an imaginative and entertaining movie. The direction in the film was great - Lucky McKee, who spawned the unique fairy-tale-like horror film, "May", does a good job with this film. There are some really creative & spooky sequences and some nice cinematography to offer, plus the great '60s atmosphere was strongly present, brought to life through the costumes, sets, and the vintage score, and providing a perfect backdrop for the story to take place. I tend to have a soft spot for period pieces, so I really liked the time setting.

The acting was on par and flowed naturally, the whole cast performed very well. Agnes Bruckner is likable in her role and Patricia Clarkson was great as the mysterious, something-isn't-quite-right-about-her Mrs. Traverse. Horror legend Bruce Campbell (of the "Evil Dead" series) plays Heather's father, although his role is pretty minor. And Rachel Nichols, who had a small role in the "Amityville Horror" remake, plays the rude school bully very well. There are some neat special effects used nicely throughout the film, and weren't too overdone. The CG was surprisingly really real-looking. I felt the conclusion of the of the film was slightly rushed, but I've seen films end much quicker than this, so for me it wasn't really a big deal. Plus, the ending features some great witch slashings via an axe, which was a nice addition to the film since the majority of it is gore free.

Overall, "The Woods" is a satisfying horror movie. It's different, but it's imaginative and throughly entertaining, with a great story and a strong vintage atmosphere. Definitely not bad at all, especially for a horror period piece. Other than the slightly rushed conclusion, I can't really say anything bad about it. It took over a year to finally get a release (in any form), but the wait was well worth it. I love stuff like this, so it was almost perfect for me. One of the better horror films of the past year. 9/10.