Sometimes a movie comes along with all the right ingredients – a group of friends, dark woods, confusion and paranoia, lost and injured hikers, and other bits of scary possibilities – but falls short in its execution. This is one such movie.
Following the death of one of a group of old college buddies, the rest reunite to pay respects to their dead friend during a hike in Sweden that the friend had pushed for. After one hiker is injured, the decision is soon made to take a shortcut through a forest to reach help faster. A cabin in the woods, missing time, strange statues, and other clues are brushed aside in a manly way, and, as often happens in horror movies, each friend offers viewers a stereotypical outlook on the group, what is happening, and life in general. While the setting does add atmosphere and events unfold at a decent pace, the scares are minor and the revelation of the “horror” is a bit ridiculous. If you are looking for a true “don’t go into the woods” terror-filled movie, I suggest one of my all-time favorites: The Blair Witch (see my review here: https://tanyakonerman.wordpress.com/2017/10/05/31-days-of-horror-blair-witch-r-2016-89-min/).
- Top Scare: Cabin scene
- Heartbeats: 2 out of 5
- Gore Factor: 3 out of 5
- Suspense Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
- Recommended for: 16 and up