Candy Factory Films offers horror fans and Buffyphiles an early summer treat in the form of the June 3, 2016 VOD and Digital HD premiere of the Juliet Reeves/Charisma Carpenter film "Girl in the Woods." This intensely psychological drama can be considered The Blair Witch PhD Project.
The wonderfully warped candy man at the helm of "Girl" combines the young woman still traumatized by intense childhood drama with the helpless chick lost in the deep dark enchanted (but not-so-enchanting) forest horror subgenres. Our girl Grace comes under fire when she finds herself lost and alone in the woods while on an outing with her fiance.
The angst associated with the distress in which this damsel finds herself triggers memories (shown in flashbacks) of the psychotic and violent relationship of her equally distressed parents when she was a little girl. The manifestation of this include visions of "Momma," wonderfully played in "Evil Cordelia" mode by "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Buffy" spin-off "Angel" veteran Charisma Carpenter.
Much of the drama and horror relates to Grace reliving these memories while facing the trifecta challenges of trying to survive, not fall further into insanity, and find her way back to civilization. Obstacles to not falling apart include viciously personal attacks regarding her every action and being stalked by a being who is akin to her own worst enemy.
Creepy highlights include a wound taking on a life of its own, the climax of the childhood ordeal, and the exposition during the closing credits.
The larger appeal relates to the low-budget and the setting that begs comparisons to the '90s horror classic "The Blair Witch Project" and the intense psychological elements. The good news for fans of scary movies is that these elements do not come at the cost of spooky predators, a not-so-slow descent into madness, and seeing Carpenter combine her "Buffy" and Lifetime Movie talents.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Girl" is welcome to either email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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