Dark Woods

Dark Woods (Norwegian: Villmark, lit. "Wilderness") is a 2003 Norwegian thriller/horror film directed by Pål Øie. The tagline—"De skulle holdt seg unna det vannet"—translates to "They should've stayed away from that lake".

This article is about the 2003 horror movie. For the David Darling album, see Dark Wood. For the 2017 video game, see Darkwood.
Villmark
Film poster
Directed byPål Øie
Written byChristopher Grøndahl
Produced byJan Aksel Angeltvedt
StarringKristoffer Joner
Bjørn Floberg
Marko Iversen Kanic
Eva Röse
Sampda Sharma
Music byTrond Bjerknes
Distributed byORO Film AS
Release date
  • 21 February 2003 (2003-02-21)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryNorway
LanguageNorwegian

The theatrical premiere sold 150 000 tickets in Norway,[1] and was therefore picked up for a German language release by Atlas Film + Medien, and a Chinese language release in Taiwan by Horng En Culture.[2] The film received two nominations for the Amanda award in the categories of best Norwegian film and best male actor (Kristoffer Joner),[3] though it did not win in any of the categories.[4]

A sequel, Villmark Asylum, was released in October 2015, which was set in the defunct sanatorium Harastølen.[5]

Plot

The broadcasting company, Real TV, plans to head into the woods to film a reality TV series where contestants try to survive in the wilderness without aid for four days. Before the filming, in an effort to create bonds between the members of Real TV's production team, Gunnar—the boss—decides that they should try the experience for themselves.

Four individuals in total—friends Lasse and Per, Swedish girl Elin, new girl Sara—make up Gunnar's production crew. Gunnar visits a log house where he used to spend his summers as a child to put his new hires to the test. The cabin is set far from civilization, tucked up in the shadowy, eerie woods. The group must survive a weekend while foraging for sustenance from the natural world—neither cigarettes nor cell phones are permitted.

The gang is put to the test when Lasse and Per discover a lifeless body in a lake close to the cottage. Gunnar advises them to continue their weekend without telling Sara and Elin about what they discovered. However, the group encounters more incidents resulting in suspicion, skepticism, and accusations.[6]

Production

Dark Woods, being Pål Øie's first full-length film, was recorded over the course of 24 days in September 2002 in Kaupanger, Sogn. The script was written in close association with Christopher Grøndahl, with notable input from the actors during the filming, especially Kristoffer Joner.[7] The film cost approximately 10 million Norwegian kroner to make.[8]

Release

Dark Woods was pre-screened to friends of the director in Stavanger ahead of the theatrical release—21 February 2003.[9] The film was released on DVD on 10 September 2003 by Scanbox Entertainment,[10] and was later rereleased on DVD and Video on demand in 2014 by Warner Bros. Entertainment, with plans for Blu-ray in 2015.[11]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Filmpolitiet[12]
NRK[13]

The German TV Spielfilm described the film as "creepier than real reality TV", commending the film's atmosphere, characters and scares.[14] Birger Vestmo of Filmpolitiet likewise praised the atmosphere of the film, in addition to the actors' performance, noting that they actually seem scared, and that their dialogue appeared natural. Conversely, he felt the story lacking, remarking that the film started to become boring halfway through, with the characters wandering aimlessly through the woods.[12]

In a survey conducted in October 2008 by Dagbladet to commemorate the theatrical premiere of the horror film Cold Prey 2, readers were asked to select the "scariest Norwegian horror movie".[15] Dark Woods won with 41% of the vote, outcompeting Cold Prey's 32% and Lake of the Dead's 21%.[16]

Legacy

In later retrospectives of the "horror boom" in Norwegian film, characterised by the use of natural environments like mountains and forests, Dark Woods has been seen as instrumental in its genesis.[17][18]

References
  1. Andreassen, Ann Kristin (9 January 2013). "Her er de første bildene fra "Villmark 2"-settet" [Here are the first pictures of the set of "Dark Woods 2"]. Dagbladet (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 26 February 2021.
  2. Di Michele, Valentina (28 May 2003). "Strong Market performance". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021.
  3. Almaas, Jon (26 June 2003). "Her er årets Amanda-nominasjoner" [Here are the Amanda nominations of the year]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 3 May 2014.
  4. "AMANDAPRISENE 2003" [The Amanda Awards 2003]. Verdens Gang (in Norwegian Bokmål). 23 August 2003. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020.
  5. "No kan 90 millionar amerikanarar sjå skrekkfilm frå Harastølen" (in Norwegian). 18 January 2018.
  6. Villmark (2003) - Plot - IMDb, retrieved 2023-06-12
  7. Mikalsen, Espen H. (18 February 2003). "Grøss i rekordfart" [Horror at record speeds]. Dagbladet (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 30 August 2021.
  8. Johnsen, Frank (2 April 2004). "Tjener millioner på film i Bergen" [Earning millions through movies in Bergen]. Bergensavisen (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 30 August 2021.
  9. Westerfjell, Torunn P. (19 February 2003). "Grøss og gru i "Villmark"". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. "Villmark". Biblioteksentralen (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 30 August 2021.
  11. Berge, John (13 January 2015). "Relanserer Villmark på DVD og VOD" [Rereleasing Dark Woods for DVD and VOD]. Videomagasinet (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 22 July 2019.
  12. Vestmo, Birger (21 February 2003). "Villmark" [Dark Woods]. Filmpolitiet (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK P3. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015.
  13. Børresen, Svein (7 May 2003). "Villmark". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. "Dark Woods". TV Spielfilm (in German). Archived from the original on 11 January 2016.
  15. Kleve, Marie L. (8 October 2008). "Blir det skumlere enn dette?" [Does it get any scarier than this?]. Dagbladet (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 30 August 2021.
  16. Kleve, Marie L. (10 October 2008). "- Det er publikum som gjør den ekkel" [- It's the audience that makes it creepy]. Dagbladet (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 30 August 2021.
  17. Lê, Paul (2 July 2021). "The 'Villmark' Duology Delivers Norwegian Eco-Dread and Hospital Terror [Horrors Elsewhere]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021.
  18. Hjort, Mette; Lindqvist, Ursula (24 March 2016). A Companion to Nordic Cinema. John Wiley & Sons. p. 335. ISBN 9781118475270.
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