Reviewed by Melissa Garza
“Danielle, you’re going to get what you deserve.” – Charlie (Phil Herman)
“Into the Woods” opens with the lead character Danielle (Nancy Feliciano) watching a horror film about an obsessive relationship gone bad. A crazy boyfriend chops at his girlfriend with a knife yelling and laughing maniacally. The movie ends, and Danielle decides to go to sleep. A naked assailant enters and attacks. The next morning she wakes up in the middle of nowhere and completely nude. She begins walking around the vandalized building she awoke in. Frightened and unsure of her surroundings she finds a pair of high-heeled shoes that are left for her. Without much choice, she puts them on and makes her way through the dirty and dangerous warehouse. She soon finds clothes and places them on as well. She then makes her way out of the building and into the woods.
She walks for awhile and comes to a deck that resembles a visitor’s location. There is a small built-in map that illustrates the woods, a letter and a bag of with a bottle of water and clothing left for her. The letter tells her that she will soon remember where she is and who she is. It indicates that she has been drugged and brought to this location by her assailant. The note states that there will be a serious of obstacles that she will have to overcome as punishment. Confused, she struggles to remember what happened the previous night and slowly, through flashbacks the viewers witness the events leading up to her current state. It is clear that she was brutally raped prior to being brought out to the middle of nowhere. Reminders are left for her through her journey. She begins to recall her relationship with Charlie (Phil Herman), a married man who decides to call things off with her to focus once again on his family. Angry, Danielle tells him that if he doesn’t continue to provide her with an allowance she will tell his wife everything. She finds another note that indicates Charlie was the man behind her disappearance. It states that she had ruined his life and he was going to make sure she was unable to harm another.
The picture soon becomes clearer as memories begin flooding back. She remembers calling Charlie’s wife and disclosing the affair by saying Charlie had left his underwear at her place. Charlie, angry that she ruined his marriage, returned and brutally raped her.
She continues down her path and comes across a cell phone. As she approaches, it rings. She answers it, believing someone has left the phone. She begs the caller for help only to find out he has been the one following her and leaving the reminders. His face is covered and his identity is left unknown. Soon, Danielle is hung with her hands tied above her head. The madman rakes a knife over her stomach as she pleads to know his identity.
Meanwhile, her good friend Cindy (Tiffany Sinclair) searches for her and enlists the help of her boyfriend who isn’t as concerned. He tells her that he’ll return in a couple days and if Danielle hasn’t turned up by then, he’ll start looking.
In the end, the questions that are left unanswered are given explanations, and the culprit is revealed.
Into the Woods is very reminiscent of the late seventies and early eighties psychological thrillers. Much like “The House at the Edge of the Park” there are no moral heroes to root for. Even Danielle who was clearly victimized was morally corrupt. She willingly entered into an adulteress affair and accepted money to keep quiet. Instead, of heroes or heroines “Into the Woods” focuses on the human nature of those that are more than a little flawed. The film depicts in an exceptionally realistic way the manner of which the worst of society justifies their actions. It is a compelling watch because of the lack of heroes. Never are we aimed to root for a specific individual but instead are captivated by the lack of remorse on any of the characters’ parts.
That isn’t to say Charlie doesn’t have his moments of regret, but they are selfishly motivated. Charlie stands out as one of the most interesting characters to analyze because of his known background and his earliest declarations within the film. He was someone who wanted to try to live a good life and return to the home he was accustomed to, but when he had to pay for his mistakes, he allowed himself to descend even further. He was soon even more morally bankrupt than Danielle.
Despite the lack of budget, the characters were developed and the acting was above par. Though the production seems confused at times, by the end everything makes sense and the conclusion is well worth the wait.
Overall, “Into the Woods” is a great low-budget film with cult-classic written all over it. For those who enjoy movies like “Last House on the Left” and “I Spit on Your Grave,” this is definitely one to check out. Where it is much tamer in elements of abuse and violence than those productions, it makes up for it by making clear both the motivation and message.
Scared Stiff Rating: 6.5/10
