The Woods is a 1960s-set film regarding an isolated New England girls' school, where things are not what they seem. The early 2000s picture is a mixing cauldron of supernatural thriller & folk horror- with a few twists of teen witchy, mist-shrouded gothic, axe-bound gore, and tree-limp-hugging terror.  Here from Arrow Video is a recent Blu-ray release of the picture, taking in new director's commentary, and a few other new extras.

The Woods is from 2006- it’s a joint German, Canadian, US production- shot in and around the forests of Québec, and its soundstages. It was directed by Jenny Lind, California-born Lucky Mckee. Since the early 2000’s he has had eight features to his name- these include young vet psychodrama May (2002), dysfunctional family horror comedy The Woman (2011), and single setting thriller Old Man (2022).

The film is centred around Heather ( Agnes Bruckner), a sullen auburn-haired teen. We first meet her travelling in the back of a car, with her bossy/ always inane chattering mother Alice (Emma Campbell), and her keeping- his-head-down father Joe- played by Bruce Campbell in a decidedly straight dramatic manner.

The pair are taking Heather to a woodland set girls' school. Fairly soon, we find out the teen has a dysfunctional past, where she burnt a tree near their family home, which nearly burnt down.  Alice clearly just wants to be rid of her daughter, but Joe is less certain.

As she gets settled into the school, she gets to meet the staff- there’s stern though seemingly caring headmistress Ms. Traverse( Patricia Clackson), ageing with a nervous twitch teacher Ms. Mackinaw(Marcia Bennett), and stand-offish, short-haired and bespeckled Ms Leland( Catherine Colvey). She also, of course, meets some of her fellow students- taking in studious and timid Marcy(Lauren Birkell), and tall blond bully Samantha (Rachel Nichols).

From the off, there seems to be something a little strange about the school- Heather is asked to do a rather weird pictorial-based test, which she cuts her hand on. The girls are not allowed in the woods that surround the school. And Heather starts having dreams of an axe-wielding, blond-haired girl from another time.

The film runs at just over the hour and a half mark, and from the off, there's a good sense of mystery and intrigue built. The picture is scoped in washed-out in autumnal oranges, yellows, and browns. As it moves on, we get a few moments of jarring violence, as the more supernatural and witch-bound elements appear. All moving towards a tree limb tangling resolution.

The picture is first and foremost a lulling thriller/ come drama, with the horror and supernatural elements edging things. So don’t expect an all-out horror by any means, though the genre tropes are used fairly effectively.

Acting-wise, Bruckner is good as the troubled teen lead, and the rest of the younger actors are good too. On the adult side, Clackson treads a thin line between being believable enough & a little flatly smug. The other teachers only get a little screen time to work with.

So, The Woods is an engaging blend of low-key thriller and folk horror. Sure, some of the plotting is a little predictable, but there are some decent, at points fairly original ideas & elements within its runtime.

This recent region B Blu-ray takes in a good amount of extras-most of them new. First off, there is a commentary with director Lucky McKee and critic Walter Chaw- the latter is a huge fan of the film, and asks some great questions. They begin by talking about how this was Lucky’s first studio film, and the transition from working with indie budgets.  He talks about how the film came about and how he managed to pay off his college debt with it. We find out that the film sound was done by Ronald Eng- who worked on many of David Lynch’s films. They talk about the use of axe-like shapes in the film and getting the 1965 setting just right. They comment on how the film has an old Hollywood look, and discuss how they digitally enhanced/brightened the lead, though this dulls back as the film progresses. They talk about how the two leads were cast, and we find out that most of the young women were cast in Quebec.  Later on, they discuss the subject of religion and faith in the film- the director reveals he was taken to Sunday school as a child, though he is now an atheist.  They talk about why all of his films are female-focused, and touch on how different Campbell is in his role. An excellent track

Otherwise, we have the following new things- Into the Woods (25.10)  interview with Lucky McKee and storyboard artist Vanessa McKee. You Don’t Own Me (11.52) interview with lead actress Agnes Bruckner. Storyboard Gallery ( 7.56) a featurette showcasing Vanessa McKee’s original storyboard artwork for the film. 10 Days on Set (39.47) never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage from the film set, sourced from Lucky McKee’s personal archive. Lastly, we have an image gallery and trailer.

The finished release comes with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Vanessa McKee. And an Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Walter Chaw and Mia Boffey.

The Woods is an engaging halfway house between supernatural thriller & folk horror. Once again, Arrow Video is offering up a wonderful selection of interesting extras with this new release.