It’s already been a pretty stellar year for horror fans thanks to the release of the terrifying The Witch back in February. But while you might have assumed that Robert Eggers’ innately creepy tale would remain unrivaled for the crown of the best horror film of 2016, it looks like it’s going to get some competition from The Woods. Just check out the trailer for The Woods below and you’ll immediately understand why.
OK, let’s immediately address the massive elephant in the article that comes hand in hand with the trailer: Yes, I’m fully aware that The Woods trailer's use of a slow and haunting cover version of a classic song carries on one of the most annoying recent Hollywood trends. But, even though it’s immediately grating, that doesn’t stop the clip from perfectly hyping up The Woods, while at the same time giving pretty much nothing away.
First and foremost, thanks to the seemingly neverending stream of critical plaudits that pop up throughout the trailer, which call The Woods, "A new beginning for horror films," as well as, "A nightmare of classic proportions," "chilling," "intense," and " a truly terrifying cinematic experience." Basically, it’s already haunted and scared several movie critics and journalists, and now Lionsgate Productions are hoping that it will do the same to a mainstream audience.
But what’s actually the plot for The Woods? Well, all that’s been announced so far is that it involves a group of college students that decide to take a nice, pleasant camping trip into the titular batch of trees only to discover that they’re not alone. Unfortunately for them, things look like they get increasingly bleak rather fast for the posse.
The trailer offers up images of different members of them stuck in tight, dingy cavernous holes, covered in dirt, mud, water, and all other kinds of grime, while one can be seen running furiously for their life, another pulls out something grisly from inside their leg, and it's plain to see that there’s clearly something in the shadows and darkness terrorizing each and every one of them.
While The Woods might have a simple premise, the fact that it has come from Adam Wingard, the acclaimed director of cult horror flicks Pop Skull, A Horrible Way To Die, and You’re Next, immediately increases excitement, as Wingard has previously proven quite adept at scaring audiences half to death. We’ll get to see if he can do that again when The Woods is finally released on September 16, 2016.
