DEEP IN THE WOODS - DVD review

"Deep In The Woods" is a stylish French thriller / horror movie known in its native tongue as "Promenons-nous dans les bois" that receives more merit for style than content. Using the age-old classic "Little Red Riding Hood" as a basis for its horror story, "Deep In The Woods" builds more sexual tension than it builds fear. It is not difficult for the viewer to find themselves guessing of who will sleep with who, regardless of sexual orientation, but most of the murder and mayhem is very predictable and expected.

French director Delplanque is heavily influenced by stylized horror films of American Cinema. Shots used in the film borrow from Hitchcock's "Psycho" and Kubrick's "The Shining." Though he shows influence from American classics, Delplanque shows a flair for style that is very reminiscent of Italian Horror maestro Dario Argento. Keyholes are heavily used and the lighting and camera angles are far more stylish than what is typically used in a horror film and shows parallels between the twos directors. On artistic and technical merit, "Deep In The Woods" is a superior picture.

The film is French and the French are known for being sexual. Horror movies are also known for the obligatory sex scene and no slasher movie can be considered complete without some nudity. "Deep In The Woods" features a group of very hormonal young characters, and does indeed feature the formulaic nude scene. To keep with modern times, "Deep In The Woods" shows us two women in an intimate sexual encounter. The film heavily plays on its sexual nature to build tension between characters and perhaps provide motives for murder. As the film builds along, the downside is that sexual nature and curiosity is about the only character development the film contains.

The story focuses on a group of five young people who happen to be a traveling theatrical group. An eccentric and rich old man calls them upon to perform a stage play about a big bad wolf for his unusual young son's birthday. The old man, Axel (Francois Berleand), quickly finds a liking for Stephane (Denis Lavant) and has him read him to sleep and perform other tasks. This builds sexual tension between the two men. Axel's son Nicolas (Thibault Truffert) definitely has some sort of emotional problems and it quickly seems like the play was more for Axel's benefit than it was for his son.

After Axel retires for the evening, death begins to place a stranglehold on the young group. It is not long before they are dying cruel and horrific deaths. Most of which are very predicable and also thins out the number of suspects that could be responsible for wearing the wolf suit and hacking the others to bits. Axel's assistant is offered up as the usual patsy and his son Nicolas appears guilty as well. Of course, when the police have already warned of a rapist and murderer lose, the five decide it may be best to travel out into the woods to see what is going on. This provides the perfect opportunity for the audience to yell "don't do that."

Soon, the film wraps up in typical fashion and all is explained. The ending is far from original and most viewers will not need much hinting to realize what is going on. Originality, character development and sense of fear take a backseat to style and sexuality in "Deep in the Woods." The film never becomes boring, but some scenes are very predictable and others become a showcase for the director's visual skills. Director Lionel Delplangue shows a definite ability to make a gorgeously shot erotic thriller. This film was his third attempt and comes across as his teeth-cutting film. From watching "Deep In The Woods," I foresee some great things coming from Delplanque.

Video :
In a move that should be applauded, Artisan Entertainment has provided "Deep In The Woods" in both anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen and a pan and scan 1.33:1 full frame transfer. Each presentation is contained on a layer on the single-sided disc. Comparing the two transfers, the widescreen is by far the recommended path to take. The film is very strong visually and stylistically. Watching the pan and scan tremendously cripples the directors visual strengths.

The video transfer itself is good. Colors are well saturated and strong. Shadow detail and black levels are perfect. There is a minor amount of over-edge enhancement and film grain, but almost completely free of artifacts and digital compression errors. Detail is sharp and clean. For a film that is this visually strong, Artisan has done well by delivering a good-looking DVD.

Audio :
"Deep in the Woods" is presented in both its original French tongue and in English. The two tracks are each in Dolby Digital 5.1 multi-channel surround sound. The English track features closed captioning and each has matching English subtitles. The soundtrack is solid. The theatrical score is simple, but eerie and effective. Sound effects are carried well to the speakers. Channel separation is good and all channels are used effectively. The .1 LFE subwoofer rumbles when called upon. Dialogue and screams are crystal clear. The film sounds as good as it looks.

Extras :
Aside from the two contained aspect ratios, "Deep in the Woods" features a few supplements. The most notable and valuable supplement is an audio commentary by a "film expert" named Brian Yuzna. Yuzna offers up a lot of information on the style of the film and films it borrows from. He mentions "Evil Dead," "Candyman," "Psycho" and many others. There are many silent moments in the commentary and it becomes apparent that Yuzna is watching the picture and placing the commentary secondly to his viewing of the movie. Either that, or he does not have much to say. What information he does provide is worth hearing. The French and American trailers are both included, and it is always interesting to see how the two markets advertise. French love to show nudity in their trailers. Some filmographies and a photo gallery are tossed in as well.

Summary :
"Deep In The Woods" is a great looking film that is well above average when it comes to style and visual appeal. The plot follows the general formula for a slasher film. Character development is a bit thin and the only depth given to most of the characters is an insight into their sexual interests and tastes. Gore and shock are not strong elements of "Deep In The Woods." The film will certainly appeal to some audiences, but not to others. It did receive some awards in Europe, but has went unnoticed in domestic markets. The DVD features a few supplements and features both anamorphic and pan and scan transfers. Before you purchase this film, you may want to rent.