Heather’s arrival also serves as a kind of situational echo the students whisper of three young girls who supposedly came to this same school long ago and turned out to be witches.Ĭomparisons between The Woods and Dario Argento’s Suspiria are unavoidable, given these two horror films’ parallel setups, slow-burning atmospheres and chaotic conclusions. There is no rest for the new girl who, after being rejected by her parents, is pegged and targeted as an outsider. Not only did her results on a surprise entrance exam catch the attention of the dean - Heather arbitrarily circling symbols on this aptitude test was really a demonstration of her untapped magical gifts - her general sense of newness is an attractant for unwanted attention and torment. Standing out, especially in a time like the sixties, lands Heather in trouble all throughout the film. Others at the school, particularly Heather’s one and only ally Marcy ( Lauren Birkell ) and resident mean girl Samantha ( Rachel Nichols ), could easily be dismissed as character types, however McKee and screenwriter David Ross make them come across as real and considerable. Traverse ( Patricia Clarkson ), and the other menacing adults at Falburn are not nearly as developed as their newest pupil, yet no one can be reduced to a cliché. And without explicitly saying why Heather acts out in so many words, The Woods uses indirect dialogue and substantial actions to convey the protagonist’s growing discontent. In a film with such a verdant setting, the neutral color scheme is strange, yet the visual choice emphasizes a sense of sameness and hints at the teachers’ surreptitious activities.īruckner, who was not much older than Heather at the time of filming, delivers a stellar performance that makes her abrasive but misunderstood character sympathetic and compelling. ![]() ![]() Her coppery hair, glowing skin and vivid attire are all diminished or simply replaced Heather’s complexion soon matches that of her pallid peers, her bob hairdo takes on a significantly less bright shade of red, and a dark and drab school uniform stamps out any residual feeling of individuality. The outwardly things about Heather that set her apart from everyone else are stripped away once her parents drop her off at Falburn. The dangerous outside is coming in, and no one can do a thing to stop it. Their numbers gradually swell over the film’s course in an effort to manifest the story’s feeling of intrusion. Over time, tendrils crept in through windows and cracks in the walls, and now they are as ubiquitous as the furniture and other décor. This old structure sits so close to the film’s namesake that the neighboring plants have made themselves at home. When first walking down the halls of Falburn Academy, only the audience seems to notice the overgrowth of vines everywhere. Fasulo ( Bruce Campbell ) bites his tongue. ![]() Fasulo ( Emma Campbell ) thinks Falburn Academy will straighten out her daughter after a small incident of arson, whereas the reluctant Mr. Her parents are visibly split on the matter the prim Mrs. When first meeting the rebellious Heather Fasulo ( Agnes Bruckner ), the teen is en route to a remote boarding school for young women. This 2006 film is indeed set in 1965 New England, but the story’s central message is timeless. Asking questions, going against norms and not abiding by the rules, however, are ultimately what saves her from an early death. In Lucky McKee ’s sophomore film, a troubled teenager is sent away because of her disruptive behavior. Danger, not safety, comes with the act of conforming in The Woods.
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