The Woods (1996)

Reminiscent of a few European movies, The Woods is an American horror flick about a girl who sent to a boarding school (in the woods) with a secret and discovers her being there is no coincidence. Helmed by the writer/director Lucky McKee, who also made the excellent May, the film looks good and has some genuinely creepy set pieces, but somehow misses the mark. It occasionally rambles and could have done with tightening up - it doesn't really come to life until well past the half way mark. And some of the clues it offers up are maybe too hidden and subtle, which, I grant you, is unusual for an American film and I may just be sore for missing them! The ending would try and have you believe it's based around true happenings, but it isn't and it seems a cheap way of trying to drum up interest. Nevertheless it's plenty watchable.