The Bloomquist brothers have teamed upto bringShe Came from the Woodsto the screen this year. The film takes place at the fictional Camp Briarbrook in the heat of the summer in 1987. The camp was founded and is being run by Gilbert McCalister (William Sadler), his daughter Heather (Carla Buono), and the type of hapless camp counselors one would expect to staff a facility like Camp Briarwood.
She Came from the Woodsis based on the short film created by the Bloomquist brothers in 2017. Likemany slasher moviesbefore it, there is the expected violence, gore, and nubile teenagers caught in perilous situations. This film aims to both pay homage to the genre and add its own twist by delivering what audiences expect along with some deeper messages about family secrets, betrayal, and the price for revenge.
She Came from the Woods: The Plot
It’s the dog days of summer at Camp Briarbrook, a sprawling campground reminiscent of the more famousCamp Crystal Lake. The property is owned and managed by the McAlister family. Patriarch Gilbert McAlister (William Sadler) started the business with his late wife. Now his daughter Heather McCallister (Carla Buono) works the campgrounds with her two teenage sons Peter (Spencer List) and Shawn (Tyler Elliot Burke), along with a cadre of teen counselors, including the obnoxious Dylan (Adam Weppler), Mike (Ehad Berisha), Veronica (Giselle Torres), Ben (Dan Leahy), Lauren (Clare Foley), Ashley (Sienna Hubert-Ross), Danny (Erik Bloomquist), and Kellie (Emily Keefe).
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As the camp prepares to close down the camp for the season, the responsibility falls to the counselors to make sure things run smoothly for the last night before everyone returns home. Things are going as planned, albeit with some standard teenage hijinks, and the counselors and staff are ready to pack it in and go home after a long hot summer. The younger kids are very much looking forward to the final night of camp because it means a later bedtime, toasted marshmallows, and spooky stories by the fire. This is where things go horribly wrong.
Peter McAlister, the least enthusiastic regarding the family business, takes it upon himself to try and spice up the night. He is not satisfied merely by tellingthe tale of local urban legendNurse Agatha (Madeline Dauer), but feels the need to reenact the ritual to summon her. Summon her he does, and everyone who remains on the grounds of Camp Briarbrook has to fight for their lives.
She Came from the Woods: The Cast & Crew
The driving force behind this film is the Bloomquist brothers Eric and Carson. Their affinity for slasher films shows through in every frame, and setting the film in the late ’80s was a fun creative choice. The slasher film was all the rage and in particular, the campground killer was its own sub-genre. There are clever nods to earlier scare fests likeMadman,The Burning,and most obviously, theFriday the 13thfilm series. There is something different about this killer apparition though. We have seenevil forces wreak havoc in the woodsbefore, most notably in theEvil Deadseries. What makes this entry fresh is the blend of the camp slasher with the supernatural element.
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Nurse Agatha is a malevolent phantasm released from deep within the woods, a force of evil hell-bent on carnage. However, unlike the supernatural forces in theEvil Deadand other films of the genre, there is something to her. Agatha (Madeline Dauer) elicits sympathy as well as fear, a testament to the script as well as some fine performances. The cast is a solid mix of newcomers and seasoned pros. Carla Buono shines as the much-put-upon Heather McAlister trying to keep her cool amidst the bloody happenings. Adam Weppler as Dylan brings high energy and a bit of depth to a character that could have just been a one-dimensional buffoon. The real standout here is the always-reliable character actor William Saddler.
Release Date
She Came from the Woodswill be released on February 10.
Everything Else We Know
William Sadler has made a terrific career of weaving in and out of serious dramas, comedies, action, and horror films. He brings the usual intensity and pathos we have come to expect to his role. In that manner, it is easy to take for granted how seamlessly Sadler can go from evoking raw hurt and longing in one scene to comedy in the next. It is his speech on the sins of Gilbert’s past coming back to haunt Camp Briarbrook, in an all too literal sense, that is the bridge between the comedic and horrific tone of the film.
This gory and funny throwback tothe ’80s slashersit pays homage to, and set the bar high for horror comedy releases in the coming year.
