Thirty-five years ago, this might have been considered a better film but visual literacy has moved so much further since then and audiences come to a screen carrying a greater knowledge of film structure and more expectations.
That’s not to say they always get it – most blockbusters are just chewing gum for the brain, but a lot of money goes into making the gum a smooth experience. Though imaginative in essence, The Woods is a thriller-horror that suffers the classic setback of a lack of script development.
Heather is a troubled young girl who gets dumped at an isolated, all-girl boarding school by her cold-hearted mother when she takes a packet of matches to the family home.
That’s probably the only part of the storyline that manages to hold a single thread – though even that begins to fray by the end. The rest of the film is a hodgepodge of random ideas that flash briefly and fade into confusion. There are witches, disappearances, evil trees, teen fracases, bad milk and inexplicable vines. The whole thing descends into a bizarre axe frenzy that, while vindicating the horror genre, doesn’t quite gel.
Despite its enormous plot-holes, The Woods still manages to look quite good. Maybe it could still be a classic for mid-teens who haven’t seen and been through quite as much.
Concealed Truth (2007)
Another no-name, nothing album full of background fillers for your low-key function or event. Also recommended if you own a hair-dressing salon, clothing shop or caf?.
These albums are gold for people who want background noise without any annoying vocals to simply bung on repeat and keep on all day – think of an electronic version of the Brazil sounds reviewed a couple of weeks ago. There are plenty of opportunities for these CDs – you get to play music without playing any real music.
All of the above may sound a little harsh but there’s a distinction to be made between real compositions (Kid Loco, Thievery Corporation) and easy-listening electronica. That said, this album is firmly on the top end of the ‘background music’ scale, with a quality selection of tracks and superior mixing that creates and holds a vibe for the duration of this two-disc set.
The first disc is low-key and relaxed with slow tunes to chill out to. The second picks up the pace a little and actually offers a backbeat to lift the mood.
Titles available from All Records
By Kath Toumbourou
