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Category:    Home > Reviews > Horror > Slasher > Don't Go In The Woods (1981/Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray w/DVD)

Don't Go In The Woods (1981/Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray w/DVD)


Picture: B/B- Sound: B+/B- Extras: B Film: C-



Hot off the success of the very first Friday The 13th, this 1981 slasher film, James Bryan's Don't Go In The Woods... Alone (the ellipses are added from the poster art), delivers many elements of what you would want to see from a slasher: girls, brutal violence, and some laughs thrown in for good measure but what it is missing is an iconic villain (like a Jason or Michael Myers, an era that was just developing) to make it more memorable. Here, we have a bearded Savage as the killer, revealed not until the film is almost over, wearing animal skins and sneaking, about which is more comical then terrifying. For all of the buildup throughout, his reveal is pretty underwhelming.


The appeal of checking this film out is for its nostalgic quality. This was a VHS release that I always saw on the shelf at video stores as a kid next to all of the iconic slashers and was intriguing mainly due to its interesting cover artwork. Unfortunately like many over VHS titles in those days, what's outside is often times better than what's inside! (Jason Takes Manhattan, anyone?)


Most of the kills for the better parts of the film are done through POV camera and while the low budget production is pretty ambitious, it boasts a fairly large cast. The screenplay is paper thin, with many moments reliant on characters sneaking around and looking over corner to help extend the runtime while the voyeuristic camera shot watches them on. The acting ranges from bad to worse… the bottom line is for being a barebones independent production from the 1980s, it's not THAT bad but ultimately it's a one-time watch.


As something kills a hysterical woman, and a bird watcher, four friends (Peter, Joanne, Ingrid and Craig) trek through the wilderness. A tourist is thrown over a waterfall (landing near some oblivious frolickers) and his mother is wounded, and dragged away. The four backpackers set up camp for the night, and elsewhere a pair of honeymooners are attacked in their van and murdered. The next day, the two couples continue their hike, while an artist is stabbed to death, and her young daughter is taken. Who is this vicious murderer and why is he attacking without remorse?


Two more campers are butchered, and while off on his own, Peter witnesses a fisherman be murdered by the killer, a spear-wielding wild man adorned in furs and rags. Peter rushes off to warn his friends, who the maniac gets to first, spearing Craig, and sending Joanne fleeing into the woods. Peter finds Ingrid, and after the two stumble upon the wild man's cabin, they accidentally attack another hiker, thinking he was the savage. The killer finishes off the hiker, and wounds Ingrid, but she and Peter escape, and eventually reach civilization, and alert the authorities to the backwoods psychopath.


Irrational due to guilt over leaving Joanne behind, Peter escapes from the hospital he and Ingrid are brought to, and returns to the woods to look for her. Joanne finds a campsite containing a dead body, then the cabin, where the killer hacks her to death with a machete. A posse (which includes Ingrid) is formed to take out maniac, and look for Peter and Joanne. The sheriff finds the cabin, where he uncovers Joanne's body, which Peter sees, leaving him even more distraught. The conclusion deals with a vicious face off between the savage and our heroes with a pretty predictable conclusion.


The presentation on the disc is not a flawless transfer by any means with many shots containing grain and film emulsion, which ultimately adds to the charm of the presentation. It's no doubt that the film has never looked better than it does here on Blu-ray disc and while the DVD that its packaged with doesn't hold up the same, it's still satisfying from a decent film shoot. Presented in 1080p high definition with a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio, the film is also paired with an impressive, lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that is crystal clear throughout.


Extras include several different commentaries with cast and crew, Autograph Signing Party featurette, TV Promo Compilation, Theatrical Trailer, Production Still Gallery, Press and Art Gallery, and a Script Gallery.



- James Harland Lockhart V

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