Don't Go in the Woods (1981) User Reviews

Infamously bad - but entertaining!

[Nightman85 · 3/10 · 10 January 2008]

Hikers in the Utah mountains are being sliced 'n' diced by a hulking woodland viking! Who will be left standing??

This little low-budget wilderness killer flick is best known as one of the cheapest and most unintentionally funny entries in the genre. There's no denying that this is a tremendously flawed movie - it's mainly a series of goofy hikers and campers being killed by an even goofier villain. The acting is shabby, the gore is crude, and the 'tension' music score sounds like someone banging their head on a synthesizer. But as poorly executed as the movie is it's certainly not boring!

Don't Go in the Woods is one of those horror cheapies that's so bad you just have to laugh at it. Remember this is the same movie in which a guy in a wheelchair is 'climbing' the mountain - of course he gets to the top only to be whacked. In another great scene Peter waves at a hunter whom he thinks is reacting to him, but the hunter is actually reacting to the killer who is behind Peter! And just wait for that clunky hoot of a theme song in the ending credits!

Don't Go in the Woods may just be the Plan 9 from Outer Space of slasher films. While it's one bad film, it's not without its silly amusements. Don't take it seriously.

* 1/2 out of ****

Amusing in its badness!

[lost-in-limbo · 4/10 · 31 August 2005]

Two couples on a weekend backpacking trip through dense mountain ranges turns into a bloody and horrifying nightmare of a journey. When they come across a maniac who lives in the woods and who's knocking off everyone that it comes across in many gory ways. Now they're trying to get to civilization to report this carnage before they became dead meat themselves.

Incompetently made? Oh boy, definitely! But hold on it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. I see other comments that label it the worst slasher, but IMHO there's far worst (and boring slashers) that deserves that tag. It's gritty, shocking, repellent and hardly memorable and nor it should be. But for the odd 80mins of schlock, I was reasonably entertained and I was amused by its badness. I couldn't help but raise a smile or crack a laugh from time to time. Sure, this basically rips off the likes of the Friday the 13th films and even to a extend - The Hills Have Eyes, but really it's nothing much out of the ordinary from your routine/predictable slasher of the 80's. Meaning a pointless/no nonsense bloodbath that fails logic and doesn't make much sense. But the plot is not the reason why people really watch these films; I hope not!

Now onto... the plot, well there's not much of one, really. They're so many gaping holes and how can that be scenarios. The central focus of the young backpackers is to make it look like there is an actual plot to round it off, but really it's nothing more than watching people getting knocked off in the backwoods by some primitive killer. You don't even get any explanation about our scruffy maniac's origin and his makeup was fairly lacklustre. Everything is pretty much telegraphed, with one attack set up after another, in one continuous loop. Stupid characters doing stupid actions, but hey that added to the fun because of its unintentionally (I think?) humorous moments - or for those who aren't used to this trash it might be excruciating to comprehend. The deaths are not particularly spaced out, but reasonably confined. I lost count of how many people actually died in the opening half hour! But when it came to the final 20mins it felt incredibly drawn out and flat. Although, the climax is fairly brutal. So, you pretty much get what you expect - poor narration replaced with cheesy/graphic blood splattering and nasty moments. Although, one thing you can't shake is that atmosphere of horror and that damn electronic score! Jeez it couldn't make its mind up. It would go from a light hearted tone, which at times it was incredibly out of place and then it would go all jerky with a real pounding score. This moment your heart is either throbbing or your thinking when is it going to stop, as my headache is getting worse. It felt like overkill and takes away from the tension, hmm, actually there's no real tension to begin with. What might make your headache worse, would be the terribly shaky and obscure camera-work. It's incredibly nauseating, with the sheer amount of bumpy movement, but it seemed to settle down in the latter half of the film. Sometimes you don't even know if the POV shot was the killer's or not? Loved the panning of the stunning background features, though. I'm a sucker for films set in mountainous woodlands and open fields. The lovely scenery was a marvel to look at. Also the terrain really added to the creepy and forbidding vibe.

Lets move onto the acting - amateurish/or dreadful is the best way to describe it. But were they acting, I ask? I just don't know if they're mocking themselves, or are they playing it... for real? We even get the usual dim-witted sheriff and a real pansy of a deputy. His particular performance was ridiculous and so was most of his dialogue. There's even a moment involving two lovers in a car, which was awfully funny and at the same time cringe worthy. The two teenage couples that are backpacking might be annoying and obnoxious brats, but I tell you they know how to pull a terrifying facial. Sadly, there's no hot women in the film. The script is pretty crumby and so was the supposed humour. The inept direction is quite bland and clumsy, but there are enough well designed shocks and horrendously, bloody kills. There's a pretty good set up when we see the killer for the first time. Also Just wait around for the ending credits to hear a wailer of a song ;).

