Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Absolutely brilliant

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

This is one of those films with a great idea, but less-than-ideal development.The problem is that the characters' motivations and interactions -- and the nature of the strange events -- are often unclear. These should unfold slowly, to build suspense, but they don't "unfold" at all. And too much attention is initially paid to one girl, rather than keeping the audience wondering. We only start to properly understand things near the end -- and the climax is a doozy.I couldn't help but think of Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt", which has a similar problem with development, but for the opposite reason. We know from the first scene exactly what's going on. There is absolutely no suspense. And the ending is hardly a surprise.Recommended, but be prepared to watch it a second time to see how the often confusing pieces fit together.

RELEASED IN 2006 and directed by Lucky McKee, "The Woods" chronicles events in 1965 New England when a troubled teen (Agnes Bruckner) is dropped off at a spooky remote boarding school for girls by her estranged parents (Bruce Campbell & Emma Campbell). Weird, witchy things ensue. Patricia Clarkson plays the dean while Lauren Birkell and Rachel Nichols play fellow students, one nice and the other mean. This is a mystery/horror flick that combines "Suspiria" (1977) with elements of "Carrie" (1976) and "The Ruins" (2008) or "Man-Thing" (2005) (yes, I realize "The Ruins" came out later; I'm just trying to give people an idea of what the movie's like). The haunting atmosphere and the Montreal location are very good, as well as the unsettling creepiness. So the plot is a winner, the film looks good and there's an effective darkness, if that's your thang. Unfortunately, the story is underwhelming. It's too ambiguous and feels incomplete, like a half hour of events were cut from the runtime. The hints of levitation and telekinetic abilities don't amount to much, nor do the leaves on a bed.The characters are either underdeveloped or unlikable, except for maybe the protagonist (Bruckner). All we know about Heather is that she recently set fire to something and there's enmity between her and her self-absorbed mother. The father is a pushover. We don't learn much about them or anyone else at the academy. Marcy provokes pity while Samantha is too over-the-top as the villain. You're more curious about WHY she's so mean than anything else. With all the young females available, the filmmakers drop the ball by not taking advantage of these resources (and I'm not tawkin' bout nudity or sleaze). The emotionless deliveries of the all-female faculty don't help, but I realize they were written that way to create a sense of oddness and it works. The witchcraft elements are decidedly subdued, which I liked; the focus is on the formidableness of the forest itself (hence the title). Speaking of which, the woods F/X in the last act are well done. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 31 minutes and was shot at McGill University, Montréal, Québec. WRITER: David Ross. GRADE: C

Wow, talk about captivating...that's just what agnes bruckner is in this film...and with a strong supporting cast.thanks to comet TV, my fave channel now, i'm getting to watch some pretty obscure stuff.this film kept the suspense level high, with not much horror involved. which was a good stable sold mix.i felt the ending was a bit too 'easy'...i mean, i was trying to figure out after the movie ended if the witches wanted to be killed, or they were trying to sacrifice the main character.so, yeah it was a little disappointing. i felt there should have been much more intensity during the ending conflict.especially as the main witch lie there waiting to be axed and says 'so gifted'. this threw me way off as to what was happening. and the main character's mother...was she a witch also? idk.even more confusing...the trees weren't burnt down. does that mean the witches are now back in the woods? i thought that's what they were trying to escape from in the first place.as i said, then ending was full of contradiction, at least my own mind.but a good flick nonetheless.enjoy.

The Woods is one such a movie you might watch forgetting what's around you it takes you right where it all takes place, the boarding school from the moment it begins. It is a story of an impudent, "gifted" girl in a repressive boarding school with it's own dark secret. Having been a fan of Lucky McKee, the way he portrays his female leads, for example, May (2002), this was another addition to his frail yet fatal characters. surrounding his leads is a tragedy, a woeful attraction. This film is one that would leave you in awe rather than scare or horror. it's a slow paced mood is enjoyable as lingering memories as if we experience it firsthand and not watching it as audience. The film is set in 60s and it remains loyal to its set up. The subtlety of the film is what is scary if you must!