The Woods (2006)

Directed by Lucky McKee. Starring Agnes Bruckner, Patricia Clarkson, Bruce Campbell, Lauren Birkell, Rachel Nichols, Emma Campbell, Jane Gilchrist, Catherine Colvey, Cary Lawrence, Marcia Bennett, Kathleen Mackey. [R]

Delinquent teenager Bruckner is sent to a strict boarding school where she encounters confrontational classmates and an ambiguously sinister staff led by headmistress Clarkson. Shades of Suspiria set to Lesley Gore, there aren’t too many detours from convention even with its rampant yet low-key symbolism, but only the restless and repetitive mid-section falls short of high-toned genre expectations. Bruckner is as good at being bratty as she is at being heroic, but the adults shine brightest—Clarkson can barely hold back a malicious smile, while the (unrelated) Campbell’s fill the roles of Bruckner’s parents splendidly: Emma is an uncaring harpy and Bruce demonstrates henpecked repression (but fans will be pleased to know he gets to run loose a bit in the final act). Filmed in 2004, but sat on the shelf for over two years before festival showings and a direct-to-DVD release.

66/100