Village in the Woods is a horror movie directed by Raine McCormack in 2019. Set in a secluded village in rural England, the movie follows a young couple, Kate and Richard, who decide to move to the village to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. However, they soon realize that the village is not what it seems and that the inhabitants have a dark secret.
As soon as Kate and Richard arrive in the village, they are greeted with suspicion and hostility from the locals, which sets the tone for a tense and eerie atmosphere. Despite the warning signs, they decide to stay and rent a cottage from John, the village's self-appointed leader, and his wife, Mary. The couple soon takes note of strange occurrences and fear that the village may not be as peaceful as it seems.
As the movie progresses, Kate and Richard start to uncover the truth about the village's dark history, and they realize that they are in grave danger. The locals are strangely hostile towards outsiders, and there are rumors of strange rituals that have taken place in the past. They find a letter written by a previous resident of the village that reveals that the villagers occasionally sacrifice outsiders to appease an ancient entity that they worship.
A group of young travelers who stopped in the village for the night provide Kate and Richard with some evidence that confirms their fears. One of their friends goes missing and the villagers claim that he simply ventured into the woods and never returned. Kate and Richard then set out to investigate the woods themselves, against the villager's warnings.
The tension builds as Kate and Richard unravel more of the village's dark secrets and are seemingly trapped and monitored by the villagers every move. There are intense moments of suspense and downright horror as the couple discovers the truth that lurks beneath the village's peaceful facade.
The movie's performances from the main cast are great, particularly Beth Park's performance as the inquisitive Kate. The support cast of villagers all do an excellent job in creating an unsettling and tense atmosphere that feels palpable throughout the film. Further homage to the gothic themes of the film is a ranging score sympathetically intertwined with intense and ethereal moments.
Overall, the Village in the Woods is a well-directed, engaging horror film that skillfully builds tension, suspense, and outright horror. The film provides a stiff skew on ancient themes and puts a new twist on the classic horror genre. It delves into the theme of human sacrifice, cults, and the dangers of small towns hiding dark secrets. The atmosphere is foreboding and serves the movie well, considerably enhancing the movie's overall impact. If you like horror movies that rely on a slow-burn approach to ratchet up the thrills, then you will love Village in the Woods.
Village in the Woods is a 2019 horror movie with a runtime of 80 hours.
It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.1.