It might be a stinker and I wouldn't really recommend it, but overall it kept my interest no matter how awful it was. If you just want pointless and joyous spree of blood and mayhem, maybe this trash is right up your alley.

Sidenote: I felt a bit conned by plot outline on my video case, which claims an axe-wielding maniac is on the loose in the woods. The killer is far from an axe-wielding maniac!

Scenic

[ctomvelu1 · 5/10 · 4 February 2013]

Obviously inspired by slasher classics like Friday the 13th, this low-budget slasher flick has a murderous mountain man hunting down a bevy of hikers and campers in the Utah woods and mountains. No scares per se, but some pretty decent killings including one comic relief beheading of a man in a wheelchair (reminiscent of the wheelchair guy in Texas Chainsaw Massacre). The mountain man does not appear on camera until the second half, which is a good thing as he does not exactly inspire much fear. Good POV shots as he stumbles through the woods and decent camera work throughout keep the thing afloat. I do believe this has put more than one young person off of camping, much the way Jaws gave my sister in law the creeps every time she got into the shower. Mostly amateur actors and a lousy music score cost it one point in my book.

'WRONG TURN' without the turn!!!!

[skanners · 19 March 2004]

Yet another of the films that languishes in the hell that is 'Banned by the BBFC'. My only question being 'did you watch a different film to me?' I cannot even begin to think why this was considered banworthy (is that a word?) unless it was 'cos they didn't want to subject us to this!!! This is definitely another one of those 'So Bad they're good' contenders that I love so much I also think that an average mark of 2.2 out of 10 seems a bit harsh for this film I would give it at least a 3!!

Basically this film consists of a 'Crazy Man' running around in the most densely populated 'middle of nowhere' that I have ever seen and killing people with a large Machete on a stick

It really is that SIMPLE

TERRIBLE, but I've watched it eight times.

[latherzap · 1/10 · 28 November 2001]

This movie is completely inept, but I love it. I think it's hilariously bad. I usually don't post positive reviews, preferring to use IMDB as a grouchy outlet for complaints. But I want to show my support for this movie.

When DGITW attained "bottom 100" status, I was happy for it. It had finally been accepted by its peers!

As you may have read, a maniac is killing anonymous campers in the woods- hence the cautionary title of the movie. Most of the acting is horrid, usually providing chuckles. The music alters between generic upbeat country guitar and cheap early-eighties casio keyboard. And the gore looks fake, but that's really the least humorous aspect of the movie. The acting and bad script are what really makes DGITW special. I have seen many bad horror flicks, and DGITW easily makes my top five so-bad-it's-good list.

If you're looking for a more detailed description, there are several reviews floating around the web. Check 'em out.

Watching it the first time I was a little disappointed, but I fully appreciated this movie on the second viewing. If you like bad movies, I highly recommend this one.

This may be the most inept slasher ever made!

[AlsExGal · 3/10 · 4 May 2023]

One is never sure if this is suppose to be a comedy or just bad film making. A group of obnoxious hikers wonder around a forest getting slaughtered by some deranged mountain man. There is no story so we never know why the killings are taking place. The movies has plenty of bloody death scenes but they are thrown in with out reason.

There are a lot of intentional funny scenes- a woman walking around a house coat in the forest but others are of questionable taste like a poor guy hiking in his wheelchair . The film has been given up a first rate blu ray treatment by Vinegar Syndrome. The print has some stunning Utah locations which could have been put to a better use. The movie has an annoying musical score which is more reason to scream than any thing on screen.

Terrible Yet Watchable

[glenmatisse · 4/10 · 28 August 2020]

An awful film by every standard known to man, but there's an endearing quality about it that makes it compulsively watchable. From the random roller skater to the idiotic cops to the grotesquely unattractive couple in the van to the brain dead leads who act like they just woke up from a really long nap, Don't Go in the Woods has something for everyone. It's gory, too, even if it's in a "throw a bucket of fake blood on the actors and see what sticks" variety.

You can do better than that!

