by Vicky Lawrence
The resurgence of ‘80s-type media in pop culture is clearly on the rise; with the likes of Stranger Things bringing back iconic tracks and films, we can see that the slasher genre is also back. She Came from the Woods is an ode to those summertime, camp-side slashers that we saw so many of, with its setting and nod to the classics that we know and love (heads up, Friday the 13th, lovers!). Erik and Carson Bloomquist have revived a well-loved concept and given it a modern twist – the story of the jilted woman cursing a campground and the demise of those who dare to call her back, a Bloody Mary moment, if you will. Though this type of story has been done to death, the Bloomquists manage to bring it back without it being oversaturated and boring. We have a decent variety of character tropes, some great kills and SFX moments, and great nods to the classics that introduced us to the slasher genre. It features the likes of Cara Buono (Stranger Things) and William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption) – and Erik Bloomquist himself appears, setting things up to be one crazy ride.
The main thing we drew from this film was that there is nothing quite like some creepy kids to really send a chill down your spine. Couple this with a decades-old curse of a sinister nurse plaguing the campgrounds and some teens that really don’t want to follow the rules of not summoning her, and we get an entertaining story, to say the least. A curse shrouded in family secrecy was bound to create some form of chaos, both figuratively and physically. Buono plays Heather McAlister, the head camp counsellor who knows the secrets behind the curse, alongside her father, Gilbert (Sadler) and her sons, Shawn (Tyler Elliot Burke) and Peter (Spencer List). It appears that the whole family knows the secret behind Nurse Agatha, apart from Peter, who plays the irresponsible one out of the two. It is through Peter that the rest of the camp counsellors summon Agatha as a joke initially, but to their horror, they conjure up a bucket of pure evil they didn’t realise existed. With the kids acting as Agatha’s murderous henchmen after she is summoned, the teens need to figure out a plan to escape her grip without dying. It’s here that we start to see chaos ensue and counsellors getting picked off one by one. We see some incredibly gnarly kills and, with Agatha’s character design as well, this is definitely one for those SFX lovers.
The first half of the film feels incredibly fast-paced, drawing you in with the story and the carnage of the children enacting Agatha’s will, but just after the halfway mark in the film, there feels like there is a small lull that seemed to last a bit too long. This was clearly used to give a nice split between the murderous moments and to give the audience some context of who Agatha actually is and why this curse exists, but it just felt a bit too long, personally. Here we find out the true reason for Agatha’s curse and the reason she is attached to Camp Briarbrook – the very classic story of a woman being wronged by a man, portrayed as monstrous and murdered for her wrongdoing (was it really her wrongdoing, though?) and thus cursing everything attached to the man who wronged her. The backstory of Agatha is quintessential of these Bloody Mary-like curses and definitely harkens back to those ghost stories you had at sleepovers or around campfires. With this in mind, the last act of the entire film is filled with blood and gore as the battle against Agatha commences. We see some incredible twists and turns throughout the entire sequence; you will find yourself shouting at the screen to try to warn our team of camp counsellors. With a good ending, bringing the story of the McAlisters full circle, we get some laughs right at the end when the carnage stops.
She Came from the Woods is the perfect summer horror flick, bringing back those feelings of warm summer nights and murderous destruction that we got from watching the likes of Sleepaway Camp and The Burning. It has everything you would want in a film like this: creepy kids, panicked teens, a wicked curse and, of course, brutal kills. The entire cast gives a great performance as the panicked camp counsellors and the possessed kids will definitely send a chill down your spine. This film is not without its funny moments; you will catch yourself giggling at the smallest things – they’re simply done but incredibly effective. We’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good ghost story horror, slasher fans, and those who enjoyed Fear Street 1978. Special effects fans, this is one for the watch list as well; there are some great moments that will have you asking yourself how they managed to do it. Though it had its slow moments, the Bloomquist brothers have brought back the camp-side slasher genre in an innovative way, giving the film a fresh feel but still giving us that cheesy ‘80s feel to it, without oversaturating it with all of the typical tropes. Gather your friends around one summer night and pop this film on to get the best immersive effect, but the question is…. will you say her name?
Blue Finch Film Releasing presents She Came from the Woods on digital from June 26th.
