A schlitter, for those of you unaware, is a traditional contraption used by lumberjacks to transport wood from the heights of the alpine forest into the valleys. Fairly innocuous at first glance, but in the wrong hands this piece of apparatus has the scope to become a lethal slaying machine – and the perfect centrepiece for Pierre Mouchet’s terrifying new French horror Schlitter: Evil in the Woods.

The story revolves around our troubled, but highly empathic protagonist, Lucas, played with relatable fear and horrified energy by Louka Meliava, as he returns to his childhood home – a seemingly idyllic village in the mountains – on receiving the shocking news that his estranged parents have been tragically killed. As he returns, he carries with him the dreadful secret that when he was just eight years old his bullying father accidentally killed his best friend, Matthias - hitting him with his car while berating the young Lucas. Scared of the consequences and scared of his father, Lucas has never uttered a word about what happened.

But on returning to the village of his childhood, accompanied by his girlfriend Julie (played by Léna Laprés ), Lucas gets more than he bargained for when he bumps into Matthias’ father. Reminiscing over the old days, it is clear that Matthias’ father (played by theatre veteran Gilles David), referred to in the credits simply as ‘Le Boucheron’ aka the lumberjack, has a lot more on his mind than a modest nostalgia trip as the absolute devastation at the loss of his son has mutated into vengeful and murderous yearning.

Alarm bells instantly begin to ring when as the viewer we’re presented with all manner of ominous-looking devices and gadgets created by and scattered around the home of Le Boucheron - the less said about his homemade mousetrap the better. So, we can understand full well why the two young visitors are reluctant to stay there when their truck allegedly breaks down and their friend, Arnaud, seemingly ditches them to get it fixed. Things can only get worse – and they really really do.

With a script written by the director and Nicolas Robin who was responsible for penning Saint-Ex, Schlitter: Evil in the Woods manages to build tension incrementally over its short but perfectly paced 73-minute running time. Horror films were always traditionally short and very often the better for it, condensing tension and intrigue into every minute, dread building to an inevitable chilling crescendo. And that is exactly what director Mouchet does here – there’s not a single second taken up with unnecessary dialogue or scene setting that can inadvertently pull you out of the film. It’s a roller coaster that is made all the better by some great performances especially that of David as Le Boucheron, who is menacing from the start generating that exhilarating combination of knowing that things are not quite as they should be, that something is inevitably going to happen but with no idea what or how.

Full of twists and turns – many quite unexpected some less so, there are jump scares aplenty and other moments that simply take your breath way, all used sparingly and to great effect. Schlitter: Evil in the Woods essentially has everything a seasoned horror fan could ask for. Just don’t go into the woods!!