When
three people go into a supposedly haunted forest to film a
documentary, creepy occurrences make them fear for their own safety.
The horror movie Rootwood
has a lot in common with The
Blair Witch Project:
besides the premise, there are strange objects among the trees,
panicked pleas to the camera, spooky noises in the dark, etc. It is
not found-footage; though, since they are making a movie, there are
scenes using the POV of their camera. This is a slow-burn thriller,
with a large amount of setup in the first half-hour, followed by
aimless wandering, weak suspense and lame dialogue. It all leads to a
conclusion that is somehow both predictable and out of nowhere. The
filmmakers have a bunch of ideas, some of them good, but could not
slap them together into anything entertaining.
The
desperation of aspiring independent filmmakers and the unsettling
isolation of the forest are well-established. The story, the central
myth and the characters themselves are not. There is a lot of time
spent on the relationship between podcasters Will and Jessica and
their photographer friend, Erin. Despite that, we learn very little
about them. What information we do get does not really play into the
plot. There is some mild personal drama and a tiny bit of talk about
their careers. All of that material is irrelevant once they begin to
get scared. It ends up feeling like Rootwood
is killing time.
A
big issue is Will, Jessica and Erin are not likable characters. Will
is obsessed and arrogant and the women are basically helpless without
him. It is not fun to be in their company; not even in an “I want
to see them get killed in a horror movie’ kind of way. It is
difficult to care about what happens to them. Unfortunately, there is
not enough going on in the story to make up for that.
The
legend they are investigating, The Curse of the Wooden Devil, is
introduced early on, yet it is not nearly detailed enough to bring
intrigue to the goings-on. Then it is mostly complaining in the
forest with the occasional startling moment thrown in to keep viewers
aware of the presence that seems to be stalking the protagonists.
However, there is no consistent tension, dread or sense of place. It
shows us stuff while explaining none of it. It does not actually
build toward the final act. It is an hour of clichés that generate
absolutely no interest, finishing with a packed, and rushed, climax
that reveals much without really saying anything. It is like they had
plot elements, then decided to wait until the end to use them, so we
would be extra surprised. By that time, it was far too late.
There
are a few good shots of something mysterious moving in the
background, as well as the characters getting lost in the enormity of
the forest. The ending at least grabbed my attention, with a ton
going on after so little had taken place in the first ¾. Still, as a
whole, Rootwood
is a pretty dull take on a familiar story. Too many pieces are
missing for this to come together in an enjoyable way.
-Ben Pivoz
Rootwood will be available on demand on April 7, 2020.
Rootwood will be available on demand on April 7, 2020.