Dark Woods (2003) User Reviews (29)

A movie worth watching

[Caldevwin · 7/10 · 14 February 2006]

I have just finished watching Villmark (Dark Woods) on DVD. A friend of mine has had the movie for quite a long time, and even though Norwegian media gave the movie a very good rating, I've always been reluctant to watch Norwegian movies. They tend to get overrated in the media since Norway don't produce that many movies.

But this movie was well worth the time, and it surprised me in a good way. The location for the movie is great, it's an average looking Norwegian forest, and that just bring more to the "horror" part, since most Norwegians are familiar with hiking in the wilderness. You will have this movie in the back of your head the next time you're in the forests.

You are also kept in suspense throughout the whole movie, always expecting something to jump out from the shadows, which happens a few times, and scares you good. As for the acting, these are all more or less top actors in Norway, some more seasoned that others. And overall they do a very good job at it. It's not Oscar material but it's very satisfactory.

OK horror, bad ending

[peefyn · 6/10 · 19 October 2015]

Villmark does a lot of things right. The setting works well, and the back story that is gradually revealed is OK. I quite liked the idea of the reality show producer who wants his crew to be to handle what the contestants are to go through. The characters work alright, even if they aren't that interesting.

It seems from the DVD that they struggled a bit with finding a good way to end the movie, and while the one they chose was better than some of their other suggestions - it was still really bad. The last revelation makes no sense. I can see them wanting to open up for the possibility for a sequel (hey, one is coming this year!), but this was not the way to do it.

Dark Woods (2003)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 6/10 · 28 December 2011]

Log cabin, scary woods, humans going back to nature. Classic ingredients for a horror, which could either be painfully repetitive or well executed. It's certainly the latter. Shot like an autumn nightmare, the film is creepy even in the sunlight. It makes use of all the fading greens, browns and grays. It also does well in not overplaying the reality TV angle, in fact it's rarely mentioned. The characters are also mature young people, not maddeningly annoying teenagers. They develop throughout the movie and at no point does anybody do anything idiotically befuddling. No wonder there's a low body count with intelligent pray taking the focus. The ending does leave too many questions, despite giving a lot of answers in the last 2 minutes. A great horror watch.

OK start, disappointing ending

[toredah · 19 June 2004]

Well, it starts out well, the acting is all right, and it's not boring or anything. Spoilers ahead: but at some point you realize that you the audience have no chance whatsoever of figuring out who the real killer is. You can guess correct, but that doesn't make it interesting. In the end it is just bad writing, the director who also wrote it just didn't have enough imagination to do better. Or maybe because it is a formula thing, there isn't any room for maneuvering, you can't do anything that hasn't been seen before. They try to mislead, but it's just a little to obvious that the person they want us to believe has gone mad did it, and so of course it isn't. Did anyone got fooled by this? Maybe a six year old. And then when the killer is revealed, it just seems silly. But the film isn't bad, up until a point it was passable entertainment, good acting and directing. It's the story that doesn't hold up.

5/10 toredah

A Different Type of Horror Film

[Popcorn42 · 7/10 · 1 February 2010]

I'm going to add my two cents. There seems to be a divided response to this film depending on whether you're used to European film-making or Hollywood gore and special effects. Villmark is more akin to a suspense film than most American horror movies, so I can understand that some viewers felt disappointed (not me, I enjoy trying to figure a movie out and not always knowing what to expect).

The movie starts out with a group of young people joining Gunnar, who runs a successful outdoor adventure TV program. He invites the four of them on a trip where they'll be exposed to the same hardships the show subjects its contestants to as a type of proving ground to see if they have what it takes for the job. They drive into the wilderness (filmed in a beautiful, remote part of Norway called Sogndal) and Gunnar turns out to be a control freak, obsessed with the idea of forcing the four young recruits to prove their mettle surviving in the wilderness. The director, Pål Øie, does an excellent job keeping the viewer on edge and recreating the sense of isolation and unease that comes from being alone in a dark, overgrown forest far from civilization. The soundtrack is excellent and contributes to the suspense of the film. The acting is very good - Kristoffer Joner (Lasse) does an outstanding job as the headstrong film-maker who butts heads with Gunnar and challenges his authority and Eva Röse (Elin) puts in a great performance as the gorgeous, loyal confidante to Gunnar.

