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The horror genre is no stranger to films about summer camps where people invariably die in a variety of horrifying ways and the slasher subgenre of horror has regained popularity over the last decade. To add to the list, the indie filmmaker Erik Bloomquist has turned his 1980s slasher homage short film, She Came From The Woods, into a feature-length title with a script co-written with his brother Carson Bloomquist. She Came From The Woods uses the standard slasher clichés of the era in which it is set. They are used by the Bloomquists to either increase tension or completely defy expectations.
The Bloomquists aren't afraid to traverse different genres as seen in their previous films like Ten Minutes to Midnight and Night at the Eagle Inn. However, as evidenced by the filmmaker's career, Bloomquists are undoubtedly most comfortable in the horror genre. The film was screened first at FrightFest in 2022, and fans will finally have the delight to watch it on the big screens this February. Here is everything we know so far about this creative ode to 80s slasher films.
What Is the Release Date of She Came From the Woods?
On August 27, 2022, She Came From the Woods had its world premiere at FrightFest, the largest international thriller, fantasy, and horror film festival in the United Kingdom. The movie will now be seen in theaters on February 10th, 2023.
She Came From the Woods will have strong competition in the theaters with the release date for the film colliding with the 25th-anniversary re-release of Titanic and Channing Tatum's last turn on the stripper pole in Magic Mike's Last Dance.
Watch the Trailer for She Came From the Woods
Collider exclusively revealed the trailer for She Came From the Woods on 23rd January 2023. The new trailer arrived just a few weeks ahead of the film's theatrical premiere on February 10, 2023.
The new trailer is set at Briarbrook Summer Camp on the last night of the camp. The camp counselors get ready for one final night of drinking as the children get ready to be sent home. The gang participates in an old urban legend about a spirit known as Nurse Agatha around the campfire in the dark of night. The party participates in the legend's method of calling the spirit as part of a ghost story, and it actually works, bringing the terrible spirit down upon them and the camp. The remaining survivors at the camp are forced to band together to fight back against this ancient evil as things get nasty and violent.
What Is the Plot of She Came From the Woods?
The official plot synopsis for the film reads:
In 1987, a group of counselors accidentally unleash a decades’ old evil on the last night of summer camp. As the situation turns bloody, the group is forced to confront what stories are worth telling and what secrets are worth keeping.
To the surprise of his daughter Heather, Gilbert McCalister, who founded the Briarbrook camp, is getting ready to retire. Peter and Shawn, her two teenage kids, assist her around the camp as well. Peter joins the other counselors, including Lauren, Dylan, Ashley, and Ben for a farewell toast after the bus takes away the last campers. The movie takes its action as an aftermath of this event when a mysterious figure terrorizes the camp. The movie is a parody of many of the slasher and horror movies from the 1980s, combining a tone of horror and comedy with lots of gore to appease aficionados of the genre. With an ensemble cast and a refreshing background taking fans back to the 80s, She Came From the Woods might be a good addition to an early list of 2023's horror movies.
Who Is in the Cast of She Came From the Woods?
Any decent slasher movie needs a ton of victims, and the group of counselors offers a plentiful harvest. Many actors, both seasoned pros and up-and-comers, can be seen in She Came From the Woods. William Sadler, a seasoned actor, portrays Gilbert McAlister, the Camp runner. Chesty Puller from The Pacific, Luther Sloan from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Heywood the prisoner from The Shawshank Redemption, Senator Vernon Trent from Hard to Kill, and Colonel Stuart from Die Hard 2 are just a few of the parts he's played on television and in movies. He also played Matthew Ellis in Iron Man 3 and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Gilbert's adult daughter Heather McAlister is played by Cara Buono. She is known for her roles as Dr. Faye Miller in the fourth season of AMC's Mad Men, Kelli Moltisanti in the sixth season of The Sopranos, Linda Salvo in Beer League, and Karen Wheeler in Netflix's Stranger Things. Heather's teenage sons, Peter, the irresponsible one, is played by Spencer List, and Shawn, the sensible one, is played by Tyler Elliot Burke. Both Spencer and Tyler were a part of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Known for his roles as Jack Snyder in As the World Turns, Larry Murphy in the original Broadway cast of Dear Evan Hansen, and reporter Tom Holloway in the third season of Stranger Things, Michael Park now will play Officer Matthews in She Came From the Woods. Clare Foley from Do No Harm, Sinister, and the first two seasons of Gotham is also playing a major role in the film as Lauren. Additionally, Adam Weppler will be seen as Dylan, Ehad Berisha as Mike, Dan Leahy as Ben, Giselle Torres as Veronica, Sienna Hubert-Ross as Ashley, Emily Keefe as Kellie, and the director Erik Bloomquist himself will play the part of Danny.
Who Is Behind the Making of She Came From the Woods?
She Came From the Woods comes from the director Erik Bloomquist. His brother, Carson Bloomquist co-wrote the script with him. Along with the Bloomquist brothers, Cara Buono, William Sadler, and Adam Weppler act as the producers with Andrew Gernhard as an associate producer. Music for the film is provided by Tim Williams, the production design is by Shane Meador, and the costume design is by Tammy Gibbens. John Lauterbach is behind the amazing special effects and Mike Magilnick is the talented cinematographer.