The Devil's Woods (2015)
A group of four friends trying to repair their strained relationships decide to spend the weekend camping at a music festival. En route they stop off at a small town in the middle of rural Ireland and then find a nearby spot in the woods in which to camp en'route to the festival.
In a way there's nothing new to see in this ultra low budget Irish horror, however i really enjoyed it. Director Anthony White basically seems to have a camera and a cast of four for much of this film yet it works really well. It helps that the friends all come over as likable and the dialogue totally natural and at times really funny whilst never feeling forced or scripted and a pace that allows the characters to build and not seem so throw away as is the case with many of these films. Much credit must go to actors Stephen Cromwell, Danielle Keaney, Daniel Mahony and Caoimhe Cassidy, who with a bit of luck will go on to greater things in the future.
There's an air of unease which develops as the films slender 70 minutes gather pace, idle chatter which could have been awful actually feels invigorating thanks to White's innovative camera work and an ambient soundtrack from a band called
Stillroom which is lovely and sinister.
Of course a horror film can't be about four friends who go camping and all come home happy ever after. From the off there are hints at what is to come with Occult themes and symbolism throughout and even a few homages to films like
The Wicker Man and
The Blair Witch Project. However i won't spoil anything here.
I'm sure some will hate
The Devil's Woods but i thought it a terrific example of no-budget horror and an ideal Halloween viewing.