Woodyanders A motley coed quintet of attractive, but untalented young thespians are hired by a flaky, testy, crippled millionaire (a wonderfully loud and flamboyant turn by Francois Berleand) who resides in an opulent castle abode located deep in the remote woods to put on a play for his scarily quiet autistic grandson. A vicious rapist and serial killer with a foul penchant for butchering lovely young lasses has been conducting a brutal campaign of terror in the same sylvan area. Come nightfall many of the actors and actresses start getting bumped off in assorted ghastly ways. Could it be the serial killer or someone else who's behind the gruesome killings? Director Lionel Delplanque carefully establishes a genuinely spooky and unnerving tone in the deliberately paced opening third before cutting loose with a breathtaking series of ferocious murder set pieces. Better yet, Delplanque adroitly blends the brooding midnight-in-the-graveyard gloom-doom atmosphere of 60's Gothic horror features with the more graphic gag-you-with-a-pitchfork gore that proliferated in gritty 70's fright films into a potently creepy and jarring synthesis. The strikingly savage kill scenes make inspired nasty use of a nail gun, a harpoon, scalding acid, and other deadly implements. And since this is a European movie, there's an explicitly pronounced kinky sexual angle to further spice things up: stunningly comely starlet Clotilde Courau doffs all her duds to show us what she's got (plenty and it's all good, man!) some fifteen minutes into the picture, plus we have lesbianism, voyeurism and the fabulously full-figured Maud Buquet takes a welcome steamy shower. While the story quite frankly suffers from severe lapses in logic and admittedly lacks originality, this movie nonetheless still rates as a satisfyingly harsh, serious and properly twisted shockathon that does the trick with considerable style and aplomb to spare.

Verfalk2003 I have seen Deep in the Woods today and I'm deeply disturbed by this ''movie.'' First of all, I find it hard to believe that the writing staff didn't write the script after a drink or two. First of all, the actors, discover that there is a rapist in the woods, and after that revelation they go for a stroll in the woods?! One of them, Spohie, I think, stays in the house and plays the guitar like she's in her house and is waiting dinner?! And the policeman just gets in the house like the house is his or like he has the keys of the house?! now I know, how can I torment my friends. I'll just let them see Deep in the Woods. For the love of God, don't see this film!

gila_film In the woods, a murder mystery condemn a bunch of young actors as they invite to perform a show in a big mansion. As dead body start to pulling-up, they must go out from the wood, before everything is to late for them.A gothic, dark, atmospheric yet experimental movie about murder mystery in the vein of slasher flick. An European horror that try to be different is rare and the result is a so-so scary movie, but at least delivers some good scare, despite might not be very adorable among the slasher fans. From the very opening scene, we already know that we facing a different kind of horror movie. In fact it European movie and usually tend to differs from it American counterpart. But despite of that, actually there's nothing major dissimilarity between Deep in the Wood with many self-referential slasher that came form the United States. The plot is the most common slice-and-dice slasher flick used to be. There's nothing special with the plot development. Sometimes I feel it just dull or derivative. We even might know who is the killer since the very beginning of the movie, but in cinematic aspect, Deep in the Woods certainly a visual-fest. The scenery is so eye-candy. It's dark and moody yet beautiful. However, Lionel Delplanque, the director, who shoot this when he's just 27 years old, made the movie with the heart for scary movie, especially with the atmosphere it have, despite than just make a lot of action. Maybe, because of this some of slasher fans whose look for more blood and gore will dissatisfy, especially with the slow-pace it gain. The killings, somewhat reminiscent of that 70's or 80's slasher movies. Not so gory, but still deliver the scare effect. The physically look from the killer also remind of Italian horror movies from that good ol' days. Horror fans whose looking for something different will find it in Deep in the Woods. Even though not overwhelming, Promenons-nous dans les bois a.k.a. Deep in the Woods is a little gem that worth watching, at least once. 6/10

BillyBC (*1/2 out of *****) This goes to show that even the French put out some serious garbage in the world of film from time to time. This one, for example, is horrid. The interesting (albeit derivative) premise, the spooky setting, and the cinematography are all quite good, but, unfortunately, the whole thing falls apart real fast under its own incomprehensible pretensions.A group of attractive, young actors travel to an old mansion way out in the country to perform for an eccentric millionaire and his weird, mute son. The woods surrounding the mansion just happen to be the hunting ground for a serial rapist/killer who targets young girls. But, forget all about that, because, as soon as the good-looking group gets to the old guy's house, odd characters start popping up and bizarre things start happening -- you know, the usual David Lynch/Dario Argento kind of stuff -- except Delphlanque doesn't have an ounce of the artistic mastery or the subtlety to pull any of it off. Character motivations, most of the plotting, the dialogue (some of which, granted, could be the fault of American dubbing) -- is some of the worst I've ever encountered in a movie like this. In one scene, for example, everyone is sound asleep except for the main female star (Clotilde Courau), who is wandering through the mansion by herself. So, she enters one room and suddenly finds all of her friends dancing real slow and suggestively with each other, including her girlfriend. The scene ends and everyone acts regularly, as if nothing happened -- suddenly, they're all just wide awake and dancing to loud music! Okay, whatever, sure! And then, in the next scene -- after being warned by a (typically weird) police detective (who just happens to walk into the room) that a killer is on the loose -- they're all suddenly outside and walking around through the woods after midnight!The story tries to follow the trace of a murder mystery, but it takes way too many irritating turns into contrived Lynchian territory (in an early scene, the young boy stabs his own hand with a fork at the dinner table, and, after the father explains that he always does that, the guests are like, `Hm, well, how 'bout that -- so, when do you think we're gonna get paid?' and stuff like that.)There are some gory murders and a couple steamy sex scenes, but there are also loooong scenes of characters walking up and down stairs and through dark rooms. And, I swear to God, everyone pauses for about 30 seconds before responding to each other in this maddening mess -- I guess that helps stretch what could have been a 45-minute movie into an hour and a half. Do not be fooled by anyone who tries telling you that this movie is as good as (or, God forbid, better than) a typical Argento flick, because it is not. In spite of its professional camera work and some hints of creativity here and there in the direction, this turkey is no better than any early-'80s, American slasher flick.Lowlight: In a painfully forced attempt to misdirect our suspicions as to who the killer is, one of the actors tries to shoot Courau with a nail gun, but she somehow easily blocks it with a pipe or something, and, in the very next scene, the two of them are outside together, trying to start the car as if nothing happened. There are so many idiotic scenes like this that it just made me sick. I admit it -- I took the damn cassette out of the VCR! I didn't care how it ended! I couldn't take it anymore!