[Film Review] She Came From The Woods (2023)

Few subgenres of horror have become quite so entrenched in the cultural consciousness as the summer camp slasher — and with a new generation of filmmakers coming to the fore seeking to pay homage to Friday the 13th and other chilling classics, it’s having a bloody renaissance. 

Erik and Carson Bloomquist’s She Came From The Woods is one of the most recent releases to tackle this trend, taking us back to the sun-soaked summer of 1987 to follow a customary group of stupid, sexy teenagers and associated responsible adults as they are steadily and increasingly-gorily picked off by a malevolent force. Initially thrust in media res into a disturbing flashback, the film’s true expository minutes are soon match cut into place, accompanied by the first of several well-timed needle drops which draw the audience right into the last day of camp’s ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ atmosphere.

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Much of She Came From The Woods’ comedic charm stems from the clear affection its writer brothers have for ‘80s horror, supported further by the clever casting of fellow period hit Stranger Things alum Cara Buono as Heather, the Camp Briarbrook matriarch who clearly knows more than she’s letting on. Although the production design and often all-too-modern hair and makeup do sometimes struggle to convince you that our main characters don’t have an iPhone in their back pocket, it’s evidently not for lack of enthusiasm — or skill. At a time when CGI is usually turned to for the vast majority of special effects, the consistently practical effects and incredible SFX makeup on show here truly shine, with each of the film’s many kills offered ample close ups and buckets of fake blood. Lingering shots of horrifically realistic mortal wounds, complete with the ensemble cast’s surprisingly heartfelt performances in moments of terror, are sure to make weak stomachs turn and wow slasher fanatics.

Sadly, these genuine high points of action and emotion are few and far between in She Came From The Woods’ frequently lacklustre script. Interposing some early moments of true shock, including a standout performance from Ehad Berisha’s de facto group leader Mike, and a later ramping up of both tension and comedy to create a campy and solidly fun finale, lie explanatory scenes where various characters are left to monologue several pages of deadpan plot context. The ritual summoning and backstory of the titular ‘She’ are certainly explained, but the amount of sense this all makes is debatable, and at points unintelligible. A Pied Piper-style, eternal-life-seeking witch with connections to the family at Camp Briarbrook’s core could make for an imposing threat, if her appearance weren’t minimised into that of a supernatural plot device in favour of camper-on-camper violence.

In line with this, the film brings a variety of tropes with it into the 21st century that ought to have been left behind in the ‘80s. The majority of our female characters are killed off early and in quick succession, including one particular incident of toxic masculinity-motivated violence that feels especially uncomfortable when considering that the fictional perpetrator is portrayed by Erik Bloomquist, one of the film’s writers and director. The archetypal early thirties sleazeball trying and failing to get with the barely legal female camp counsellors is also ever-present, and while Adam Weppler gives a commendably hateable turn in the role as Dylan, his character also originates many of the film’s worst moments. Not limited to perpetuating the dangerous stereotype of the homophobic bully secretly harbouring feelings and violence towards the lone gay character, Dylan also sees fit to grope a girl and seemingly trigger an associated downstairs reaction while literally in his death throws. It’s grim, it’s unnecessary, and it’s in deeply poor taste, as minimally satisfying as it may be to see the few surviving women get their own back.

A fun and silly gore-fest for those inclined to suspend all disbelief for an evening, She Came From The Woods is enjoyable enough as a shallow addition to the summer camp slasher canon, but it doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel. If you’re looking for more substance than that, you’re not going to find it in these woods.

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