Deep in the Woods

Hmm...'Deep in the Woods', the award winning French horror film reaches UK shores from Tartan Terror with more a whimper than a bang. Well to be honest I had never heard of it, so likely that many of you won't have either, so let's take a look...

The film opens very much in the vein of vintage Argento as the camera slowly pans through a bedroom keyhole where a mother is reading the story of Red Riding Hood to her child on the eve of the kid's birthday. The mother though doesn't notice the black gloved killer sneak up behind who wraps some wire round her neck and pulls tightly until the last breath of life leaves her dead torso. As the body drops to the floor the scene cuts to some years later where we meet a small group of young actors as they head toward an old Gothic mansion out in the wilderness where they are going to perform a financially lucrative performance of the 'Red Riding Hood' tale.

Rather than entering the home of some wealthy yahoo family they soon find that it looks more like they have strayed onto the set of a vintage Bava gothic drama! The residents of this spooky stately home consists of the wheelchair bound Baron Axel de Ferson and his silent and unnerving young son Nicolas, along with their downtrodden but lecherous gamekeeper. Their environment isn't helped as they soon discover that the woods that surround them has been the locale for a spate of recent violent sexual assaults. And as the film progresses you realise that each of these ominous characters have their own entertaining brand of socially deranged - Baron Ferson has strong homosexual urges towards one of the young male guests, his son Nicolas acts as though he went to the Bela Lugosi school of acting and there's far more to their gamekeeper than meets the eye!

But of course none of this deters our young troupe as they proceed full steam ahead into their private performance (obviously with the financial gain in mind) but they push the boat of cinematic horror stupidity to the usual 'hell mend you' level when they decide to go run around in the forest where our serial rapist has been at work!

Of course you know where this is heading and in true vintage horror style our less than receptive youngsters one by one meet their bloody end, but who is behind these killings? Is it the overpowering Baron, could it even be his solemn son, perhaps the ever-watchful gamekeeper or even the unseen sexual deviant at large? As the film climbs towards its finale you're continually guessing who the assailant could be and in true to form vintage Euro horror style you'll most likely continually get it wrong!

'Deep in the Woods' is a strange movie, I say strange because it has all the hallmarks of being a classic but at the same time it doesn't really figure as being just that. Debut feature director Lionel Delpanque does a stunning job with some gorgeous directorial flair throughout, his work is truly visual eye candy and vastly impressive throughout. You can tell from the opening scenes right through to the films finale that Delpanque has consumed the classic works of seminal predecessors like Argento and Bava not only in visual style but in storyline and bloody set pieces, just delightful. The performances of the mansions deviant inhabitants is also an impressive vintage Euro horror study too, but the problem that I had with this almost perfect movie was the uninspiring show delivered by the young 'actors' members of the cast. In honesty I really couldn't have cared whether they lived or died, pretty much in the same vein that I couldn't have cared about any of the doomed to die teens from the countless US counterparts in all those 'I know what you Screamed last Urban Legend' flicks. A great shame as outside of this 'Deep in the Woods' is a damn fine classy movie with a great plot, gorgeous direction and some kills that come straight out of the Italian guide to horror film making.

The disc from Tartan Terror is pretty bare bones but thankfully at least the print delivered is a very impressive viewing delight. The anarmorphic widescreen print is sharp and faultless with an impressive well utilised 5.1 surround audio mix in its original French audio track with optional clear English subtitles. But there's little in the way of extras but that really isn't a big deal when the main feature looks so impressive. As ever there's the expected theatrical trailer (which is very titillating), the now regulation Tartan Terror trailer reel, a brief smattering of text biography pages and some glowing film notes on the production by respected insider Alan Jones.

'Deep in the Woods' is a vastly impressive visual tribute to the greats of the Italian horror scene, whilst by no means a classic still a worthwhile genre interlude showcasing great promise for director Delpanque's now much anticipated work. A bare bones but equally impressive showing from Tartan Terror, one for fans of the past masters and those interested in seeing what the new generation of Euro filmmakers has to offer. Check it out.

Review by Alan Simpson