Search - Wilderness on DVD

Chad B. (abrnt1) from CABERY, IL
Reviewed on 2/16/2012...

A highly effective lower budgeted British survival horror film that's shockingly brutal. If you're a fan of horror films and have become sick of the standard cliched filled Hollywood garbage check this film out.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Victor G. from ESCONDIDO, CA
Reviewed on 1/28/2012...

Unbelievable, suspense until the end. Realistic

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Deidra C. (Deidra670) from GARRETT, KY
Reviewed on 2/23/2011...

WILDERNESS is a raw, brutal tale. After a round of intense bullying, a young man commits suicide and dies in his bed while his dorm mates sleep. This causes quite an embarrassment to the reformatory and the members of the dorm are sent to a deserted island that the prison system uses for the worst offenders, to break them down and to teach them how to get along.

This was a very bad idea.

Someone begins picking them off, one by one, starting with their team leaders in a most horrid, gruesome way. WILDERNESS is an unflinching look at the gory violence and also provides an unexpected twist, one that I didn't see coming at all. There is a satisfying ending and most questions are neatly answered.

British horror seems to have their act down pat as compared to American. WILDERNESS continues in that tradition.

Watch out for the woods. Their darkness is deep.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Gruesome & brutal experience

MattW | Seattle, WA USA | 02/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Surprisingly effective and sometimes terrifying British horror thriller. Takes a standard horror movie premise and ups the anti with some unpredictable twists and turns. The plot is simple and straightforward, the locale atmospheric, and the direction taught. I had never heard of this film so was immediately surprised by the strong performances and gut wrenching action. A good hybrid between the interesting horror movie "American Gothic" and the action classic "Deliverance". This one goes straight for the throat and is pretty unrelenting as far as violence; so not for the faint of heart. This is a wild ride and I'm wildly enthusiastic about recommending. A great discovery, for those that take their meat raw."

You're not feeling rehabilitated?

Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 07/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes I like my horror faire served up nice and rare, with plenty of blood left in it to gush out each time you bite in to it. Wilderness is sort of like that, taking a cast of pretty unlikable characters, throwing them in a desperate situation in an isolated environment, and letting the blood flow wherever it may. Admittedly, it can be hard to win me over with a team of bullies and whiners, but director Michael J. Basset proved himself well up to the challenge. Wilderness won't find itself a spot on my list of favorite horror movies, but it does its whole survival horror thing quite well indeed.



The Wilderness of this film's title refers to a rugged, uninhabited island that used to be used for soldier survival training but now offers itself as an ideal place for troubled young people to get a pungent taste of reality and hopefully learn to work together rather than continue in their juvenile delinquent ways. Our gang of misfits land themselves a week's stay there following the most unfortunate death of one of their own. It turns out that they are far from alone there, however. Meeting up with a small, similar group of juvenile delinquent girls doesn't bother anyone, apart from the two group leaders, but finding themselves hunted by a mad killer (and his ferocious dogs) is generally looked upon as bad news all the way around. There isn't a lot of suspense built around the killer's identity, as that is revealed pretty early on. The focus is more on the teens' interaction as their numbers dwindle and the psychotic thought processes that landed them all in a Young Offenders Institution to begin with rear their ugly and increasingly violent heads. Can these malcontents somehow work together as a team in order to survive? Uh, no.



There's not an excessive amount of gore by any means, but Wilderness does deliver a few impressive little scenes. Don't expect a lot of character development here, though. The only potentially interesting character is Callum (Toby Kebbell), the new guy, but the air of mystery he brings with him never amounts to anything. Even though he's the only one with enough gumption to stand up to the bully Steve (Steve Wight), he never manages to distinguish himself from the others. As much as I hated the little runt, I have to say that the character of Steve pretty much made the movie for me. The killer ultimately provides little in the way of satisfaction, and not just because we know his identity so early on. Steve makes sure we don't get bored.



Wilderness may not have a lot in the way of originality to offer, but it is a pretty taut thriller that throws us gorehounds a few juicy little bones along the way. Don't expect the psychological undertones of a Lord of the Flies (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) or the good vs. evil dichotomy of The Most Dangerous Game - Criterion Collection, though. This film is too raw and primal to play any of those psychological games. I found it pretty much impossible to like any of these characters; heck, I didn't even like the dogs, and I'm the biggest animal lover you're likely to find. It says something for Michael J. Basset's directorial skills that I liked this film as much as I did - it can't be easy to make a good movie when none of your characters has any redeeming qualities whatsoever."

WATCH OUT FOR THE SHRUBBERY

Robert F. Powers | Quincy, Ma USA | 08/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had to mention that because there are a couple of times in this movie when the killer camouflages himself as turf and when the soon to be victims walk away, the shrubbery slithers off in the opposite direction. This sounds absurd but in this movie it is effective...but funny. There's nothing funny when the slaughter starts and it can be startling and very brutal. A group of young male delinquents are brought to a now deserted island wilderness to try and see if these somewhat nasty misfits can straighten themselves out by camping and learning to survive the wilderness and each other. They meet up with their female counterparts-but the bad boys and girls are the usual assortment-the bully, the coward, the wimp, the misunderstood one and of course a traitor. One of the males at the young juvenile offenders facility had recently committed suicide and the killer is the shrubbery, i mean the boys' father. This is not a spoiler since the killers identity is known pretty quick.



The movie is well-made and directed and has genuine suspense and the killings are brutal, raw and very very gory including someone being devoured by a pack of dogs. The biggest surprise of the movie is the killer has "inside" help.



If you like seeing thuggish brats being picked off one by one this is a movie I would recommend.



This is indeed a spoiler alert but someone made a big mistake when they show a knife fight between a British commando and a youth and the youth wins. If you can ignore this supreme piece of silliness-the movie on the whole is a keeper. BOOYAH! That booyah was for my friend Jason."