[DocEmmettBrown · 1/10 · 8 July 2002]

CONTAINS SPOILERS. I recently had the pleasure of seeing this 'video nasty' after so many years of it having been kept under lock and key by our beloved BBFC.

Now, if there was a British Board of Film Quality I could understand the ban, as this is one of the most useless pieces of drivel I have ever seen.

It's hard to know where to start; the acting is abhorrent, even by badfilm standards. The 'actors' frequently talk over each other, repeat lines ad infinitum (one actress makes her way through the entire film with the words huh? and no!), cast members stand rooted to the spot as if reading a cue card.

The plot is non-existent, and I mean NON-EXISTENT, Friday The 13th looks like Lost Highway in comparison. A group of annoying teens (aren't they always) trek through a forest as a wildman kills random people who have nothing to do with the plot!!! They're just crowbarred in there. The most ludicrous being a wheelchair bound guy struggling to get up a woodland path ON HIS OWN! Why is he there? It makes no sense! The plot has so many holes, like why is there an undiscovered wildman living in a huge cabin in the woods that no one has ever seen before, why did he kidnap the baby, is the baby left in the woods to die (or, as I think it suggests, become another wildman, as if a baby has natural survival skills when left alone in a wood). Why do the police let the two survivors just wander off home on their own at the end?

The score is painful, jumping between country guitar, bontempi organ, and screechy horror soundtrack. The FX are lame, the direction is dreadful, the editing is childlike, the cast are all ugly. THIS FILM IS RUBBISH!

On a positive note, the film does contain an (unintentionally) hilarious over use of the name Dick.

I know, like myself, this review will only serve to inflame your need to see this movie, but please, do yourselves a favour, stay well clear. You have been well and truly warned.

NURSE! I'd like to go back to my room!

"Come out of there, you pencil necked geek!"

[Hey_Sweden · 5/10 · 22 March 2015]

There's "so bad it's good" cinema and then there's director James Bryans' "Don't Go in the Woods". This thing truly reaches a pinnacle of laughable absurdity. While it's not going to appeal to everybody, it's got a highly respectable go for broke attitude, an amazing body count, lots and lots of gore (once it gets going), terrible acting & writing, and a generous amount of belly laughs. These all make it extremely engaging entertainment.

Despite the title, there's plenty of people stupid enough to go into the woods and help our merry maniac (Tom Drury) reach record numbers. Grunting like a constipated pirate, and sporting a hilarious wardrobe, the killer goes about his business. Four outdoorsy types make up our main characters: Peter (Jack McClelland), Ingrid (Mary Gail Artz), Craig (James P. Hayden), and Joanie (Angie Brown).

Bryan swears that he intended this to be a comedy, and it's not that hard to believe him, given how utterly ridiculous his movie is. It hits the ground running - the first person to die bites it within the first three minutes - and delivers sadistic dark humour and bucket loads of blood. Bryans' explanation for the motive behind this murder spree is one of the worst / best that you're likely to hear. Our victims are a colourful bunch - an older couple making out, an artist, an ornithologist, etc. The randomness of the whole thing is delicious.

The dialogue and performances are just uproarious at times. Watch when one character sights the dead body of a friend, and marvel at the faces that they make. The cherry on this sundae is one of the most idiotic music scores that this viewer has ever heard, supplemented by a giggle inducing end credits song that borrows from the Teddy Bears' Picnic.

Objectively speaking, "Don't Go in the Woods" is flat out garbage. But for certain tastes, it's mighty fine garbage.

Co-star Artz actually went on to become a prolific casting director; her first credit in that capacity was "Halloween II", from the same year as this.

Five out of 10.

Pure schlock.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 6/10 · 29 September 2004]

"Don't Go in the Woods" is often regarded as the worst slasher movie ever made.I can honestly say that I have seen worse slasher flicks like "Hollow Gate","The Last Slumber Party" or "The Newlydeads".A crazy killer stalks and kills tourists and campers in the woods.Anyway,this film is without a doubt beyond horrible.The acting is incredibly awful and both female leads are uglier than hell.The music is abysmal,the script makes no sense and the cinematography is really weak.The killer is just an old bearded guy who doesn't even have a motive or reason for killing campers.Fortunately this slasher flick is never boring and it contains many gory murders(for example a photographer guy gets his arm ripped off,a crippled guy is decapitated).So if you are a fan of trashy and mindless Z-grade slasher flicks give this one a look.

Not as bad as Headless Eyes...

