Podcasters William (Tyler Gallant) and Jessica (Elissa Dowling) have just been handed the opportunity of a lifetime; to document a cursed forest, all expenses paid courtesy of Laura Benott (the legendary Felissa Rose of my beloved Sleepaway Camp).
The duo agree, and along with their gal pal Erin (Sarah French), trek out into those wicked woods where they are besieged by supernatural shenanigans on every side… but our gang of goofs soldier on, though if they’ll make it through this arcane ordeal intact remains to be seen!
To be honest, Rootwood doesn’t re-invent the wicked wheel in terms of horror biz cliches (as that sinister synopsis up yonder will doubtless prove), but is that a bad thing? Well, fifty-fifty cats n’ creeps…
Director Marcel Walz and screenwriter Mario von Czapiewski certainly deliver a truly creepy experience, with a solid dash of mythology and world building sprinkled on top, and that goes a long way with yours cruelly. There’s also some effective twists and turns along the way… but there are some story hurdles the film doesn’t quite manage to leap over.
To elaborate on that point, characters in this fright flick do some truly dumbass things (like run right into the very arms of darkness that they fear) that remove the viewer from the arcane action at hand. In short, this is the type of feldercarb that can make or break a fright flick… but I for one was able to overlook it, as the rest of the film was an enjoyable, obviously heartfelt, jaunt into the horror biz.
Bottom line; Rootwood is a mess of freaky, if flawed, fun that sets up a great urban legend (and the investigation there of) and is worth a wicked whirl in my not-so humble opinion!
