I don't watch 90s movies often, i'm more of an 80s and 70s kind of gal myself, but this was a nice change of pace. Rosanne Arquette is gorgeous and so perfectly 90s, and Anthony Perkins is amazing as always. Not bad for a TV movie but extremely formulaic in the way that Tobe Hooper's Toolbox Murders was. And enjoyable in the same way that one was too. There are a lot of plot holes however, and it's very melodramatic. The stupid argument with the boyfriend just made me livid with how unrealistic and petty it was.
A good thing was the outfits. But is that really to their credit? They just dressed like they were from 1992. They were. It's only enjoyable in retrospect. Another thing was the soundtrack- at times. It wasn't great all the way through but at times it surpassed the general mediocrity.
For a TV movie though, surprisingly not bad. Overall fun to watch.
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nick12123526 November 2020
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sol-kay11 March 2007**SPOILERS** Uneven thriller that has to do with a Ted Bundy-like serial killer who seems to get his victims off guard before he murders them. The killer does that with his both charming personality and disarming, usually wearing a cast on his arm or leg or in crutches, demeanor.
Were kept in the dark to who this serial killer is but as soon as Anthony Perkins shows up as a reputed private investigator named Paul Miller it becomes obvious, to those of us watching, that he has to be the guy just by how he acts and carries himself; like a beady eyed and uncontrollable psycho.
Miller goes right after Joanne Warren, Rosanna Arquette, in his investigation of the what becomes known as the "Deep in the Woods" killing. Miller suspects that her brother Tommy, Christopher Rydell, is the one who's committing the murders. Miller is so weird and off-the-wall that you just can't help feeling, like Joanne, that he has to be the one who's committing all these killings. But as the movie unfolds it becomes apparent that not just Miller but everyone in it has a very good chance of being the killer.As the bodies start to pile up the person whom you had first suspected in killing them ending up with an air-tight alibi that he, or she, were somewhere else when the murders were committed.
Getting enough evidence to have Tommy take a psychological test by the police to see if he's truly the psycho that he's curtain he is Miller is shocked to find that Tommy passed it, in proving that he isn't, with flying colors! It's later that Miller finds out that Tommy had been secretly prepping for the test where he knew what answers to give! It also turns out that Joanna's boyfriend Frank, D.W Moffet, may very well be the killer when Joanne finds her girlfriend's Margo (Kimberely Beck), who was murdered the night before, blood stained scarf in the trunk of his car!
As all this is going on we finally get to know what's the real reason for the creepy private investigator Paul Millers obsessive interest in the case and are surprised to find out that his fiancée was murdered by this same "Deep in the Woods" killer some five years ago when he was stationed in Germany with the US Army! Miller had been tracking the killer all these years and is determined to capture and have him face the bar of justice. Not just in the eight murders that he committed here in the states or the other 13 victims that he offed back in Europe but for the murder of the woman that he loved that was taken from him before he had the chance to marry her.
Anthony Perkins' last film that was released some six weeks, October 26, 1992, after his death on September 12, 1992 at the age of 60 from AIDS. Anthony Perkins in the film looked extremely, even for him, thin and gaunt from the ravages of that deadly disease. It was good to see Mr. Perkins go out as a good and, well that may be debatable, normal guy for a change after all the psycho films that he made during his very successful movie career. -
Lots of twists and turns, Anthony Perkins was great, the love interest was the most unappealing love interest, and the brother and sister are Folgers Coffee level of closeness, but it was a nice way to kill a rainy afternoon.
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j-e-klamut30 December 2004I saw "In The Deep Woods" yesterday on the Lifetime Movie Network. I expected an entertaining, but formulaic movie (i.e. the typical woman in jeopardy type of thing that Lifetime often shows), but this film, which depicts the story of a serial killer who preys upon successful young women and leaves their bodies in the deep woods, is well acted, well crafted, and keeps you guessing until the very end. It is a dark movie, very atmospheric and almost noir-ish, and reminded me somewhat of the 80's classic, the Jagged Edge.
Rosanna Arquette turns in a solid performance and it made me wish we had the opportunity to see her act more often in challenging roles. Anthony Perkins, probably in one of his last film roles, is also very effective as a mystery man on a mission who is investigating the deaths of the victims for his own reasons.
In summary, it's chilling and involving and much better than most films of this genre. A good film for a snowy Sunday or even better, for one of those nights when you just can't get to sleep. -
merklekranz16 August 2010Rosanna Arquette finds herself in the thick of a serial killer investigation, when one of her friends turns up a victim. This not always believable murder investigation turns up one suspect after another, all of which are rather tenuous in the motive and logic department. "In the Deep Woods" seems like it was written to try for some record in the number of "red herrings" that could be stuffed into the rather shallow story. Rosanna Arquette and Anthony Perkins do what they can with some very slight material, and everyone else is quite forgettable., More than a few plot holes develop along the way to what seems like a forced conclusion. - MERK
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robcox721 March 2014This film has a totally unbelievable premise, is badly acted and poorly filmed. It reminded me of a long version of those 'B' films I used to watch before the feature film I had really turned up to see. It was sad to see Anthony Perkins play such a one-dimensional character. It was almost funny to see the police chief attempt to catch the serial killer of 26 females with only the killer's sister and a freelance private investigator as 'back-up'!!