[world_of_weird · 1/10 · 25 July 2005]

...but that's like saying being kicked in the groin isn't as bad as being punched in the throat. They both hurt like crazy, it's just that one probably isn't as painful as the other. DON'T GO IN THE WOODS appears to be the retarded, illegitimate offspring of James C.Wasson's quietly unsettling NIGHT OF THE DEMON and the underrated JUST BEFORE DAWN. It's the simple story of a group of happy campers (including a bunch of whiny teens, a birdwatcher who looks like an old silent movie actor, a cripple who looks like Franklin from THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE, a female artist and her baby daughter, two bone-chillingly unattractive newlyweds and...you get the idea) whose weekend in the Utah wilderness is rudely interrupted by a bloodthirsty maniac who looks and sounds like Long John Silver gone native and kills people for kicks. And that's it. There's no real plot, not a scrap of characterization, no structure, no dynamic, in fact nothing to compel or even mildly interest the viewer, just endless scenes of these hapless non-actors wandering through the forest and getting killed in various unlikely ways, with blood-drenched murder scenes that resemble Monty Python's memorable spoof of Sam Peckinpah, only done on a smaller budget. As a substitute for any on-screen suspense or drama, the belching, clanking, burbling synthesizer score by H.Kingsley Thurber (love that name!) plays throughout the entire film with no let-up. I'm not joking, it doesn't stop until the end credits when we get to hear him sing an inane ditty about the murderer to the tune of 'The Teddy Bear's Picnic'! Most of the dialogue seems to have been endlessly redubbed and rearranged, which gives the proceedings a surreal, ethereal feel, and the direction and editing are not so much undisciplined as wilfully perverse - it's as if Bryan tore up the entry-level director's handbook on day one, set out to break all the rules and succeeded unequivocally. It would be churlish to point out that the budget was obviously miniscule, since wonders can be worked for a handful of change - see LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, for example - but the budget for this Z-grade splatterfest would appear to have come from the pockets of sleeping gutterbums. As a further point of interest, this film remains banned in the UK, though I can't imagine any sensible distributor paying the censors to watch this nonsense in order to receive an 18 certificate. It's a shame the old X-rating was phased out, because it would suit this film perfectly - it's X-crement from start to finish.

So Hilariously Bad, I can't help but LOVE IT!!

[robertandrews-44556 · 10/10 · 4 May 2020]

Don't Go in the Woods (Also known by the ominous title, "Don't Go in the Woods....Alone!") is often considered to be the "Plan 9 From Outer Space" amongst slasher/horror films. It was made during the time when Slasher films were becoming massively popular. John Carpenter's "Halloween" had just released three years earlier, and the original Friday the 13th was released just one year prior. The popularity and cult following of Wes Craven's 1977 "The Hills Have Eyes" was likely a major influence on director James Bryan, as the killer in this film looks as though he is a long-lost relative of Papa Jupiter's Clan.

The plot of the film (which is VERY thin) revolves around four young campers. The reluctant city boy, Peter (Jack McClelland), his girlfriend Ingrid (Mary Gail Artz), and their two friends Joanie (Angie Brown), and outdoorsman Craig (James P. Hayden). The four trek through the wilderness, apparently trying to reach a cabin somewhere in the woods (they never do reach it, by the way). As they journey through the beautiful mountains, an unseen madman is knocking off other hikers in the woods in various gory ways. He kills a honeymooning couple, a birdwatcher, a mother and son, a man in a wheelchair, and a young artist who is painting the landscape as her infant daughter lingers nearby.

Pretty soon, our madman catches up to our four main characters. The killer is revealed to be a deranged wild man, dressed from head-to-toe in animal furs and wielding a nasty-looking sharp spear. Soon enough, he manages to violently kill two of our main heroes, leaving only Peter and Ingrid. Meanwhile, the local Sheriff forms a search party to look for the murdering psychopathic mountain man.

Like so many who have seen this film, I can say that the acting is atrociously bad. However, I will note that that is likely because most of the film is dubbed over. Plus, I don't think that the bad acting in this movie ruins the experience. In fact, I think it makes it all the more better. I can never stop laughing every time I watch this movie. It is just a film that makes me feel really good. I know it is strange by saying watching an apparent gory horror movie makes me happy....but truthfully, this film makes me smile bigger than any comedy film can. The sheer absurdity of this film is what really makes this a terrific movie experience. And that is not to say that there are no chilling and pretty brutal moments in the movie. The scene in which Joanie is trapped in the maniac's cabin and desperately tries to escape through a small window as the killer hacks her back to pieces with a machete was quite horrifying and brutal, and I did find myself hoping for her to escape....only to be disappointed.

