Backwoods

Backwoods (1987)

** (out of 4)

By-the-numbers slasher has a couple from the city deciding to go to Kentucky for some camping. They're warned not to go down one path but of course they do and before long they meet an elder man. What the couple doesn't know is that the old man has a retarded and deranged son.

BACKWOODS is a film that I'm guessing went straight-to-video back in the day. There's no question that it didn't have too much money on its budget and if you're expecting a classy production then forget it. With that said, if you're a fan of slasher movies and need to see them all then I must admit that this here is much better than several of the slashers out there that had a bigger budget and better cast.

As it stands this here is a pretty routine movie. The two idiots don't listen to the warnings and before long they're dealing with a maniac redneck. The VHS cover bragged about this being as frightening as DELIVERANCE but of course that's certainly not true. This film wants to be like that masterpiece but also appeal to horror fans but the lack of any real gore and the lack of killings will keep it pretty much forgotten to most people.

The performances are pretty much what you'd expect but I did enjoy Dean Crow's direction. I thought he did a good job with the atmosphere and the setting was very good as well. BACKWOODS isn't a masterpiece, a good film or even a very memorable one but it's mildly entertaining for what it is.

If you like b-movies from the 80s then you might enjoy this. Two campers are terrorized by a geek, an insane man that bites the heads off chickens. This movie (Backwoods) is also known as 'Geek' in the U.K. Its a straight to video film with a cast of unknowns, but they play their roles well. I liked the overall creepy atmosphere of the film and the last 30 minutes were very entertaining. One thing that bugged me about this movie was not knowing what really happened to Beth,the little girl. Karen is shown sporting a shotgun and shoots toward William when he is dragging her beaten boyfriend away with Beth in toe and Karen blindly fires at the trio but we never see beth again but i assume Karen shot her by mistake. Other then this tiny plot hole i liked this movie. 6/10

Horror movies aren't really my thing, but the lure of the Hollows pulled me in. Dean Crow directed a low budget winner which principally includes an old farm house, a pup tent and a lake. Poor William (Jack O'hara) the son of the stoical and psychologically nebulous Hillbilly Eben (Dick Kreusser), is quite a hyper guy who has a bad habit of killing little animals for fun and a quick snack, however, deep down he is quite a romantic. O'hara, with his big blue eyes and spastic movements plays the part of the Geek to perfection. I think it's fair to say that if he lived in Hollywood he would have been a utilized character actor and could have had a nice career.

Christine Noonan who plays Beth is the other standout. She is kind of a poor boys Adrienne Barbeau. Noonan does a fine job of acting and Director Crow's team does a great job of accentuating her two strongest points. There are also some interesting camera angles utilizing light and shadows which add to the tense mood of the film. All in all, a solid "B" movie worth a watch, IMHO.

A couple go camping in the woods. When they're advised not to go in a certain direction, obviously, they venture there. When they save a little girl's life, the girl's hillbilly father invites them to dine with him and stay in their tent on his land. The next morning they meet his son- who just happens to be feral and likes to do things like biting the heads off chickens (hence the title of the movie).

Geek! Is also known as Backwoods in some territories.

The actual character of the geek (or William as he's known to his father) is very scary and very unsettling. There are shades of The Hills Have Eyes with Geek! As William's father confides that he once tried to kill his son as he knew he was possibly psychopathic.

This is a slow burn of a film but livens up when Billy Boy enters the fray (with drool dribbling from his chin).

Not bad. And in a subgenre that is overpopulated, I've seen much worse.

Dean Crow's "Backwoods" is nothing special.The film itself is quite entertaining as it reminds me a little bit "Luther the Geek".Jack O'Hara,who plays William,is truly amazing as a drooling and bearded weirdo.He kills chickens by biting their heads off and goes mad on numerous occasions.The film offers plenty of female nudity and a little bit of gore.The action is rather slow-moving,but the climax is pretty suspenseful and memorable.So if you're a fan of low-budget horror give this one a look-just don't expect something scary or original.My rating:6 out of 10.Here are my other recommendations:"Just Before Dawn","Hunter's Blood","Blood Tracks","Blood Salvage" and "The Hills Have Eyes".