But I watched it to the end - hence the generous 3 rating - just to see who the killer really was! Watch it if you must but be prepared to take none of it seriously and leave your critical faculties behind when you do so! -
lost-in-limbo10 May 2008Back to back, from one decent TV thriller ('Through the Eyes of a Killer') to somewhat another. Yeah somewhat. I'm kind of lukewarm on it. 'In the Deep Woods' had the ingredients for a tight, relentless and interesting thriller, but director Charles Correll's sinuously pedestrian handling and Robert Nathan and Robert Rosenblum's material (adapted from Nicholas Conde's novel) piles on the red herrings and all too convenient developments. By being a knotty plot, it keeps you off balance and never strikes me as predictable. It's just hard to believe some incidents, as some things that occur just had me thinking "Oh, why?". Everything seems to move at a snail's pace, but you stay with it because you want to know how it'll pan out. There's a few effective suspenseful sequences and a very dreary tone streaming through it, but there's just too many generic and replicate patterns. Its well shot, edited and leanly scored. This would be Anthony Perkins last role, and it's a blank performance (just think of his failing condition), but his stable presence eventually wins out. The perky Patricia Arquette is suitably fine in the heroine role. As for Will Patton, he looks lost at sea with his character.
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jondoeinfowars25 October 2016I was lucky to have been Anthony Perkins body double on this film.
With the opportunity to meet Rosanna Arquette and Bill Patton. Though I ended up working 15 years in TV and film this was the first movie I have ever had the opportunity to work on. Security brought Mr. Perkins original jacket from "psycho" out for me to wear throughout the movie. I was honored with the opportunity. During filming Mr. Perkins would have me sit off screen next to the camera and he would perform all of his dialogue to me without the assistance of the actors. This I found amazing for no one else have this ability. Mr. Perkins was very supportive in assisting me to further my career with voice lessons etc. The the egotistical producer allowed me to do all of the murders throughout the movie including my acting coach in the grocery parking lot. I ended up becoming friends with Todd Amateau who was in charge of wardrobe on the show. He later became a production manager for Stu Segall productions where I continued my 15 years of TV and film career until I was run over by a pickup truck outside of the studio just after 9/11. The though I died for a brief period of time when I flew to the air I went down the "tunnel of light" so many speak of and was given the opportunity to meet my son and wife before I had been married and before he had been born. I was revived and able to continue my career and retired shortly thereafter up on the mountain that I saw in my tunnel of light vision up on the ranch that our family now owns. Life is a gift, make the best of it. -
miss_toucan16 January 2022The story wasn't terrible but I felt this was a bit all over the place. There were too many suspects, and when we finally learn who the killer is the motive is weak and a bit silly.
It did keep you guessing though, as not one of the suspects actually had a motive and there was no real reason to suspect them, so the viewer doesn't know what to think. -
mark.waltz17 December 2021Not a fan of lifetime movies as a rule as there's a formula to them, tons of cliches, weak writing, B casting, unlikable characters and predictable conclusions. Who wants to waste time on all these lack of qualities? On occasion, something breaks through that makes it interesting, you do care about the fictional people on the screen, and the film keeps you enthralled in spite of the film's overall weakness.
The attraction here for me is a presence of Anthony Perkins in his last film, playing a mysterious man following artist Rosanna Arquette during a time when women are being brutally tortured then murdered then their bodies found in the woods. Arquette is a friend of one of the victims and at her funeral, meets detective Will Patton who is on the case. The reason that Arquette is being stalked by Perkins is a bizarre twist, related to her brother who is made the top suspect.
The film keeps you guessing as to who the killer is, and just as you're sure that it's one person, more clues are dropped that points the finger towards someone else. Is it actually someone that you're seeing on screen or will there be a split off down the road that takes it into another direction? That's what makes this certainly above average for a lifetime movie, with decent but not great performances, and it's a film that you can watch, enjoy it for what it is then move on and forget about. -
tiffanytallent198122 June 2021I feel that 90's Lifetime movies are typically better than current ones. They usually have better actors, a more defined plot, and more depth. In the Deep Woods wasn't the best tv thriller, but I have seen worse.
In a nutshell, the movie is about trying to catch a serial killer, who targets women. The cops are struggling because of no evidence left behind at any crime scenes. Then there is a private investigator who suspects that Tommy is the killer. He begins creepily following Tommy's sister, Joanna and eventually tells her his theory. Well of course Joanna doesn't believe it. Tommy goes through some psychological tests and is cleared. Then evidence leads to Joanna's boyfriend. Eventually though, Joanna puts clues together and figures out who the real killer is.
