VOD of the Dead - DON'T F*** IN THE WOODS 2 (2022) with BONUS INTERVIEW!
In Romeo & Juliet Shakespeare famously wrote, “what’s in a name?”. His question in-text refers to the notion that the naming of things does not fundamentally change them and is mostly irrelevant. I wonder if Shakespeare would have felt the same about the medium of film since so many movies rely on a namesake (e.g franchises) or engaging titles to draw unaware viewers. Since video box covers no longer tease us with the delights held within, we rely more on titles to guide our eyes to the things we want to see. Some titles tell you exactly what you’re going to see, while others choose to obscure the content and leave it all up to the viewer to trust the film or not. Some titles have become iconic while others have become the focus of ire and ridicule, it cannot be argued that what you name your film will in some way, shape, or form impact who sees it. This brings us to DON’T F*** IN THE WOODS 2 (for brevity's sake we will refer to it as DFITW2), the sequel to the appropriately titled DON’T F*** IN THE WOODS. Does this sequel live up to its eye-catching name or is it a misdirection for the sake of the gasps?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Following the arrival of a mysterious woman, a group of camp counselors partying before the summer season begins must face off against parasitic monsters that are attracted to sexual activity.
HOW IS IT?
Chances are if you’re reading this AND you are interested in how DFITW2 is that you have likely seen the first one, and enjoyed it enough to be curious about a second one. For those of you who haven’t seen the first film, mileage will certainly vary since the film picks up almost immediately after the first one. While the context from the previous entry is helpful, it isn’t a requirement to dive into the sequel. All of this said, few films are as transparent about what viewers will find than DFITW2 is; an independent bootstrapped sequel that is a cross between Andy Sidaris and Roger Corman. Balancing breasts and intercourse with blood and gore, DFITW2 is at it’s core an honest attempt to make a sleazy monster movie with all the sensibilities of 80s horror. Whether a viewer enjoys it or not has more to do with how seriously they like to take their horror.
The setup for DFITW2 is pretty straight-forward. Picking up right after the first one, a new group of debaucherous 20-somethings are making their way to a summer camp before campers arrive when the survivor from the first film shows up, bringing with her the terrors that plagued the folks in the first film. Right off the bat, this film begins with a monster peeing, raping, and inpregnating a woman on-screen. While it doesn’t ever get too graphic, it sets a tone that this film is not here to caress you into it’s campy and smutty world and if you’re into it within the first 5 minutes you’re gonna be onboard for the rest. While there is plenty of T&A to be found here, along with some overlong sex scenes, the first half of the film does drag a bit and noticeably so in comparison to the first film. The trade-off here is that there is far more character development and plot which does pad the first 40 so minutes. As things begin to ramp up once the creatures and blood start to spill, the film picks up the pace noticeably until the end which is an abrupt and incomplete feeling. In conversation with filmmaker SHAWN BURKETT (coming soon to the site), this is largely due to losing some financing and having to make do.
While this and the first one aren’t movies I would consider favorites, there is a charm to be found in both films. Much of this could be due to the chemistry between the characters. While the performances are silly, there is a sense that the actors are in on and having a good time just like the audience is supposed to. This makes the content overtly comical, both intentionally and not, and if “so bad it’s good” is your thing than there is a lot to appreciate here. Frankly, with a title like DON’T F*** IN THE WOODS 2, I can’t imagine anyone is going into this expecting much more than a good, cheap, monster movie. The biggest downside to this entry is that the monsters come in too late and the designs are less stellar than the previous film. It’s interesting that the first one offered much more action and much less plot, and this one seems to have flipped those two around. So here’s hoping that the teased 3rd entry will find a happy medium between them both. What can’t be denied is that this is a labor of love. Whether you like it or not, the team behind this clearly wants to make movies that harken back to a simpler time for the genre and storytelling. DFITW2 wears its smutty heart on its sleeve and deserves some credit for trying to bring back 80s monster movies like CELLAR DWELLER and DEADLY SPAWN.
LAST RITES
DFITW2 is a simple, campy, and sleazy sequel that trades character dismemberment for character development. While the sum total is uneven and finances hinder the conclusion, it’s a film that is authentic in it’s intention and is made to be watched with others who like their horror cheap and drunk.
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Written By
Starring
Where can you watch it?
DON’T F*CK IN THE WOODS 2 hits Digital October 11, 2022 with a Blu-ray to follow in December from Wild Eye Releasing.
BONUS INTERVIEW
We were fortunate enough to sit down and speak with filmmaker SHAWN BURKETT about DON’T F*CK IN THE WOODS 2 and you can watch the interview below!
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