by Jason Lees, MoreHorror.com

Let’s see a show of hands.  How many of you out there have seen a movie where a group of friends get lost in the woods and find a monster? 

Okay, most of you. 

Now, how many of you have seen a movie like that where the group of friends have cameras and record everything they see and somehow that’s what’s being presented as the movie? 

Okay, again, most of us.

Now, how many of you have seen that movie done up ‘found footage’ style and then watched the whole thing self destruct from the weight of its own contrivances?  How many of us have watched in pain as the fake documentary film you’re watching just gets lost under the format of cinema verite?

All of us?  Now that’s just sad. 

That’s the fault with a film presenting itself as a film within a film (now go say that three times fast).  Very few movies can sustain that kind of belief in its fictional world while maintaining its commitment to being a discovered last will and testament.  The ones that do succeed have to follow a strict adherence to what the camera sees and how the character holding the camera reacts to the world around them.  Off the top of my head, only BLAIR WITCH and (REC) really pull it off, completely telling their stories from the POV of the characters holding the cameras.  Even George Romero didn’t quite pull it off with his DIARY OF THE DEAD.  Creating a true ‘film within a film’ is tough, almost impossible, and the downside to all of it is, if you do pull it off, all you’ve really accomplished is proving to the audience just how clever you are.
I just found out, however, that there is another way to pull it off.  Writer/director Jason Horton has it figured out.  You see, what you do is start your film within a film, set up your characters, establish your virtual world, pull your docu style tricks, and then, when the format of it all starts to get in the way of your story, you pitch that whole convention and just dive into your monster movie.  MONSTERS IN THE WOODS is just that, a movie within a movie that doesn’t need to keep reminding you what it is.

That might be an incredibly long and drawn out way of saying that this little flick does it right, but I think this low budgeter should get the credit it deserves for having the balls to take a few chances and not follow the rules that seem to govern indie monster flicks.  The only reason we seem to get the same failed movie over and over again is because someone out there decided that it seems to be working.  Guess what?  It hasn’t worked since CLOVERFIELD.  Horton and crew took the idea that’s gotten tired and just slammed it with new life.

In "MONSTERS IN THE WOODS", we follow a film crew out in the woods doing pick up shots on their little monster movie.  What we see is basically the raw footage from the Behind the Scenes crew as they go about interviewing the actors and producers while the director throws tantrums.  It’s a sharp way to set up the characters, and an efficient way to find out who’s who.  Anyone who’s ever watched the Special Features on their DVDs will recognize the jokes and two faced statements here.  It’s a fun way to get into the action and into the world, but it’s also a trap to tell the story form the one perspective, which is why I’m digging on Horton’s approach to the film.  Not only does he jettison the format once the shit hits the fan, but he also pitches out all the standard clichés about what the monsters are.  He saw you all raise your hands a few minutes ago when I asked who’s already seen THAT movie, so he threw in a few curves.  Not enough to throw you out of the flick, but more than enough to keep you guessing.

No, it’s not just a monster in the woods movie, and it’s also not just a cinema verite cheapo.  This is a movie that looks and performs way beyond its price range.  No, it’s not perfect, but how many of you out there want perfect?

Put your damned hands down.

MONSTERS IN THE WOODS is sharp, at times clever, and definitely deserving of the praise it’s going to get for not being cookie cutter.  The monsters are fun and not CGI, the actors are likeable and very committed, and the end result is something you’re only going to find on the good and gory side of Hollywood. 

Having limits doesn’t break a movie, accepting those limits does.  MONSTERS IN THE WOODS sets its own rules and calls its own shot.  When it works, it works big.  Even more importantly, however, is that when it does fall short, it does so on its own terms, and then stands right back up on its own two bloody legs and keeps on kicking until the end.

Now, a show of hands.  How many of you out there want to see more movies like that?

Yea, that’s what I thought.

MONSTERS IN THE WOODS is worth seeing.  Smart, inventive, and most importantly, it won’t insult you by assuming it knows what you want to see.  It delivers what it promises:  a bloody sexy night of fun.