i don't usually like horror films...

Rating: Null/10 (29 August 2004)

it just bores me to see some cgi monster scare the crap out of some idiotic teenagers or piles of bloody guts being thrown throughout the screen. bit this is something different. and what makes this peculiar film different from the others is that its creators understood the essence of fear: that it is a reaction of the brain to external factors; everything is going on in your head, and it doesn't necessarily happen only if you see some dead guy trying to kill you. being lost in the woods during several days can be enough to install a state of terror; add to that fatigue, hunger, tension between the three filmmakers and, of course, the noises and the piles of rocks etc. he'd it been filmed in a different way, the film couldn't even be called thriller or drama... it is the apparent verosimility given by the amateur-like shooting that does the thing. you can always escape the atmosphere of an average horror film by telling yourself it's just make-believe, but it's not the case here. basically, the script is almost non-existent (it could be abridged to <>). and yet the tension increases from the beginning to the very end, the "witch"'s presence is just suggested, creating psychological terror, which appeals to the viewer's imagination instead of his senses. the action isn't complex at all, the characters neither, and yet all that pointless walking around of some stupid kids who got lost, their arguments, their crossing over from carelessness to panic and even insanity keep you tied to your seat. some have said that the film lacks really "scary shit". frankly, i prefer this kind of horror to a guy wearing a cheap death mask stabbing people.