The movie builds to a climax but ultimately the viewer is let down by an irrational and hastily-conceived plot. The twist at the end should have made it more interesting but no explanation is ever given as to who the gate-keeper really is, why he killed the German couple or why he would try to kill Per, Gunnar, Elin and Sara. We're only treated to a fleeting glimpse of him at the outset of the film and the director makes no attempt to develop the character.

I would have preferred an oh-so-predictable ending with a ghost or some kind of evil creature instead of being served this nonsense. Really, that the police would think a German tourist could survive for 30 years alone in the Norwegian woods without a big RV or a GPS tracker, amazes me!

An explanation (and thus a Spoiler). Watch carefully and the end is not a cop-out.

[hawklinemonster · 7/10 · 31 August 2018]

I very much enjoyed this film, and found it a satisfying story. At first I found the two minute epilogue with the explanation by police, confusing, and wished those minutes had been omitted. Then I watched it again, and also re-watched the opening minutes. Everything is there on screen, but you need to be able to rewind and remind yourself.

The party is being stalked before they find the woman's body, not after. Pers goes off alone to get a phone signal and is surprised by a sinister masked man in the dark.

The ill-fated German honeymoon couple had camped in the wood just a month before - not 30 years, as one reviewer says. We don't know if the woman drowned in the icy water or was killed by the gatekeeper, but the suggestion is that the gatekeeper murdered her (the photo at the end reveals him as a stalker, after all). At the end, he's shown as Losse's attacker when Losse returns to the tent to get the abandoned cigarettes

The husband has been driven mad by his wife's death, is wearing her dress, and he certainly murders Gunnar. But we don't know if it was the husband or the gatekeeper who murders Pers. Personally, I thought this ambiguity added to the story rather than detracted from it. But as I said, a person seeing this film at a cinema might find the ending frustrating; really I needed to be able to rewind and review it to get the most from the story.

7/10

A frightening Norwegian Thriller

[ajit2106 · 7/10 · 26 December 2011]

A frightening Norwegian Thriller

8/10 Author: Ajit Tiwari from India 26 December 2011

Scandinavian cinema has always been a different genre. the depiction of character, the screenplay, subtleness etc. are always top notch.

A perfect example is Villmark (2003) AKA Dark Woods a creepy Norwegian horror or more than a horror.

Set in the Norwegian landscape, a TV crew and their fanatic boss want to shoot a show to survive in the wilds which will eventually make a mark in Reality television history. He (Gunnar) has gathered a production team of four people. The team goes to Gunnar's log cabin where he used to spend summers as a kid. And soon the crew has to survive the thrill, horror, suspicion and mistrust.

The choice of the cast is fantastic and we see some amazing performances which will keep the adrenaline up and frightening atmosphere almost up to the mark.

However there are some resemblances with "The Blair witch project", but it's original and scary enough, screenplay is far from clichés.

European movies more open to interpretation and not made for certain targeted audiences. It's up to the viewer, to read between the lines and understand the happenings.

An astonishing thriller.

My Vote 7.1/10

no real resolution

[mr_kobayashi · 5/10 · 7 October 2004]

Villmark is worth viewing but I agree with others that it could have been much better. It left me still asking questions at the end: was it the German tourist or the father (Nazi pilot?) It was ridiculous when you learn the man just, "goes insane," after his wife dies and is expected to be the killer. I am still confused. Why would the father start killing everyone anyway; if he is, in fact, the killer and not the son? And if he is, why is the son the one that gets caught at the end attempting to kill everyone??? WTF. Also what's with the creepy, mysterious attitude of Gunnar and the tape recordings? "Don't go to the lake" and what not- no resolution what so ever. Watching this made me ask a lot of questions, most of which weren't resolved. Also is there any point to having a Swede, speaking Swedish, and an Indian in the cast? Is this Norwegian affirmative action? Please don't tell me it's bad to be a Norwegian in Norway now.

I think the hype of this film is the result of attempting to make a film like this in Norway, however it is still disappointing.

Nice camera work and acting, it was scary at times and funny but it's just another poor attempt at suspense. Too bad, Joner, Floberg and Norway are better than this.

Pretty creepy Norwegian horror.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 9/10 · 17 November 2004]

"Villmark" is a pretty good Norwegian horror.It manages to be both interesting and suspenseful,so I enjoyed it.A five people go along on a trip with two leaders into the wilderness.One day,two of the guys are sent out by the group leader Gunnar to go fish in a stream.In a nearby lake they find a drowned body of young woman.Soon they are all stalked by something evil lurking in the dark woods."Villmark" is a creepy and suspenseful horror film.The photography of dark Norwegian woods is astounding and creates a feeling of total dread and hopelessness.The soundtrack is really eerie and the acting is excellent.There is not much gore,but I don't care.Overall,"Villmark" is an enjoyable piece of horror that creeped me out.Highly recommended.

