Woodgrove

Filmmaker Lee Richards delivers a sharp short horror film with Woodgrove, soaked in broody atmosphere and chilling scares. 

Tyler Day plays Harry, a man currently processing the death of someone near to him and trying to figure out what his future looks like. His friends Sam (Harry Vinall) and Josh (Robson Medler) take him camping for the first time since they were in Year 10. Once in the isolated woods, it’s clear that the open natural surroundings are not enough to lift Harry out of his grief and to make matters worse he finds out these woods are supposedly haunted by a witch. ‘

A take on the classic horror trope, camping in the woods gets spooky, Woodgrove manages to hit a few high notes along the way. One of the strongest aspects is the cinematography; a sublime shot of the lads entering the woods through a small entrance creates this sense of overwhelming evil and foreboding about what’s to come which was fantastic. Another landscape shot of the location at dusk was particularly aesthetically pleasing. 

For a horror short, writer and director Lee Richards manages to pack in some brilliant, spine-chilling moments - in particular using candles. He doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel here, though, and many horror aficionados are unlikely to come away from a viewing feeling very unnerved. There may also be a feeling that the film doesn’t quite dig into characters enough. Even Harry’s backstory, which is given the most screentime, still felt a little thin. 

Tyler Day is terrific in the leading role. The balance between the character’s grieving and trepidation about his current situation is handled expertly and audiences are likely to connect with Harry quickly. Navigating a complex character like this in such a short space of time is a heavy burden but one which Day carries with relative ease. 

Vinall and Medler are worthy supporting players but some of the ensemble dialogue did feel a little under-rehearsed and stilted. Their chemistry feels sincere, though, and viewers are given a decent amount of time to see them interact before the scary stuff kicks in, which is an intelligent move. 

The music, from David Edmonds, provides a hair-raising soundscape for viewers to immerse themselves in. So much of horror filmmaking relies on the music and Edmonds does not disappoint. 

Very often, when we see a short horror like Woodgrove, we ask ourselves whether this is a proof of concept for something larger. Would we like to see this as a feature-length movie? In this case, the lack of originality would probably suggest no, but the intriguing characters, strong lead performance, and room to grow the evilness in the woods could certainly provide fertile ground for a desirable piece if taken in the right direction. 

Watch the official trailer for Woodgrove here.