And even though the acting is obviously bad in this film, I did find the main four characters strangely likeable. Unlike most teen slasher flicks with characters going to a specific place for sex and partying, the four in Don't Go in the Woods seem to be going to the woods for a simple adventure away from city life with their main objective to take in all the beautiful sights before the terror begins. Having said that though, the scene in which Craig zips Joanie up in a sleeping bag and begins crying out obscenities was a little odd and seemingly changed his "serious" outdoorsman demeanor to a class clown right before he meets his bloody demise at the end of the madman's stick!

I really did like Peter as the hero of the film and did find myself rooting for him at the end of the film as he and Ingrid stabbed the maniac to death. I mean, where else are you going to find a horror film hero who takes off his cool pink ripped and torn shirt and stuffs grass inside of it to try and fool the antagonist!

Ever since watching this film for the first time in September of 2002, I have never forgotten it. I definitely see the influence it had on films such as the "Wrong Turn" franchise. And while those films definitely and undoubtedly used "Just Before Dawn" (another 80's classic that was released the same year as this film) as a major influence, I still believe I find a bit of "Don't Go in the Woods" being referenced in there subtly.

When watching this film now, in 2020 (a full 18 years after I first watched it) I find myself getting that big grin on my face as the opening theme begins. It truly takes me back to my youth. A much simpler time when you could go to the video store, rent a cheesy gory horror flick, and sit back and laugh and get scared by it in the comfort of your living room. A time when you could see a film that never set out to make itself overly serious.

Boy.....they sure don't make horror movies the way they used to.

Very Good 80s B slasher

[alphastudio-67811 · 6/10 · 21 February 2019]

A very good 80s B slasher that proves you don't need a big budget to make a great film.Very suspenseful, creepy music/sound, Gory killing scenes and bad acting, which fits perfectly in this film.

I Loved it!

Not bad enough to be good and not gory enough to be worth it.

[maynard1210 · 2/10 · 3 October 2015]

Don't Go Into The Woods is not a good movie for several reasons. Bad acting, story, dialogue, scenery, camera work, sound. These are all obvious right away. The kills/gore aren't stylish enough or at the very least interesting enough to save this movie. There are two that are pretty good but that's it.

They decided instead of concentrating on the main campers, they would intermittently sprinkle in scenes of other campers being murdered. It's incoherent. By the time anyone survives you barley remember who they were to care.

Some of the awful dialogue can be unintentionally funny or grating depending on your preference.

One thing that stood out was the nonsense. For instance, camper is by himself under an overhang. Fisherman comes by and spots him. But the wildman is standing above the camper where he can't see him. The wildman swings a bear trap and hits the fisherman in the face. Camper watches in shock but doesn't yell out. So you think "Oh, this guy will spot the crazy man, keep quiet and then run back and warn his friends". Instead as soon as he sees the wildman, he yells like a girl and runs off. Why didn't he react right away? Could have set up a nice scene where the camper sneaks off to warn his friends. Then right be for he reaches them surprise kill by the wildman. The movie does this 4 or 5 times. Girl hears friend screaming 2 separate occasions, doesn't react, thinks it's only friends horsing around. Friend screams a third and she comes running.

Movie seems to only take a place in one day but it doesn't match the story. Guy and girl survive. They are in the hospital. Guy feels guilt for leaving other girl back in the woods. He's able to run from the hospital back to the woods before the cops leave the cafeteria. But before, when they broke into the cabin, the guy said, "We are going to need food if we're gonna survive". Later the girl is seen licking a plate as if starving. Really? In running distance from a hospital? Also, no rhyme or reason to the killing. They can't be that deep in the woods (Hospital) and there were at least 5 other people died in that vicinity in the same time span. Should have been called don't go 50 ft into the woods. The posse is waiting on a helicopter to search the woods. Meanwhile the camper has beating them back on foot. The movie takes a scene and then just throws logic out the window. It'a actually impressive.

Proof That Anyone Can Make a Movie

[captaincracker · 30 March 2009]

There isn't that much to say about "Don't Go in the Woods". It is basically the most uninspired slasher film I've seen, and that's saying something from a guy who has seen every sequel, prequel, remake, and knock-off, and who in particular loves early 80's slasher gold. This is fool's gold. So what makes this movie worse than flicks like "Madman", "The Burning", "Prom Night", "The Prowler", and "Graduation Day"?

