Chat about Backwoods

Last Updated on July 28, 2021

Twitch Film scored an interview with Koldo Serra, director of the outstanding looking THE BACKWOODS. It’s an English/Spanish co-production and is right at the top of films I have to check out. Unfortunately the excellent trailer has disappeared from the Filmax website, so you’ll just have to trust me that it was awesome.

I’ve pulled a couple of questions from the interview for your perusal, and then you can go check out the whole damn thing!

TB: Can you tell us the basic story of The Backwoods?

KS: Summer 1978: an English couple Lucy and Norman are going through a difficult patch in their relationship, and so decide to spend the summer in the house that their friends Paul and his wife Isabel have bought in the north of Spain. Hidden away in the middle of a forest, and very much off the beaten track, the house seems ideal for some peaceful holidays.

The cultural differences with the locals led by Paco and an accidental discovery in an abandoned house in the middle of the fores will start a strong whirpool of violence between them.

But this peace and tranquillity is abruptly shattered when they clash with the villagers because they discover a lost cabin in the woods…

TB: You obviously have a love of genre film. What frightens you? What makes for a good horror film or thriller in your mind?

KS: I think there’s nothing more frighting than real life. At the beginning, we are scared of the unknown but once you see it one time and another time… the unknown turns into something too known, so scaring the audience is much more complicated nowadays. Even though, it seems that some people still react to the loud orchestra hits…I don’t know.

My point is that now we get scared when we recognize something about us. Something that could happen to us and the people we love. “The Ring” or “Dark Water” are a good example. Despite having unrealistic elements the characters and the cinematography is raw and naturalistic. I mean, we know that Freddy Krugger can’t really kill you during a dream… but when you see a movie like “Blair Witch Project” it works in a different way. That’s really scary. I love to see that kind of movie alone, enjoying the experience of getting scared.

THE SHINING it’s a terrific example. I know, it’s a cliché. But it blew my mind when I was a kid.

Oh, and as a final reason to keep track of this little gem carefully – along with the always outstanding Gary Oldman it also features hottie Virginie Ledoyen. Yum!