Villmark

[Nicholas_Hansen · 7/10 · 4 February 2005]

I think "Villmark" is an OK Norwegian horror movie. Kristoffer Joner is the best actor in Norway!!! I can see that there are someone that doesn't get the ending. It is the guy that lets them in to the forest that kills people. It is he that is in the window on the picture. Anyways, it isn't a very groundbreaking movie, but it works. The acting isn't extraordinary, but it rarely is in horror movies... But personally, before I saw this movie I was very "shaky" because everyone said it was very scary, but after the movie ended, I just sat there. Is this all?? But it won't hurt you if you see it, so I think that not only Norwegians, but also other Europeans should see this movie.

Deep in the Northern Woods ...

[Coventry · 4/10 · 9 March 2008]

Same concept, different country … Quite too many nowadays horror movies seem to revolve on friends or colleagues going into the woods for camping and/or team building activities but end up encountering 'something' evil (and mostly unseen) that gradually thins out the group's original number. This film is the Norwegian attempt at making a sinister backwoods mystery thriller. "Villmark", which is a so much cooler sounding title than the boring international title "Dark Woods", does benefice from a more ominous atmosphere and gloomier filming locations than most films in this trend, but eventually the lack of excitement reduces it yet another mildly disappointing genre effort. The script (too) patiently takes the time to introduce the characters and allow the camera to atmospherically swift through the eerie Kaupanger forests. More particularly the sober lake in the middle of the nearly impenetrable woods is impressively illustrated as the sixth main character in the story. The slow approach results in a handful of powerfully tense and creepy moments, but the film sadly fails to deliver REAL horror. The characters are slightly more likable than your average dim-witted American teen camper, but still they make one too many stupid decision when in peril and they stick around for far too long in an obviously life-threatening place. No matter how badly you want to work for a wealthy TV-producer, if you stumble upon a random corpse in a lake or become tied up over an ant-hill, you get the hell out of the woods! The arrogant and cocky producer Gunnar is working on a new reality-TV formula and engages four of his docile employees to test the idea and scout the locations. Gunnar turns out to be a sadist and manipulating dictator and even forbids the others to call the police when they discover the corpse of a drowned woman in the lake. But the woman's death wasn't accidental, as something malignant seems to dwell the lake area ever since a German army plane crashed down there during the War. The grim photography and unsettling musical score are clearly the biggest trumps "Villmark" has to offer, as the story and especially the frights are extremely mundane and unspectacular. The climax sequences try really hard to be intellectual and innovating, but it's not likely to impress anyone with a slight bit of horror experience. The comparisons with "Blair Witch Project" and "The Evil Dead" don't make too much sense, except of course for the forestry setting. There are, thankfully, no shaky camera movements but regrettably also no gory make-up effects.

2 Thumbs up, if I had more nearly all of them

[KombiNiere · 8/10 · 23 May 2005]

I've just watched this movie on television in accordance of a friend of mine. There are a few words to be said about this making. At first it was really interesting to watch this movie, due to its great and fabulous pictures: the norwegian landscape (really nice), the setting (deep dark woods, a fairy lake, a tent and an old wooden house). Furtheron the choice of the cast is fulfilling the dark and frightening atmosphere which the spectator is demanding to watch. The story, set into this setting is very similar to "The blair witch project", even if the norwegian poster of the comment in front doesn't think so. For me and my friend, it seemed to be like this. The most fascinating fact, on my opinion, is the ending. I don't know which alternate endings are on the DVD, but on the TV-version the ending isn't fix. It's up to the spectator, to interprete why these strange happenings occurred in this small part of norway. Very annoying was the dumb acting of the protagonists like in other films: blair witch project, return of the living dead, dawn of the dead .... But maybe, they have to act likethis. I think I will never understand, why people have to switch in strange situations and leave tents, houses and so on. This is why I voted this movie with 8 out of 10 points. I'm still fascinated.

