By Geno McGahee
DEEP IN THE WOODS is a French horror film that is incredibly artistic and strange. We begin with a woman sitting in chair and reading Little Red Riding Hood. Somebody comes up behind her and chokes her to death with piano wire. Right away, this film had a great look and feel. It reminded me of the Italian horror movies that we saw in the 1970s and 1980s.
We fast forward to an eccentric millionaire, Axel De Fersen (Francois Berleand), inviting a group of actors to his home to perform a Little Red Riding Hood play for his young grandson. As they arrive, they hear about a rapist that is going around in the woods. With all of the attractive actresses in this group, there is genuine concern.
They put on the play, which is absolutely horrible, although the young grandson seems to enjoy it. They then have dinner and Axel takes a liking to one of the young men. He offers to place his head in his lap if they go for a drive. This is when things really get strange and a person dressed up like the big bad wolf begins going around and killing the actors.
It becomes a fight for survival and it turns out that the rapist and the big bad wolf are two different people and two different problems. The two make their presences really known as we head into the great reveal, which is relatively predictable, but I can live with that because this film was pretty good despite it.
Lionel Delplanque, the writer and director of this film, really presents his vision in a beautiful way. DEEP IN THE WOODS is an average slasher but it is shot so well and has such a great feel and look that it stands out. I recommend it.
Rating: 7/10
