With 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.
Review of In the Deep Woods
