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Backwoods
USA 2020
produced by Kris Skoda, Thomas Smith (executive), Erin Lilley (executive) for Fighting Owl Films
directed by Thomas Smith
starring Isabella Alberti, Michael Anthony Bagozzi, Matthew McCoy, Scott Alan Warner, Angelina Alberti, Tahj Vaughans, Elliot Hamilton, Jeremy Sande, Erin Lilley, Bryce Goleman, Benji Graham
written by Erin Lilley, Thomas Smith, music by Soren Odom, special effects makeup by Chris Nelson/Acrotomic Studios, Hangman-mask by Imortal Masks
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
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Molly (Isabella Alberti) wakes up to find herself tied up in the trunk
of a moving car. However, she manages to cut the bonds that tie her, and
when the car's stopped and the trunk is opened, she manages to injure her
masked abductor in a surprise attack and take off into the woods. He comes
after her but is stopped cold by a deformed hulk of a man dubbed The
Hangman (Scott Alan Warner), who then goes after Molly - and eventually
she ends up his captive. To her surprise, she's soon joined by her
childhood friend Noah (Michael Anthony Bagozzi) in her captivity, and
between the two of them they manage to overcome the Hangman and make it
into the woods. But how did this all start? Molly's high school's
football team celebrates a victory in a cabin in the woods, and as the
leader of the cheerleading team and girlfriend of top jock Hunter (Matthew
McCoy), Molly pretty much had to be there. However, at this party Hunter
tries to force himself onto Molly a bit too hard, which leads to a big row
with Molly eventually storming off. She runs into Noah, the waterboy and
constant butt of jokes of all the jocks, but also her best friend who
really understands her - but then again, he might want to be more than
just her friend. Eventually, she passes out in his arms, and it seems
Hunter has roofied her. Seeing Molly in Noah's arms, Hunter storms onto
the scene and knocks him down - and that's about the last Molly can
remember, but it doesn't explain how she and Noah ended up on the run from
the Hangman ... Now this might feel like a backwoods slasher,
with all the tropes firmly in place, but it actually is more than just
that, as not only does it offer a backstory for Molly and Noah that's
almost as mean as anything the Hangman dishes out, to the point where he
doesn't seem to be all that much of a villain anymore, it also tries a
fresh approach that tells some of the story in flashbacks that rather
beautifully fit into the main thread on an associative level and also
directly link to reveals in the main storyline. But a dynamic and tight
direction sees to it that the narrative still flows along
stringently and at a steady pace, while a strong cast really grounds the
story and make this one a very cool genre piece.
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