I honestly knew who the killer was within the first 15 minutes. The guy said something that just didn't sit right with me. So even though they tried throwing people for a loop, the killer is pretty identifiable.
Oh and what got on my nerves more than anything is hearing Joanna scream. Probably ten minutes of screen time is just her screaming. It made my ears bleed. In the end, it's worth a watch if you like tv thrillers. Just lower the volume when Joanna is scared for her life. -
yrussell17 May 2020I watched this solely to see Anthony Perkins in his last role. Luckily, Perkins was able to play a character with some psychological depth. Besides Perkins, the other actors are good too (I especially liked the performances of Rosanna Arquette and D. W. Moffett). This film was certainly better than I expected, with a neat mystery and some eerie moments. One scene I particularly enjoyed was a scene of panic where Arquette runs outside into the pouring rain at night. That scene reminded me of Akira Kurosawa's predilection for using extreme weather as a way to heighten the emotions. Perhaps this film isn't a classic, but it is good.
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hetjie7220 December 2021I'm sorry but rosanna overacts and is unbelievable. Somewhat entertaining as a whodunnit but predictable. Thank goodness for Mr Patton and Perkins who at least held up the story somewhat.
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I watched this flick on Lifetime the other day. Holy God, was it stupid. "Nursery rhymes...there's your connection!" Yup, straight to the pokey for you because your sister got a flash that all your murder victims reminded the killer of nursery rhymes, and you never had nursery rhymes read to you as a child...weak dialogue completely unsupported by horrible acting (no Meryl Streep is that Rosanna Arquette)and a ludicrous plot make this a must-not-see. Are there ANY good made-for-TV movies out there??
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jenny-7252615 June 2023I'm a fan of Anthony Perkins and I watched this movie. It was a decent movie until Rosanna does her over the top hysterics and she does that ALOT in this movie. I got to the point where I really wished that the serial killer would eliminate her. It might have improved the movie. Altogether it might be an OK rainy afternoon time killer; however, I most definitely will not be adding this to my list of movies to watch again at a later date. It was predictable, pedantic, and might have been a decent movie if they had used an actress who would have been more believable in the part. The script was decent until the end when it completely unraveled as they were trying to tie up the loose threads to explain why it had all happened.
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Kristamw27 May 2019With a cast of famed stars notorious for playing famous deranged killers from other films (D.W. Moffett from Lisa, Anthony Perkins from Psycho, and Will Patton from Desperately Seeking Susan among the four possible culprits) it was difficult to figure out who the serial killer was in this darkening twisty mystery. The film peaks your interest from the start and takes you into a spinning world of red herrings that make the killer's motives more convoluted and impossible to uncover. Writing Quality: The plot is smart, fast, and original with a mystery that just continues to deepen. Each of the four possible suspects seems equally guilty, prompting us to hone our investigative skills as every murder appears to follow no particular pattern. This is the best acting I've seen from Rosanna Arquette, who plays Joanna, the main character; she really holds her own in spite of everything that gets thrown at her as she tries to solve this strange, disturbing mystery. She handles the varying emotions well as she is forced to confront the truth every intrepid step of the way. Scare Factor: The tone of the film draws upon mystery more than terror. The scary scenes occur only briefly when we get the camera's perspective as the killer approaches his victims. Death scenes are not shown, but we hear the women scream. Content (sex, language & violence): One scene shows a man and woman kissing, but nothing else shown. No language. Violence suggested, but not shown. Mild violence in the finale. Values: Values are strong as Joanna and many others seek the truth.
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guilfisher-110 March 2007How sad and tragic that this terrible movie should be Anthony Perkins' last performance on screen. His body of work was so good in the early days, even prior to PSYCHO. He is wasted in this by appearing in and out of the movie as a stranger you're not quite sure what he is. The men fare better than the women in this. Christopher Rydell, son of director Mark Rydell (ON GOLDEN POND)he gives an interesting performance. D W Moffett (AN EARLY FROST) also is on deck as the boy friend. We never do know what ever happens to him. He sort of disappears along the way. In fact this is most confusing and changes course every few minutes. No need to figure it out. It's pretty predictable. Only salvation is watching the men mentioned earlier in this review. They are always worth watching. Then there's the leading lady, played by Rosanna Arquette. She screams good. But that's about all. Not a fan of hers, she plays the role as I said going around pouting and screaming. Don't wast your pennies on this one.
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Let me get this strait, a young man goes mental, kills 13 women in one state, then 13 in another, because his mother only sang nursery rhymes to his sister, and left him out, this film was really scary throughout, with so many twists and turns, that made you feel you had just done 20 rounds on the cage at Alton Towers, but why did it have such a ridiculous ending.
Watch this if you like spooky whodunits, where everyone seems like a culprit, try and excuse the ending though, and you have yourself a decent enough movie