The Woods (2006)

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.

Director:

Lucky McKee

Writer:

David Ross

Stars:

Lauren Birkell, Agnes Bruckner, Jane Gilchrist

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

In 1965, after provoking a fire in a forest, the rebel teenager Heather Fasulo is sent to the boarding school Falburn Academy in the middle of the woods by her estranged mother Alice Fasulo and her neglected father Joe Fasulo. The dean Ms. Traverse accepts Heather in spite of the bad financial condition of her father. The displaced Heather becomes close friend of he weird Marcy Turner, while they are maltreated by the abusive mate Samantha Wise. During the nights, Heather has nightmares and listens to voices from the woods, and along the days she believes that the school is a coven of witches. When some students, including Marcy, simply vanish, Heather believes she will be the next one.

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Plot Keywords:

tied up while barefoot | woods | student | forest | girls' school | 

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Taglines:

Private School. Deadly Lessons.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence and language, including sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

MGM/UA

Country:

USA UK Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

El bosque maldito

Filming Locations:

Cité du Cinéma, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists, Cinerenta Medienbeteiligungs KG, Furst Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Patricia Clarkson and Angela Bettis's second film together. They played mother and daughter in the television adaption of Stephen King's Carrie.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Alice Fasulo: [to Heather in the back seat] Feet off the seat.

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Connections

Referenced in Unikal'noe pozdravlenie (2014)

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Soundtracks

You Don't Own Me
Written by John Madara, Dave White (as David White)
Performed by Lesley Gore

User Reviews

Lucky McKee's second feature is an effective slow-burner with a killer climax

After all the delay this film suffered I finally got around to seeing Lucky McKee's second movie. His first, 'May', was weird but brilliant horror with some genuine shock moments. The Woods doesn't disappoint in either department. The film is set in 1965 and centres around Heather Fasulo (Agnes Bruckner) who is sent to an all-girl boarding school in the middle of the woods. Right from the start she suspects that something is different about the school and it doesn't help the teachers are all a tad weird, especially Headmistress Traverse (Patricia Clarkson). Her suspicion is raised when the girls at the school tell her the story of three witches who took over the school 100 years ago.

McKee's influences are obvious. From cult favourite 'The Evil Dead', Dario Argento's masterpiece 'Suspiria' and the supernatural Stephen King adaptation of 'Carrie.' He blends all these into an original little horror that is effective and interesting from start to finish. The first hour is actually very slow paced and in terms of horror there isn't a whole lot. That's not a bad thing, however, as it allows McKee to create a mystery around the central theme and develop the characters nicely. The last 20 minutes take a different stance, with gore galore and a neat twist which wraps up the movie nicely. The acting is good from all, Agnes Bruckner carries the movie well, Patricia Clarkson is subtle as the villain and Bruce Campbell makes a cool cameo. All in all 'The Woods' is a fine horror and I eagerly await McKee's next movie! 4/5