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Don't Go There Alone!

SUMMARY

In the woods, a murder mystery condemn a bunch of young actors as they invite to perform a show in a big mansion. As dead body start to pulling-up, they must go out from the wood, before everything is to late for them.

PLOT

In the opening, a mother (Marie Trintignant ) is reading a story about “The Little Red Ridding Hood” to his son. Suddenly a mysterious figure strangled her with a wire to death, when the boy watch it in horror.

The story goes to five young actors; Sophie (Clotilde Courau) and her mute girl friend Jeanne (Alexia Stresi), the blonde hunk Wilfried (Vincent Lecoeur), Matthieu (Clément Sibony) and hir girlfriend Mathilde (Maud Buquet), are hired to perform a stage in a big mansion deep in the woods. The owner of the mansion is an eccentric old man in a wheelchair, Axel de Fersen (François Berléand), whose live with his autistic grandson, Nicolas (Thibault Truffert) and his weird gate-keeper, Stéphane (Denis Lavant).

They supposed to make a play about The Little Red Ridding Hood, to commemorate the old man’s grandson birthday. After the awkward introduction to their host, soon their figure out that Axel has a sexual interest to Wilfried.

After the sappy show they performs, they are attend the dinner with their host when the boy stab his own hand with fork. Things are getting wicked when they must spend the night in the mansion, because they haven’t pay yet. Sophie find all her find are wandering around the mansion and it seem her girlfriend make a sexual gesture with Wilfried. Before she get more anxious, suddenly a policeman (Michel Muller)  came in and warn them about a killer loose within the wood.

Despite the warn, they all wandering around in the wood. Split in two groups, Mathilde then left alone by Matthieu and Jeanne, while Sophie is also left by Wilfried. Little dose she know, Wilfried and Jeanne start to making out in the wood.

Meanwhile, the upset Mathilde decide to goes back to the mansion and take a shower, and there’s she meet her fate as a shape in a big-bad-wolf outfit kill her. Matthieu find bloods in the bathroom and Mathilde is gone. They start wondering  what is happening about, when they also find blood in Axel’s room and he’s missing. They realize their life in danger as Jeanne is shoot with an arrow by the killer. Frantically, the rest of them try to get out the mansion and reveal the mystery; if they want to live, since the place has been sealed up. But, it seem the killer won’t please if they all not turn up dead, because the tension of the game of death is getting increase.


COMMENT

A gothic, dark, atmospheric yet experimental movie about murder mystery in the vein of slasher flick. An European horror that try to be different is rare and the result is a so-so scary movie, but at least delivers some good scare, despite might not be very adorable among the slasher fans.

From the very opening scene, we already know that we facing a different kind of horror movie. In fact it European movie and usually tend to differs from it American counterpart. But despite of that, actually there’s nothing major dissimilarity between Deep in the Wood with many self-referential slasher that came form the United States. The plot is the most common slice-and-dice slasher flick used to be. There’s nothing special with the plot development. Sometimes I feel it just dull or derivative. We even might know who is the killer since the very beginning of the movie, but in cinematic aspect, Deep in the Woods certainly a visual-fest. The scenery is so eye-candy. It’s dark and moody yet beautiful. However, Lionel Delplanque, the director, who shoot this when he’s just 27 years old, made the movie with the heart for scary movie, especially with the atmosphere it have, despite than just make a lot of action. Maybe, because of this some of slasher fans whose look for more blood and gore will dissatisfy, especially with the slow-pace it gain.

The killings, somewhat reminiscent of that 70’s or 80’s slasher movies. Not so gory, but still deliver the scare effect. The physically look from the killer also remind of Italian horror movies from that good ol’ days.

Horror fans whose looking for something different will find it in Deep in the Woods. Even though not overwhelming, Promenons-nous dans les bois a.k.a. Deep in the Woods is a little gem that worth watching, at least once.
 

The Untamed Beholder

Deep In the Woods © 2000 Pathe Production

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