Hidden in the Woods (2012)
Studio: Artsploitation Films
DVD Release: September 17, 2013 (USA)
Director: Patricio Valladares
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
This horror/thriller from Chile is one of those films that can be hard to describe to someone. Is it a horror film? Yes, there are some horrific moments. Is it a thriller? Yes, there are some tense scenes that I was waiting anxiously for. Is it an action film? Yes, there are some moments of gun play. So how can I best describe Hidden in the Woods? It is a shock film. The film is made to shock and disturb the audience. It's goal is to offend, gross out, disturb its viewer. While I am not a big fan of films that try too hard to shock and offend, Hidden in the Woods does succeed in its agenda.
Hidden in the Woods is about drug dealing, alcoholic father who is raising his two daughter in the slums of Chile, out near the woods. Father, as he is called in the movie, has drowned his wife in front of his children after he caught her with another man. Now he sits around drunk most of the time and stores drugs at his home for his boss, Uncle Costello. As the two children grow, Father continuously rapes his daughters, thus one becoming pregnant and giving birth to a deformed son. The boy is locked up as years go by and has developed a taste for human flesh which was fed to him by Father at a young age. After child custody gets wind of what is going on, they come to the home to save the children until Father attacks them with a chainsaw. The three children, who have now grown into their 20's, take refuge into the woods to be rid of their past.
As Father is taken to jail, Uncle Costello can't find where his drugs are hidden in Father's home. Father had hidden them into the woods and only the three siblings should know where it is stored. Uncle Costello sends out a group of men to find the three and get out of them what is his. As Uncle Costello and his men search for the siblings, it is up to the sisters and brother to band together and fight back against the men who have ruined their lives from the very beginning.
Hidden in the Woods is not a fun movie. It's pretty brutal. Every male character (aside from the deformed brother) is pure evil. All seem to just want to beat, shoot, rape, and murder everything in sight. Characters shoot and kill one another over petty situations and after awhile my suspension of disbelief hit a threshold. It seems as if this script was written by a young teen. Everyone is calling each other "faggot" or "fucker" and murdering everything in sight. What was an interesting premise about these three tortured siblings is almost ruined by the juvenile storyline that quickly develops. When the film focused on the siblings, I was captivated and involved with the film. But when it got back to Uncle Costello and his group of savages, I simply got bored and annoyed.
I will say that fans of good, old fashioned practical effects will find something to enjoy in Hidden in the Woods. I know I did. There is plenty of graphic, gory effects with not once ounce of CGI. Zilch. None. Nodda. Can this be real? Was I watching a film from 2012 that used all make up effects. Than alone gives this movie an extra star. The effects look very good and extremely nasty. While director Patricio Valadares's agenda was to shock and gross out, he certainly shocked me by using old school make up effects that look so real and so disgusting.
Artsploitation Films DVD looks decent for the most part. I would have liked to have the subtitles stay on the screen a tad second longer as it was hard to keep up from time to time. But both the picture and sound look pretty good. There is also a booklet included showing pictures of the film and a brief essay on the movie. The DVD cover is also a reversible cover which is now a continuing trend for some companies which I enjoy. Rounding out the special features is an interview with Valadares and some behind the scenes footage on the making of the film. This was nice to see as everyone seemed to be having a good time making such a violent and mean-spirited film.
Currently, Hidden in the Wooods is being remade with actors Michael Beihn and William Forsythe and directed once again by Valadares. Not sure why he would want to remake his own film with an American cast but maybe he can center more on story and less focus on foul mouthed, overly obnoxious characters that serve little purpose to the story. But please Valadares, keep the make ups effects!
[Rating: 2.5]
DVD Release: September 17, 2013 (USA)
Director: Patricio Valladares
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
This horror/thriller from Chile is one of those films that can be hard to describe to someone. Is it a horror film? Yes, there are some horrific moments. Is it a thriller? Yes, there are some tense scenes that I was waiting anxiously for. Is it an action film? Yes, there are some moments of gun play. So how can I best describe Hidden in the Woods? It is a shock film. The film is made to shock and disturb the audience. It's goal is to offend, gross out, disturb its viewer. While I am not a big fan of films that try too hard to shock and offend, Hidden in the Woods does succeed in its agenda.
Hidden in the Woods is about drug dealing, alcoholic father who is raising his two daughter in the slums of Chile, out near the woods. Father, as he is called in the movie, has drowned his wife in front of his children after he caught her with another man. Now he sits around drunk most of the time and stores drugs at his home for his boss, Uncle Costello. As the two children grow, Father continuously rapes his daughters, thus one becoming pregnant and giving birth to a deformed son. The boy is locked up as years go by and has developed a taste for human flesh which was fed to him by Father at a young age. After child custody gets wind of what is going on, they come to the home to save the children until Father attacks them with a chainsaw. The three children, who have now grown into their 20's, take refuge into the woods to be rid of their past.
As Father is taken to jail, Uncle Costello can't find where his drugs are hidden in Father's home. Father had hidden them into the woods and only the three siblings should know where it is stored. Uncle Costello sends out a group of men to find the three and get out of them what is his. As Uncle Costello and his men search for the siblings, it is up to the sisters and brother to band together and fight back against the men who have ruined their lives from the very beginning.
Hidden in the Woods is not a fun movie. It's pretty brutal. Every male character (aside from the deformed brother) is pure evil. All seem to just want to beat, shoot, rape, and murder everything in sight. Characters shoot and kill one another over petty situations and after awhile my suspension of disbelief hit a threshold. It seems as if this script was written by a young teen. Everyone is calling each other "faggot" or "fucker" and murdering everything in sight. What was an interesting premise about these three tortured siblings is almost ruined by the juvenile storyline that quickly develops. When the film focused on the siblings, I was captivated and involved with the film. But when it got back to Uncle Costello and his group of savages, I simply got bored and annoyed.
I will say that fans of good, old fashioned practical effects will find something to enjoy in Hidden in the Woods. I know I did. There is plenty of graphic, gory effects with not once ounce of CGI. Zilch. None. Nodda. Can this be real? Was I watching a film from 2012 that used all make up effects. Than alone gives this movie an extra star. The effects look very good and extremely nasty. While director Patricio Valadares's agenda was to shock and gross out, he certainly shocked me by using old school make up effects that look so real and so disgusting.
Artsploitation Films DVD looks decent for the most part. I would have liked to have the subtitles stay on the screen a tad second longer as it was hard to keep up from time to time. But both the picture and sound look pretty good. There is also a booklet included showing pictures of the film and a brief essay on the movie. The DVD cover is also a reversible cover which is now a continuing trend for some companies which I enjoy. Rounding out the special features is an interview with Valadares and some behind the scenes footage on the making of the film. This was nice to see as everyone seemed to be having a good time making such a violent and mean-spirited film.
Currently, Hidden in the Wooods is being remade with actors Michael Beihn and William Forsythe and directed once again by Valadares. Not sure why he would want to remake his own film with an American cast but maybe he can center more on story and less focus on foul mouthed, overly obnoxious characters that serve little purpose to the story. But please Valadares, keep the make ups effects!
[Rating: 2.5]
Post a Comment