Backwoods (2008) (TV)

Director:

Marty Weiss

Release Date:

3 January 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

Cast

Jonathan Chase	...	Peter
Haylie Duff	...	Lee
Willow Geer	...	Gwen
John Hemphill	...	Ranger Ricks
Eric Larkin	...	Bartender
Mick Lea	...	Biker
Ryan Merriman	...	Adam Benson
Mimi Michaels	...	Maggie
Robert Allen Mukes	...	Josiah
Danny Nucci	...	Perry
Kai Nuuhiwa	...	Josiah's Assassin
Nygell	...	Survivalist
David Reiner	...	Survivalist
Jonathan Slavin	...	Paul
Tony Swift	...	Biker
Deborah Van Valkenburgh	...	Ruth
Troy Winbush	...	Chris Basso
Craig Zimmerman	...	John Dash

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:MA (DVD release) | Australia:MA (2008)

Company:

Grand Army Entertainment

Trivia:

While shooting Backwoods, stunt man, Kai Nuuhiwa was held at gun point with two forest rangers. Nuuhiwa stepped back and raised both arms in the air, away from his blank shooting rifle.

Goofs:

The MISSING sign has a date of Feb. 30, 2008.

Decent enough backwoods horror thriller

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

If it's originality you're looking for, best go else where, as this films influence clearly lies in the survival-horror genre seen in films such as the "texas chainsaw" movies, "deliverance", "just before dawn", and doesn't really deviate from material that has been produced before. However, that's not to say it isn't enjoyable as a no-brainer for hour and a half....

A fairly similar plot setup which seems to loosely combine "severance" and the new "hills have eyes 2" sees a group of office colleagues go on a team building paintballing exercise in the woods, before falling foul of a particularly vicious religious cult who see the men as outsiders and the women as reproductive carriers to breed the next generation. It's paperthin plot and limited characterisation is helped by a fast paced and occasionally genuinely exciting film that speeds by in a blink of an eye.... The actors do an OK job with what little they've been given and although it by no means looks of a theatrical quality, the production looks a million times better than those cheap straight to DVD horrors like "camp blood" and "butchered".

Gorehounds beware though: there's quite a bit of brutal violence that lends itself more to the "action" genre rather than bloody gore you may be hoping for. There's a few glimpses of the red stuff but most the violence appears in the guises of punching, headbutting, kicking and shooting etc. So although it clearly takes its influences from films such as wrong turn and it's sequel (complete with going into an abandoned house to find a phone!) it is somewhat missing the gory thrills that made those films so fun. My TV guide said that this was an "18" (in the UK) but I highly doubt that!

However, "backwoods" remains a decent enough film that is at least enjoyable for its whole hour and a half running time. Certainly not a masterpiece but as a fun popcorn movie to pass the time with it more than does the job. Worth a watch at least once.