Suspenseful, but unoriginal

[megagurka · 7/10 · 11 January 2004]

Villmark is a low budget horror movie from Norway similar to "Blair Witch...". The movie is based more on suspense than gore, unlike for example Evil Dead 1. The story is not very original and deep, we've seen it a couple of times before. The actors do a good job (Eva Röse is hot!) and I could relate to the characters (maybe because I'm a nordic guy). They are not totally stupid like in some bad Hollywood horror flicks.

There are some quite scary moments, but the ending could have had more punch after all that build up. Also I didn't get the final twist with the guy by the road. Who was he? A nazi? Overall, I liked this movie better then BWP. Rating 7 / 10.

Norwegian Blair witch project

[Golgothae · 4/10 · 16 September 2003]

Yup another norwegian here. And yes, it's a Evil Dead/blair witch project movie. As much as I like the idea, I don't really think this movie makes it. It does a fairly good job, but in the end it's just a movie with nothing special about it at all. Other than maybe the rather weak directing. Some of the ways the people react in this movie is just at times hilarious or just ridiculous.

This movie gets a lot of good reviews here in norway, and yay, we made a horror movie and not a psychological drama for once. I think that might be what is causing the hype here. Cause you've seen this movie either in an episode of the X-files, Buffy? Or you've seen it in Evil Dead and Blair witch project...ooor Twin Peaks... Evil dead made it cause it came at the right time, pluss it had Bruce Campbell. Villmark made it here because of the time it came too..but it will never make it anywhere else but here. If Villmark 2 ever comes out, they've better make it as humorous as Evil Dead 2 and 3. It's an exciting film...but not more exciting than the average X-files episode. Of course..X-files has better effects...and directing...and stories...oh well..it's enjoyable enough.

Not blair witch copy

[r-kanne · 13 January 2004]

Some people outside of Norway(its made there) think this is made as a copy to "Blair witch project". It is in fact a movie that does homage to the first horror film made in Norway "De dødes tjern"1957 ("lake of the dead"). Norway has lots of forests so Horror in the forest is common.

The movie starts of good with a group of young people getting a job in the woods. An older man, their employer goes with them. The first day they find a body in the lake.......

without telling to much I can say it builds up quite nicely but does not follow through. The ending is so so. Ok effort though. It is not low budget, its normal budget. In Norway we don`t waste our money on flashy CGI and effects, but use time on developing the story and characters instead.

Score 6\10

A lurking evil in the Norwegian wilderness . .

[kkrogstad · 6/10 · 13 March 2003]

This is a Norwegian attempt to do a slasher/horror film. The location, the Norwegian wilderness, is a place that most people takes advantage of and are familiar with. But in this film, something evil is lurking in the dark forest.

The movie begins with a drive to the wilderness, where the tv-company Real TV are having a team building. The point is to make the tv-show leaders know how it is to survive in the wilderness without any modern gadgets. Lasse and Per are two old buddies, and it does not take too long before they discover something. The rest of the film is how this discovery will affect the rest of the team, and the situation in the middle of nowhere?

This film goes back to the slasher/stalker/there is something out there genre. Most of the story takes place at night, but you can still see some dayscenes from the beautiful Norwegian nature. The film follows a few other horror films from Norway, if you can call them horror; De Dødes Tjern, Insomnia, Mørkets øy, 22. If you are a hard-core horror fan, you might find it bloodless, and non scaring, but for the average viewer this is a great scare.

Very good, until...

[gunnarolsson · 6/10 · 21 April 2004]

This is a good movie. Not great, not that very special, but yet creepy and that is the hole idea of horror movies. The actors does a good job, just as nordic actors (actresses) always seems to do.

It is very similar to Blair witch, but it is no copy of the film, as the Swedish movie "Det Okända"! This is without hesitation better.

I hope Norway have learned from both big brothers Sweden and Denmark (when it comes to movies, that is) and follow up this quit good film with another one!

I did not like the end, it should have been much better with the alternative ending in the DVD! I voted a 6, but with the alt end, it would have been an 8!!!

Good for being a low budget production

[ninjapig-44012 · 6/10 · 26 November 2021]

I don't usually watch horror, and especially not slashers (if you could call this movie that). From what I know from these kinds of movies, "Villmark" sure fits the typical formula for such a horror. What made me interested was the cast (Kristoffer Joner and Eva Röse) and the fact that it's a scandinavian horror. There's not much of it out there.

The film is clearly low budget, but they make do with what they have and manage to create decent horror. The ending was a bit weak, but the build up was well done. It's not really my type of movie, but if you like this genre it probably satisfies you. It's good for a low budget movie, but just an all right movie in general.

