Streaming Originals: Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight II (2021)

 

Yesterday, I took a look at Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight. It was a fun film that felt like a lost VHS from the local Mom and Pop’s video store that you’d come across on a Friday night. It’s something that honestly I would have been okay if there hadn’t been a sequel. It was a pretty small story that wrapped itself up fairly well. It’s very hard to categorize the film as it has elements of the Blob, Wrong Turn, and a Hatchet feel to it. Something truly unique that I damn well wish would be available on Blu Ray.

When I turned on Netflix today, the first movie it recommended to me was Nobody Sleeps In The Woods II. At first, I was a little surprised. I hadn’t heard that there was a sequel released. And just dang Netflix for hiding these films away. I guess with the amount of content in its library, Netflix is bound to drop the ball when recommending things.

I sat down and turned on the film. Immediately, I was completely caught off guard with its opening. It was completely ball to the wall insane. There were vampires, it appeared. I was rather confused for the first few minutes as I thought that maybe this somehow turned into an anthology series and now we moved from the Hillbilly Twins to Vampires. Then we are introduced to our main character, Adas. At that point, the film safely set aside all those thoughts and settled back into its weird lost-VHS feel. Adas is the rookie member of the local police force. He’s someone that tends to let people walk all over him. Upon arriving to the station, Adas encounters the Hillbilly Twins and our lone survivor, Zosia. The Twins seem rather content with being locked away. And Zosia isn’t very happy that she’s considered to be hostile and a basket case.

The head of the police force escorts Zosia back to that wonderful little shack from the first film. Stepping away for a moment, the story kicks into gear. At first, I was a bit upset with how this was handled. It felt like a slight slap in the face after the first film’s ending. It also reminded me of how The Descent Part 2 was, but that’s a whole other story for another time. But, I figured I’d give the film a chance. And I can safely say that I wasn’t disappointed with the way the story went.

This is a film that is far from a retread of taking what worked from the first film and just repeating it. This is a film that takes the world that it’s built and expands on everything. It feels like a solid continuation. Yeah, we get our typical gore moments. But there’s more to it this time around. When the film hits a certain point, the whole thing shifts into a wonderful new direction. It allows the story and the characters to just open themselves up in a whole new way. And at that point, this is a film that has a lot of heart to it. It left me really interested to see how things would play out.

Overall, Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight II is a clever continuation of the first film. I love seeing continuity with movies when they pick up where the previous ends. It delivers on what made the first film pretty successful, yet manages to add a whole new layer to things. It never overstayed its welcome. And the cast all was fantastic, especially seeing a few returning from the first film. I would say that it manages to pull ahead of the first film by a slight margin as well.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5.

Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight II is available on Netflix.

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Streaming Originals: Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight (2020)

  

  Hello everyone, I am here today with a look at another Netflix Original that happens to fall in the slasher genre - Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight. Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight is a film that feels like a solid love letter to the genre. It wears its heart on its sleeve. When I had looked up for more information about the film, I discovered that the cast and crew of it had said that it's the first Polish slasher movie. If this is the case, that's a pretty impressive title to wear. What is true is that it was the first Polish movie released from Netflix. 

    Now, Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight focuses around a group of teenagers that go to camp. However, this isn't just any old camp. No, this is Camp Adrenaline that focuses on being completely offline. This means that the campers have to surrender whatever electronics they bring with them: phones, tablets, probably iPods. This is actually a pretty interesting idea for a camp. It brings things back to basics while also illustrating right away why the characters won't be able to just pull a cellphone out of their back pocket to call for help. Each of the campers have a reason as to why they were sent there. But for the most part, it's because they let the electronics and such control their lives. A group of campers go on a hiking trip into the woods for an adventure they never expected. 

    This is a pretty solid film. It clearly was utilizing a lower budget than what most films do. But honestly, I feel like it's something that adds to the film's charm. While I was watching the film, I couldn't shake the feeling that this felt in the same vein as Adam Green's Hatchet. That's fine with me because I love that series. All of the characters in this film definitely feel of the part. What I mean is that it didn't feel like a group of mid-20s to early 30s trying to play teenagers. Each one of them is pretty likeable as well. The film allows a few minutes here and there to develop the characters into more than just being one dimensional. So as the film progressed, I found myself wondering exactly who it was that was going to make it through - if any did. 

    There is a bit of gore in this film. It's not completely balls to the wall gore. But it's more restrained and used in certain circumstances. That's something that definitely adds to the film. It knows how to use its budget really well. I would say that there's a moment or two that definitely feels like something that won't be forgetting any time soon.

    As I move onto the slashers of this piece, I have to say that I was pretty impressed with this aspect. It could have been incredibly easy for a film to just roll its eyes and present a generic slasher. Anything could have worked. I mean look at Friday the 13th, we been doing that with Jason for years. What would make it stand out amongst the crowd? Well, this film beautifully manages to answer that with not just one slasher but a pair of twin slashers. They aren't really given a name during their backstory. But just call them Twin 1 and Twin 2. Both of these are super distinct. The way that they are shown visually in the film is something that I sure won't forget. In one sense, it feels like a nice callback to Wrong Turn's family. Another sense, it's a pretty creepy portrayal of body horror. And the backstory for these Twins is just absolutely fantastic. It's completely layered in a fantastic mix of science fiction (with a Blob homage) and horror. There is a super amount of tragedy that comes from it as well. 

    Overall, I loved Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight. It just hits all the right notes for me. It captures the essence of what VHS horror films used to be. Honestly if you had told me that this was just a lost VHS film from the bygone era, I would believe you. It's a very charming film that oozes in a distinct uniqueness. And I cannot wait to return for a second viewing and to check out the sequel. 

Rating: 4 out of 5. 

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