Don't Go in the Woods...Alone

Director - James Bryan (Sex Aliens, Lady Street Fighter)
Starring - Jack McClelland, Mary Gail Artz, and James P. Hayden
Release Date - 1981
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Everyone has nightmares about the ugliest ways to die"
Format - Blu-Ray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Horror fans the world over love slashers and it is for this reason that horror icons Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees is the face of the genre.  Everyone in and out of the genre know who these two are and they helped catapult the sub-genre to new heights.  Slashers ruled the late 70s and 80s and 1981 was a very fruitful year for the sub-genre.  The year 1981 saw the release of so many slasher classics like Final Exam, Funhouse, The Burning, Graduation Day, Halloween II, Happy Birthday to Me, and the iconic Friday the 13th Part II.  Among all the slashers released that year, one often goes unmentioned.  That film is Don't Go in the Woods...Alone.  The film was recently released on a blu/DVD combo by the folks over at Vinegar Syndrome who were nice enough to hook me up with a review copy.
     The film follows a group of campers as they adventure through the woods on an outdoor adventure.  However, things do not go according to plan when they run into a homicidal recluse with bloodlust in his eyes.  He kills everyone but two people and they are able to escape his clutches.  The local authorities are notified and send out a search party but the one survivor has a grudge with the killer and goes out on his own.  His is able to track the killer recluse down and soon his girlfriend finds him and the two get a little country justice on his ass.
     Slashers come in different flavors ranging from high school slumber parties, sorority house mayhem, to my favorite of the all, camping/in the woods.  Most of these films followed a pretty simple story line that I have mentioned time and time again.  These films follow a killer, usually masked, as they stalk and kill.  The film usually ends with the reveal of the killer and we learn that those that have died had wronged them in some horrible way.  Don't Go in the Wood...Alone does not go that conventional route and gives the viewer a slasher film that does not follow the standard formula.  The acting in this film is your typical slasher fair.  They over act the situation and make is almost impossible to sympathize for them.  As bad as it is, it is still the same brand of acting that was seen in almost every other slasher in the early 80s and I fucking love it.  The story for this one is a different take on what we have come to expect from a slasher of that time.  Instead of it following a masked killer killing for revenge, we are given an uncivilized man murdering because he does not know better.  This is a more brutal slasher in a sense of story where the killer kills not because he was wronged but because he just wants to.  I really liked the thought of that but it just makes the story feel week and half-assed.  The back story made the film come full circle and without it the film just feels flat.  The film also has several kill scenes that are a bit of a let down.  Slashers are fun to watch because they have a simple story and fun kills.  Sadly, this film has very weak kills with little to none special effects.  Finally, this release some solid special features that make it a solid collector's piece.  We get commentary with the director, commentary with the director, Mary Gail Arts, and others, commentary with The Hysteria Continues, cast and crew featurette, autograph signing party, TV promo compilation, theatrical trailer, production still gallery, press and art gallery, and script gallery.  With all that we are also given a great 2k film transfer that looks phenomenal and the cover of the release is the film's original poster.  Overall, the Vin Syn release of Don't Go in the Woods...Alone is a great addition to any slasher fan's collection.  It has great picture quality, some great special features, and great artwork to accompany a solid slasher.  Check it out and add it to your collection now!