For starters, "Don't Go in the Woods" has absolutely no originality to it. The movie is basically a complete knock-off of the previous year's "Just Before Dawn", only "Woods" has more characters and deaths but lacks the atmosphere, suspense, and twist of "Dawn". This film is absolutely amateur in its making. It has a great atmosphere to use and doesn't use it. It doesn't allow any room for character development. Rather than creating suspense it jumps right to the kill. There is simply no use of artistic film-making or creativity in this entire flick.

Earlier in the week I finally was able to see another infamous B-movie slasher, "Graduation Day", which I thought was missing something. Compared to "Woods", "Graduation Day" looks like a masterpiece. "Graduation Day", along with "Friday the 13th", "The Burning", "Madman", "The Prowler", "Happy Birthday to Me", "Prom Night", "Halloween", "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "House on Sorority Row", "Just Before Dawn", "My Bloody Valentine", and others may follow a simple formula but it knows how to make that formula entertaining. Those movies have a rhythm. "Don't Go in the Woods" has no rhythm, but seems more like a bunch of footage of random, annoying people we don't care about or like getting killed in uneventful ways.

Watching this movie felt like it was taking hours, even though it was only 85 minutes. So why would I continue watching "Don't Go in the Woods"? It is a movie from a time period that will never return. Movies like "Woods" will never be released again. This is a grindhouse picture - a low-budget, cheesy movie that played in limited cinemas and never went mainstream. It has earned a large cult fanbase over the past thirty years, and the title has become infamously famous for being a bad movie. For a horror fan, "Woods" is a sort of time capsule, a look back in time to when anyone could make a slasher movie as long as you had a camera. This time has come and gone, and has been forgotten about. For over twenty years, no one thought about "Woods", but the internet and DVD sales have helped bring it back.

The cult horror film "Don't Go in the Woods" is only a popular movie because it is so bad and at one point so unpopular. As a slasher film fan, I am glad to have seen it. The acting is atrocious, the writing is wretched, the effects and laughable, and the plot is absent. But with a few cool shots of the scenery, "Don't Go in the Woods" somehow can keep the audience's minds off its lack of substance. And does this movie really need any substance? That's a debatable question.

Definitely only a movie for hardcore slasher fans. Regular genre fans will most probably get bored and turn it off, and if you don't like horror movies or bad b-movies than steer clear and don't enter "the Woods".

Don't Go In the Woods Sober

[juniorrickman · 4/10 · 15 October 2020]

A bunch of campers, lovemakers, skate bunnies, artists, cops, and sightseers are brutally murdered by a

To say Don't Go in the Woods is episodic would be the understatement of the century. There's not a realistic dialogue exchange or a character arc to be found in these treacherous woods. Acting and writing are the kind of amateurish where you really convince yourself that these people have been kept in an attic for their entire lives without human contact and have never had a normal interaction with another human being. There's no other explanation for how bizarre this movie is. Everything is so disjointed like it was made up on the spot or like these were all a bunch of different short films that were edited together to make a feature. That said, it's one of the most hilarious movies I've ever seen in my life and I think I'll probably watch it 500 more times before I die.

Very inspiring, for the wrong reasons

[rpzowie · 1/10 · 30 March 2008]

Don't Go in the Woods terrified me when I saw it as a 15 year-old. Now, 20 years later, I honestly don't remember why. While the music can be nice and ominous when needed, the acting is beyond terrible. The actors literally appear to be doing nothing more than reciting lines.

It really makes me think that if these people, awful actors they were, can be in a movie, anybody can.

The only thing that truly surprised me about this movie is that it didn't have any nudity in it. Generally, the worse a horror flick is, the more likelihood of seeing skin. It's what directors probably do when they know the film can't be sold on its own merits.

It made me cry!!

[rocco-1 · 1/10 · 4 August 2001]

Yes it did make me cry... it made me cry because I spent $5, yes that's right five dollars on this piece of ****! This is the worst 80's horror film I have ever seen. It is worse than "Killer Party"!!(look it up) I hope and pray that no one will ever watch this movie. Well I guess it is good for laughs. Ok, Ok, you can watch it. But remember don't watch it to be scared; only watch it to p*** your pants laughing.(literally) The acting is poor, the special F/X were poor, the music score sucked and it has the ugliest and I mean Ugliest women I have ever seen.

