What Happens in the Woods: The Story of Don't Fuck in the Woods

 



Starring - Shawn Burkett (Bludgeon, The Lamb), Ryan Stacy (Midsummer Nightmares, Betsy), and Brittany Blanton (Season's Greetings, Don't Fuck in the Woods)
Release Date - 2019
Genre - Horror
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     Indie horror has seen it's fair share of hits over the years.  Movies like Pieces of Talent, Space Babes From Outer Space, Headless, and so on hit with a bang and leave their mark on no budget horror history.  Not every director can make a movie that causes a stir like some of these before mentioned films.  That is, unless you are Concept Media.  Several years ago director Shawn Burkett and producer Ryan Stacy announced that they were going to make a movie titled Don't Fuck in the Woods.  I was one of the first sites to break the news and it immediately became one of my more popular posts.  Some horror fans were excited for the film while others failed to wrap their fragile little minds around a movie with the word "fuck" in the title and it not be a porn.  Either way, Shawn and Ryan had a hit on their hands with that title and they knew it.  It took them several years to finish the film and the final product became one of the more entertaining indie productions of the decade.  The ups and downs of production is now chronicled in the new documentary What Happens in the Woods: The Story of Don't Fuck in the Woods.  I want to thank Shawn for allowing Horror Society to check it out.    

     This documentary follows Concept Media through the filmmaking process.  It begins with the conception of the film which caused a little rift between Concept Media's founders Ryan Stacy and Shawn Burkett.  We then move to the funding portion of the film and how the title made such an impact on fans and potential investors. We follow that up with production troubles and the film's reception among fans and critics.

     I've known Shawn and Ryan for several years now and see their posts on social media fairly often.  I know they both have been through several life changing moments over the years but this documentary really shed light on some of their lives, as well as, everything it took to get DFitW off the ground.  They really held no punches and nothing was off topic.  The interviews in this one are very informative.  The cast, crew, and fans all go into detail, sometimes even painful detail, about each of the topics discussed.  We get a lot of information and they never shy away from the negatives.  The interviews are done in a tell all format which addresses some of the rumors surrounding the film.  The topics discussed flow very well together and is mostly done in a chronological order which makes it easier for the viewer to process all the information that is tossed at them.  Finally, the editing in this one is extra smooth.  Most documentaries are choppy and jump between topics.  This one is edited together nicely and the interviews are consistently on topic.  Overall, What Happens in the Woods: The Story of Don't Fuck in the Woods is a raw and uncensored look at one of the biggest indie horror films of the last 10 years.  I was not expecting the brutal honesty that is seen in the film which really made for an interesting experience.  Check this out along with Concept Media's Don't Fuck in the Woods.  Both are well worth your time.