In reviews past, I’ve mentioned how I’m pretty scared of the woods. At worst there’s a giant bear or some type of demon creature just wandering around out there waiting to eat me up. At best there’s no bear and no demon creature but instead lots of spiders. Honestly, neither sounds like a winning proposition as far as I’m concerned. This is all relevant because Olive Films recently released Lucky McKee’s The Woods on Blu-ray and I finally got to watch it. And guess what? It scared me because as I’ve been saying the woods are a scary place!

The film opens with Heather (Agnes Bruckner) being taken to an isolated all-girl school that is located in a very secluded, wooded area. We can instantly tell that Heather is a bit of a rebel. Her mother, Alice (Emma Campbell), is all for taking her to this school to straighten her out and get her on the right track. Her father, Joe (Bruce Campbell), doesn’t say a word during this scene. You get the feeling that he doesn’t really want to leave her there, but he kind of understands the purpose. It’s actually kind of amazing how much Bruce Campbell is able to get across in these opening moments despite not saying a word. Well done, Bruce.

At the school Heather is immediately picked on because she’s an outsider and seems a tad weird. The majority of this bullying is dished out by Samantha (Rachel Nicholas). Samantha is your typical female bully, going out of her way to make life hell for anyone she dislikes. Despite being picked on, Heather does eventually make one friend in the form of Marcy (Lauren Birkell), one of the more socially awkward girls in the school. Because both girls are outsiders it’s only natural that they share a bond.

Having a friend in the school doesn’t make things any easier for Heather, however. One day things are going especially bad for Heather and after arriving late to class she is sent to the office of the school’s dean, Ms. Traverse (Patricia Clarkson). Heather explains to Ms. Traverse that this school just isn’t for her so she’d like to call her mom to go home. Ms. Traverse allows her to do so, but what Heather hears on the other line is not what she’s expecting. Alice appears to be having some sort of dinner party and can’t be bothered by Heather. This is actually a pretty heartbreaking scene as Heather breaks down, realizing she is actually one her own.

I think this is where the film succeeds the most. The supernatural stuff that comes a little later is great and all, but that feeling of isolation is much worse and more terrifying. Heather was a troubled child, probably acting out for attention, but her parents sent her to a private school to set her straight. She likely felt alone even when she was at home, but now she’s at this school and literally alone. To make matters worse it’s in the middle of some creepy woods. Oh and then there still is that whole supernatural mess to deal with later.

At night Heather begins to have weird dreams. She can’t quite tell if they’re more than that, but she can sense something sinister about the school. Eventually, students begin to disappear and Heather fears she may be next. And this is when the woods really come into play. Long, stretching tree limbs and roots come in through the windows of the school and wrap the girls up as they sleep. Thinking about it creeps me out. I do not want to be cuddled by a tree.

This is the third film of McKee’s that I’ve seen (The Woman, All Cheerleaders Die) and just like the previous two he demonstrates a great skill at directing strong, female performances. Heather and Ms. Traverse are two completely different characters, yet each one is strong in their own right. While horror, in general, is the genre I consider to be the front runner in these type of roles for women, McKee may be the best director across any genre at offering these types of roles for women. What’s great is they’re not just strong from the get-go, a lot of times they go through hell, Heather certainly does, but each still manages to rise up and have at least one kick-ass moment. Even Ms. Taverse, who is the villain, is pretty badass.

A nice little touch is how Bruce Campbell’s character is portrayed. At the beginning of the film he seems a bit downtrodden, and almost pushed around by Alice. Like I mentioned he says nothing. Yet you can sense there’s something more and then in second half of the movie we see it. He rushes to the school to save Heather. The best part is the little nods we get, however. He looks through a tool shed searching for a weapon and gets attacked by trees. Nicely done, McKee, nicely done indeed.

The Woods is now available on Blu-ray from Olive Films. It’s a bare-bones release, so nothing in the way of special features, but that’s not a deal breaker. The film looks and sounds great and at the end of the day that’s what you want.