Abysmal

[Maciste_Brother · 1/10 · 7 January 2003]

I rented DON'T GO IN THE WOODS 20 years ago and I still remember how abysmal it was. No redeeming qualities whatsoever. It's stunningly amateurish. Even though it's only 82 minutes long, DGITW feels like 3 hours. Every inch of the movie is terrible. Some parts are good in a 'it's so bad it's good' way but the film is too awful to endure and nullifies any fun to be had from watching it.

Whoever was involved with this film, my hat's off to you because you made one of the worst films ever!!!!

A gory whacko-in-the-woods stinker.

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 27 April 2007]

If Wrong Turn had been made two decades earlier, on a shoestring budget, with an unattractive cast and by a crew possessing almost zero talent, it would have looked a whole heap like Don't Go In The Woods.

A drooling savage is butchering backpackers for no apparent reason, and seems to have been doing so for quite some time. Only when a couple of exhausted and bloodied teens stumble from the wilderness babbling about a demented lunatic in the woods does a dimwitted sheriff notice that there is a problem in his county and gather some men together to catch the killer.

Featuring truly awful direction, shockingly bad acting, absolutely no gratuitous nudity (probably a good thing, since this film is a babe-free zone), several miserable attempts at humour, and some dreadful migraine-inducing synthesizer music, Don't Go In The Woods is a mess of a movie. However, the inclusion of plenty of cheesy gore prevents the film from being an entirely worthless viewing experience and fans of really bad horror might get a few laughs from its general ineptitude.

So-bad, they're-almost-good moments include the beheading of a wheelchair bound sightseer, the killing of the world's ugliest couple (that woman was a whole lot scarier than the bearded mountain man), and the accidental skewering of a backpacker by the film's hero.

To be fair, director James Bryan almost manages to capture a couple of effective chase scenes, but any tension he achieves is soon lost by either a spectacularly bad bit of acting from one of his talentless cast or an ill-timed comedic moment.

Don't Go In The Woods, unbelievably one of the Video Nasties banned in the UK during the 80s, is one recommended to rabid slasher fans, lovers of truly awful low-budget B-movies, and masochists only.

Were they serious?

[Tromafreak · 6/10 · 30 June 2011]

Some people seem to think that if you've seen one 80's slasher, you've seen them all. Not only is that not true, but the mere thought makes me chuckle. And when you see Don't Go In The Woods, you'll see what I mean. The thing is, you got your good slashers, your bad slashers, awful slashers, and so bad they're good slashers. Then, there's stuff like this. Don't Go In The Woods is one of those rare breeds of Horror. The ones that have an amazing amount of inept qualities, to the point that it may be a spoof. Then again, perhaps not. Hard to tell. It's astonishing movies like that that really makes watching bad Horror films so worthwhile. Well, the first thing I noticed about Don't Go In The Woods is the score that goes back & forth from depressing to nerve-racking. I don't know what they were thinking. The discomfort is a small price to pay for the fun that's to be had. Such as some mountain man (with what looks like a bicycle chain wrapped around his face) walking around the Utah mountains slashing idiotic campers. Some of which aren't even using their own voice. Nothing complicated about it. Just terrible acting, confusing dialogue, and ridiculous people being slaughtered for no reason. What exactly happened to make this film so confusing & just flat out strange, is a mystery to me. Aside from the alleged unintentional humor, Don't Go In The Woods is also a rather harsh Horror movie, with some pretty ferocious killings. So, it looks like you're all set, as I couldn't possibly think of any other qualities that matter for an 80's slasher. Looking for a good "unintentional or not?" double feature? Well, pair this one up with The Last Slumber Party. You won't regret it. 8/10

Stinking piece of crap!

[fertilecelluloid · 2/10 · 31 December 2004]

Made while the early 80's slasher cycle was in full swing, this amateurish pile of s*** pits a caveman-like, HILLS HAVE EYES-inspired nutbag against a roster of hikers and campers in the deep boonies. There's abundant gore and some pace, but the execution of said gore is appallingly inept and the acting is so unconvincing it hurts.

A cripple in a wheelchair livens up proceedings at one point, but one hacked cripple does not a memorable movie make.

The eventual annihilation of the nutbag has the impact of a gray cloud passing overhead.

What must be noted here, in conclusion, is the film's "sound design", an ear-piercing catalog of sharp jabs, stabs and synth riffs.

Theatrical poster was not too shabby.

