Why did he try to trick us?

Rating: Null/10 (6 August 2004)

Did anyone notice the date provided at the beginning of the movie (aside from the date on the gravestone)? I believe the date 1897 or thereabouts flashed on the screen in white, leading you to think the story was taking place then. So throughout the film I thought the twist was that it was "big business" that was on the other side of the woods, trying to scare the villagers so they could take over the land. I had no reason to think it was modern day, because I took the date they provided to be the truth! Why was it necessary to trick us? It would be better to let us assume it was 100+ years ago, just based on the clothing and manner of speech. And by the way, the "twist" is not so amazing that it was modern times. Even if this took place in the late 1800's, the whole world was not so primitive then! It was obvious that this clan was different from their peers outside the woods, so I don't think the year was all that important.