Grace (Juliet Reeves) is a troubled woman, suffering from nightmares ever since the day she has seen her father (Lee Perkins) commit suicide, and the influence her mother (Charisma Carpenter) has on her to this day seems to be a bit worrying in itself - but all of this shouldn't matter today, as her boyfriend Jim (Jeremy London) takes her deep into the woods to propose to her at one of the most romantic spots in the area ... and then a shot is fired from God-knows-where (it could be from his own gun) and he ends up dead. Grace is in shock (and who wouldn't be), and her first instincts are all wrong, so for some reason she buries (or rather hides) the body instead of going to look for help, she loses everything that might help her get out of the woods or even ensure her survival, and ultimately she wrecks one of her hands, and two aspects of her personality, the Angel and Devil, Jekyll and Hyde, or, if you're psychoanalytically inclined, super-ego and id, appear to her to advise her - but unfortunately, neither is infallible. Things turn from bad to worse when Grace realizes a demon's after her, and she has to kill it to survive - even if that means surviving on his flesh. Thing is, Grace hasn't been quite herself for years now, and with the death of her boyfriend, her perception has become totally warped and nothing might be what it seems - including her very own past ...

Girl in Woods is a rather clever little thriller, as it only seemingly follows the genre formula to play with the audience's perception (much as the protagonist's perception is warped, actually), to ultimately turn what's good and evil on its head. But Girl in Woods is more than just clever, it's good as well as it doesn't get lost in its own cleverness, instead tells its story in a rather engaging way, stays sympathetic with its main character to the end, and doesn't try to hammer home its punchline, instead serves it elegantly. And fetching scenery, subtle direction, and a strong central performance all help to make this a quite cool genre gem!

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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