PopSyndicate.com

If you were alive in 1981, there’s a good chance you made a slasher film. Whether you directed it, produced it or starred in it, pretty much every person in the United States was part of one. Had to have been, since there were hundreds of these things. Not all of them retained the fan-level of Friday the 13th or even, say, Mother’s Day. Most of them fell by the wayside, where those who had witnessed them in a dark and smelly theater probably hoped they would remain. Not so, thanks to DVD, which is hellbent on bringing every scrap of cinema ever shot to the public. This, I suppose, explains why Don’t Go In the Woods is seeing release now thanks to BCI’s new Code Red label.

The plot of the film is fairly simple: There isn’t one. Seriously. You know how most people harp on the fact that most slasher films consist of kill scene after kill scene? Don’t Go In the Woods takes that refrain and runs with it. Two young couples go camping in the woods. A mud-splattered maniac (Tom Drury) starts killing off other people in the area before targeting them. That’s the plot. Introduce characters, kill them off, introduce some more, kill them off, wash, rinse, repeat.

Everything about this film should make it a total turkey. In fact, it does. With shoddy camera work, atrocious acting, amateurish directing and the worst soundtrack this side of a Yoko Ono biography, Woods is horrible. However, its saving grace is that it’s horrible in a good way. Unlike far too many so-called cult classics, Woods truly is so-bad-it’s-good.

To pretty up the release, Code Red has gone above and beyond the call of duty in terms of special features, which amplifies the enjoyment of the disc immensely. There’s not one, but two running commentaries; one with director James Bryan alone, and one with him, star Mary Gail-Artz and, for some reason (I’m assuming because he’s a fan of the film, as the quote on the cover admits) CKY star Deron Miller. A retrospective documentary goes into the details on this Utah-filmed horror film’s making. These extras are helped along by the fact that Bryan is so well-spoken and not what you’d expect from a horror movie director. He also introduces clips from various then-current Utah news and talk show programs that covered the film. A reconstructed version of the original trailer rounds out the special features.

Don’t Go in the Woods is one of those films that has to be seen to be believed. It’s not good, but it’s honest and it’s fun in all the ways not intended. BCI’s handling of the release only makes it better with all the extra goodies.

3