a review of 在林中

HOOPTOBER 4.0 NIGHT FIVE: Admittedly, I watched this as a super low-res rip on the Internet Archive which means that there were big stretches where I could barely identify what was happening on screen, and if it wasn't for my pre-existing familiarity with the EVIL DEAD franchise I might not have been able to decipher much of this one otherwise, but as an initial proof-of-concept for what Raimi/Campbell/Tapert managed to do in features I'm inclined to be generous. I can definitely spot some of the first-draft things (like the hackneyed Indian burial-ground trope) that they wisely cut or altered in the "official" EVIL DEAD mythos, as well as Campbell and Raimi both finding their respective instruments as actor and director. They're both having fun here, but more importantly they're trying things out that they'd perfect later, and that is ultimately why WITHIN THE WOODS is worth a watch for people interested in the backstory of how these Michigan goons got their start.