Both very bad, and very good, if you know what I mean

[Bezenby · 8/10 · 18 March 2014]

I've been looking for this film for ages and now thanks to someone on Youtube I've finally watched this so-called Video Nasty. Is it the worst slasher film ever made? I don't think so (Psycho Cop beats it hands down in that category to name one example). Is it badly made? Sure, with loads of hilarious moments, but it's never boring for a minute and actually has at least one scene that works.

I hope you like dodgy editing, however, because the first few minutes are pretty confusing. After shots of some girl running screaming through the forest, we cut to four annoying actors out for a hike. Get used to cutting from this lot doing nothing to the killer offing various people we hardly get to know, because that's what most of the first half of the film involves, save for the footage of useless cops talking.

What you've got here is a crazy mountain hillbilly (love that get-up!) running around what must be the busiest forest on earth cutting people to bits with a spear in various daft situations, like the guy he throws off a cliff (who lands next to our quartet, who don't even notice!), the ornithologist he dismembers, and some other poor guy who gets a bear trap to the face. He also attacks a lady who's minding her own business drawing a painting, only to get slashed to bits.

Our quartet do eventually get involved with the killer, leading to an actual effective sequence where one of them finds the killer's house and gets slashed to bit for their troubles. The others end up running around the forest trying to escape our nutter and…etc. It's slasher film – no need for more plot. Except for… …the guy in the wheelchair. Now, for some reason the filmmakers thought it would be a good idea to have a guy in a wheelchair hiking around the woods. Not only that, but they've dubbed him to sound like he's got something wrong with his brain too, so not only do you have to see this guy struggle with a wheelchair (and fall over), but you've also got to listen to him making all these strange noises too. Hilarious, but probably not in the way the filmmakers intended.

What was also funny was the bit where one of the quartet speared a guy by accident – I forgot about that bit.

So, far from being the worst film ever (although it tries), Don't Go Into the Woods…Alone is a fine slice of cheesy entertainment that doesn't skimp on the blood. This film was everything I thought it would be, even though the version I watched was devoid of this crazy soundtrack I keep hearing about.

Smashing trash!

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 13 March 2006]

This film has to be seen to be believed. It truly is so-bad-it's-good. It concerns a group of typically vacant friends who go backpacking through a woodland area where a crazy psychotic woodsman is bumping off a never-ending production-line of chumps in a variety of gruesome ways.

The acting is deliriously bad. Comically so. But there were some memorable characters. I'll list them:

1 - The Maniac : I actually thought he was quite entertaining. He resembles a demented Dave Lee Travis. And his commitment to killing people for no reason whatsoever is really quite commendable.

2 - The Bubble-Permed Know-It-All : This is the leader of the backpackers who is never slow at lecturing his friends. This modern day Socrates is on hand to warn his friends not to jump off logs and, of course, to 'never go into the woods alone'. The latter advice he completely ignores for the rest of the movie.

3 - The Newly Weds (Dick & Cherry) : An extremely frightening couple who are enjoying a beautiful honeymoon in a clapped-out dormobile in the middle of the Utah woods (in all honesty, they are scarier than the psychopath). In addition, their dialogue has to be some of the funniest lines ever committed to film.

4 - The Policemen : This pair are the Laurel and Hardy of the movie. Minus the intentional laughs. And the acting ability. Actually, come to think of it, these guys are nothing like Laurel and Hardy but one of them is enormously fat and the other is not.

5 - Wheelchair Man : Oh deary me, how could we forget Wheelcair Man. I won't spoil things for first-time viewers but suffice to say, this poor guy doesn't have a good day. But you will laugh.

6 - White Hat Man : This guy doesn't do much but he is killed in such a highly comedic way that it would be remiss not to mention him.

Lastly. The music. The music. Oh, my word, the music. For quite a while I suspected that there was a lunatic on the loose in the forest with a Casio keyboard. But no it was, in fact, the actual soundtrack. Composed by H. Kingsley Thurber, it can only be likened to the music you would expect to hear at a basketball game. And as for the song on the final credits? In fairness, but you would be forgiven for thinking it was recorded by a toothless simpleton.

Don't Go In The Woods is a fantastically entertaining bad movie. You know the script, if you want a bit of violence with unintentional laughs then you cannot go wrong here.

Don't Go in the Theater

[britneyfoxx · 1/10 · 27 May 2021]

This movie is one atrocity after another: terrible acting, horrific soundtrack of beeps and grunts, fat redneck cops, ugly short-haired chicks, fake magenta blood, guys with pink shirts... inexcusable.