Horror-film mood, but no story

[zoominn53 · 3/10 · 6 December 2005]

"Villmark" is the first Norwegian horror-film in many years that actually works. It has all the ingredient a horror film should have, in regards of suspense and mood. Its weakness lies in the script. The story is basically to weak, and there are to many logical flaws. Here's an example: They're far in the forest, they find a dead body - and decides to wait with reporting it to the police, because it's to far to go back to the car to get a cellular phone. A few scenes later, one of the characters actually has a phone with him. There's are many more examples of these logical flaws. Its also difficult to understand the motivations of the characters.

However, when watching the film in the cinema, I wasn't the only one to jump in my seat a several times, and they manage hold the suspense throughout the film.

Villmark - more than a horror film

[GnarusLeo · 9/10 · 19 March 2003]

I am from norway, and I am also very patriotic conserning my country. I think this film may be alot more scary for us, as norwegians (or scandinavians) than it is for americans or whatever. Because of this, I think it is unfair of imdb.com to speak such bad of it.

The Woods have always been an important part of the norwegian "tradition", and it is very appriciated. Therefore, I find it particullary scary since the setting takes place in a typical norwegian forest. Never before, have I seen a horror-film so realistic made, because of the setting, and the language. (Norwegian)

"Villmark" is indeed a good (Except the ending ;)) horror-movie which Norway, as a folk, should be very proud of. It scared the hell out of me and my friends.

Regards,

• GnarusLeo - 18 of age.

What a garbage... hyped with fake reviews/rating

[novoselac · 1/10 · 15 May 2017]

They are alone in the middle of nowhere and they found a dead body, yet the characters always manage to surprise me with making the stupidest decisions possible. - Script is atrocious, written from a guy who should not write scripts for commercials. - It is not even so bad to be good, even though some of the irrational character's decisions made me laugh, I was mostly annoyed. - AVOID LIKE A PLAGUE.

The ratings are well deserved.

[Eirik59 · 9/10 · 25 January 2007]

This is indeed a very good movie, not only because I love Kristoffer Joners acting, but also because the movie is shot very well, the Norwegian nature is wonderful as always (Yeah, I'm a fan of my own nature. Shoot me) and this movie portraits it well. What I like the most is that to me, the actors play in such a way that makes you feel a part of it, as if you were there when it all happened. I guess the fact that they're all talking in Norwegian makes me relate more to the movie than foreigners, but I don't see why anyone else shouldn't feel the same way, no matter where they're from.

9/10, because it could have been more scary, although the strong acting, the camera-work, the cinematography and the tension leaves me to think that this is one of the best Norwegian movies ever... Apart from Elling, of course.

No emotion, no atmosphere

[uf36 · 4/10 · 28 August 2007]

The story is crude - but hey we're in a horror movie. There is enough suspense in it - but the actors can't contribute any depth to the story. The conflicts between the members of the group are not made visible - but I forgot we're in a horror movie. Photographically, the film is a disaster. You can either do a horror movie with fully artificial pictures or you do it the pseudo-documentary way. This film seems to sit on the fence. It has the look and feel of a TV production. What a waste. It is set in a remote part of Norway. The film should make the viewer aware of this remoteness. It does nothing like this. It is far too hectic. You need longer shots to build up the right atmosphere. Outside of the hut but also inside. What's wrong with a moment of reflection, anyway?

Stupid

[pjapproved · 3/10 · 29 July 2004]

This film could have been something. It has a great location, good actors, nice production-values and so on. What the film desperately needs is a better script. It sort of starts out good, but as the film develops the story looses it's sense and direction(so does the characters...). Especially Bjørn Floberg's character needs some explanation!

Having in mind the low budget and short shooting-period, the director Pål Øie shows some skill with the actors. But he fails to deliver the scares. There are plenty of opportunities to do that in the film, so it's a damn shame. Shame on you Mr. Øie, Shame on you...(just kidding) My rating is *1/2 of ****.

Villmark

[Mr_Villmark · 9/10 · 28 April 2003]

This is a very good film. In many cases the film can be compared to Blair Witch Project,but I think it's much better. It's filmed on location in Kaupanger,Sogn in Norway.The water and the little cabin is laying far away from people. The beautiful norwegian nature where it's filmed in is making it very authentic.And the characters in this film are good,Bjørn Floberg and Kristoffer Joner are some of the best characters in Norway.

If you have the opportunity,then I suggest you go and see this film!