Something Walks in the Woods review.
Camping: The Movie.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Something Walks in the Woods
Directed by William J Howard III
Written by William J Howard III
Starring William J Howard III, Paul Hurley, Bill Hitchcock, Walt Gryczan and Laura Rodriguez
Something Walks in the Woods Review
The Blair Witch Project wasn’t the first found footage movie. It is, however, the movie that popularized them. To different levels of degree, it is to thank (or blame) for every found footage movie for nearly the last quarter century. It’s rarely been as directly influential on a film as it was on Something Walks in the Woods. There are two ways to dive into examining this movie. A less ambitious version of Blair Witch…or an attempt at a more personal, realistic take on the concept. Budget likely dictated the former. A commitment to format allows for the latter.
A documentary filmmaker (William J Howard III) investigates sightings of a figure that walks on the edge of the woods each day. After capturing footage of the phenomenon, he gets permission to spend the night on the land. After setting up his equipment, he settles in for the longest night of his life.
We’ve recently seen the documentary style found footage movie done effectively in Horror in the High Desert and its sequel Minerva. Those films approach the found footage aspect as just a piece of the puzzle…designing an Unsolved Mysteries style sit down interview program around them. The combination of true crime format and spooky “discovered” footage made for a natural marriage and a frightening watch. Something Walks in the Woods takes us back to a stricter, simpler format. It’s all in camera…all the time.
The initial shots of the unexplained entity moving through the woods are effective ones. Unfortunately, it’s also the highlight of the scares in Something Walks in the Woods. The little blurb before the article simply says “Camping: The Movie” for a reason. While the first half of the story involves information dumps about the entity and the land…the second half is watching a man spend the night camping and seeing very little happen.
The set-up is interesting enough. Perhaps too much time is spent awaiting approval to set up a tent and some cameras…but the lore aspect is strong. Legend has it that no animals will enter the land. Everything has been scared off by whatever is happening. It’s an effective way to set the atmosphere when Bill and his cameras spend the night. Later talk of time distortion adds a similar feeling.
The problem with Something Walks in the Woods is that it’s begging for a wild third act that never comes. There are odd findings and an earthquake. Mostly though, there is talk about the history of the land and the people who lived and died there. Had the climax truly gone for it in the fight factor…the work put in beforehand might have paid off more. Horror in the High Desert featured a particularly terrifying climax of found footage…in part because of how much it had been built up.
Something Walks in the Woods doesn’t take that route. It continues down the straight path its documentary style paved. Aside from some brief interview segments at the beginning and end of the movie, it’s comprised almost entirely of one man on camera. If you’re thinking that sounds boring…you aren’t wrong. It also takes an impressive commitment to the bit. Howard is likable and engaging throughout. He has to be…because (for the most part) he’s all you get.
It’s said early in the film that whatever is walking in the woods can’t be seen up close. It’s a way for the story to tell you that you shouldn’t expect to see anything more than you already have. Outside of some video interference on the cameras…that’s exactly what happens. All that being said…you have to appreciate a filmmaker who knows what he can and can’t do setting out to do all that he can. Howard wrote/directed/stars in Something Walks in the Woods. A movie that may only amount to a night camping in the woods in practice…but represents an understanding of a found footage documentary played for realism instead of jump scares. When things fail to boil over in the expected ways, however…you’re left feeling like the fun was left out on purpose.
Not much really happens in The Blair Witch Project either. But it does lead to a frantic finale that makes everything about it memorable and influential. Maybe pairing it down to one person prevents the fun that movie has in the end. Maybe it’s simply a budget issue. Or…just maybe…the mundane is the point. An experiment about being as true to the concept of documenting a myth as one can make. Either way, a little less conversation, a little more action…please.
Scare Value
Something Walks in the Woods is a true do-it-yourself movie. Full marks to William J Howard III for executing his idea on film. He could have dreamed slightly bigger. The set-up promises spookiness that the rest of the film fails to deliver on. It works as a realistic presentation of an urban legend with just a bit of fantastical fun…but it begs for a third act that goes off the rails.
2/5
Something Walks in the Woods Link
Streaming on Youtube
