"Death Game" is a somewhat similar themed film where an unsuspecting male is tormented by young females. That 1977 film, stared Sondra Locke. Here the three teenage protagonists hold a hermit hostage, vacillating on what to do with him. In their minds he could be the one responsible for a double murder in a nearby cabin several years ago, or simply a loner who had been living in the girls' rarely visited cabin. Not always logical, sometimes lurid, the outcome is never certain, which keeps things interesting for the tight running time of 78 minutes. The acting is totally acceptable, and the Colorado rockies on location photography stunning. - MERK
15 Reviews
Poses many questions.
okpilak26 March 2024
There is tension, but not really horror. Threats, but more imagined than real, but still possible. Three just graduated high school age girls head up in the mountains to the family cabin. Ruth, who is 17, seems naive, Deborah uncertain, and Kate, rather outgoing and sure of herself, who smokes and has pot. Near the cabin 8 years earlier was a gruesome murder of a young babysitter and girl. The case was never solved. One night, along comes a stranger, Ed, who is 48, and is living in their cabin while he is not out in the woods. This sets up tension, as they cannot be sure who he really is. And it allows their imaginations to run wild, especially when there is no phone service, and the one girl cannot get their vehicle started to go for the police. A goof appears early in the film when they enter the cabin and open the freezer. There is a fox in there, but it is not rigid nor frozen, but the cabin has electricity and water. But it was shot, and Ed said he shot it. The color of the print just seems off. Maybe the film used, or degradation of the print.
Three Girls & a Man Too Dumb to Live
romneymeredith1 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'll get right to the point - all 3 of these girls if actually facing a killer would have been dead before a 3rd of the movie was over. If you are simple enough to think this is some kind of female empowerment movie than you might be as dumb as these girls.
Who doesn't check to see what gear a vehicle is in when you try to start it and it won't start? Hint - it was in neutral. Who leaves a girl by herself with a tied-up 48 year old man with a gun trained on him? Naw, you would never think she'd get sweet-talked into untying him, but you'd have been wrong.
The guy made some brainless moves too but I'm spending far too much time analyzing a true piece of nonsensical garbage that ends up with 2 of the girls plotting to kill the guy (because they think without evidence he killed 2 girls in a nearby cabin EIGHT YEARS AGO), but like idiots they had untied his legs and he ran off, eventually ending up going over a cliff by accident and killing himself, at which point they got rid of all evidence and drove off at the end saying 'we're girls, they won't suspect us' and evincing a desire to eat hamburgers. The End.
Best of all, as so often happens, none of the girls want to accept any responsibility - it's not THEIR fault!
If you want to see young females acting as stupidly as possible then this is your movie.
Who doesn't check to see what gear a vehicle is in when you try to start it and it won't start? Hint - it was in neutral. Who leaves a girl by herself with a tied-up 48 year old man with a gun trained on him? Naw, you would never think she'd get sweet-talked into untying him, but you'd have been wrong.
The guy made some brainless moves too but I'm spending far too much time analyzing a true piece of nonsensical garbage that ends up with 2 of the girls plotting to kill the guy (because they think without evidence he killed 2 girls in a nearby cabin EIGHT YEARS AGO), but like idiots they had untied his legs and he ran off, eventually ending up going over a cliff by accident and killing himself, at which point they got rid of all evidence and drove off at the end saying 'we're girls, they won't suspect us' and evincing a desire to eat hamburgers. The End.
Best of all, as so often happens, none of the girls want to accept any responsibility - it's not THEIR fault!
If you want to see young females acting as stupidly as possible then this is your movie.
Worth your time
Huffer815 December 2006
Caught this one during a one-week run at a Denver theater. Although I initially was intrigued by a movie filmed in my home state, WSFG actually was an accomplished film for reasons other than its location. Three girlfriends head up to a family cabin for a post-high-school-pre-college getaway (a tradition many of us, including myself, participated in). As the three do some hiking, sunbathing (this part may give some older viewers an uncomfortable, dirty-old-man vibe), drinking and pot-smoking, divisions between the three characters are revealed, and gradually go from subtle to tense. Things really get complicated when the stoned girls begin to hear noises outside the cabin. Just when it looks like WSFG may be the kind of McSlasher that studios churn out every other week, the story gets deeper as the mysterious stranger in the woods is revealed to be a sad-sack middle-aged guy who has been squatting in the cabin. As the night progresses, the characters' motives are revealed, and may just surprise the viewer. WSFG sets itself apart from the aforementioned generic slashers because the filmmakers understand that, if properly handled, a tense dialogue can be more jarring than a nubile teenybopper running from a maniac. In this movie, characters are developed and real, as it is revealed that each of the girls has her own issue to confront, scary man in the woods or not. Distribution for WSFG is precarious. If you happen to get the chance, however it may come, to see this little picture, fans of suspense movies likely will be taken by this stronger-than-usual offering. P.S. I have no connection to the filmmakers, BTW. - JF
This movie is not for everyone
x_specter_x8 May 2007
If you, like me, don't like movies where the characters make every stupid decision you can think of... this movie is not for you.
The drama is built on the young girls extremely stupid and completely unrealistic decision.
If you want to watch a great thriller about women in a cabin in the woods, watch the Descent.
The acting in the movie is actually pretty good. The same for the dialog. It's just that all of their problems could have easily been avoided with just the slightest use of common sense. Instead of tense moments, they are frustrating.
The drama is built on the young girls extremely stupid and completely unrealistic decision.
If you want to watch a great thriller about women in a cabin in the woods, watch the Descent.
The acting in the movie is actually pretty good. The same for the dialog. It's just that all of their problems could have easily been avoided with just the slightest use of common sense. Instead of tense moments, they are frustrating.
Slight but enjoyable thriller
MattyGibbs21 June 2013
Three girls go for a holiday at a cabin in the woods and are disturbed by a stranger with a gun. I was expecting some second rate horror when I put this on but instead it turned out to be a surprisingly good thriller.
This isn't a horror in anyway and not at all scary though it does build some effective tension. It's more a study of the relationship between the three girls and how they react to the strange situation they find themselves in.
For me what makes this a good film is the casting. Rather than three airheads we are given three believable characters who you can actually relate too. The acting by all the girls is good but in particular Jeannette Brox as Ruth who I thought was excellent. James Morrison the only other cast member did a wonderfully understated performance as the intruder.
This is a strange film in many ways but very enjoyable and well worth a watch.
This isn't a horror in anyway and not at all scary though it does build some effective tension. It's more a study of the relationship between the three girls and how they react to the strange situation they find themselves in.
For me what makes this a good film is the casting. Rather than three airheads we are given three believable characters who you can actually relate too. The acting by all the girls is good but in particular Jeannette Brox as Ruth who I thought was excellent. James Morrison the only other cast member did a wonderfully understated performance as the intruder.
This is a strange film in many ways but very enjoyable and well worth a watch.
An utter waste of time
wolfnapper1 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
They put the same girl (Ruth) in charge of watching over the "killer" TWICE while the other two went off to chat/make out? Ruth, who was dumb enough to be tricked into actually untying the hands of the prisoner and was about to do some spit-swapping with the guy? I mean, at that point, my patience for these girls just wore out. Yes, they're young and lack any wisdom, but it gets to a point where credibility is strained so badly you just can't root for them any more. At that point, I was so fed up with their stupidity I began cheering for Morrison's character to just turn out to be a real killer and start firing away with his shotgun. Or worse. The laws of Darwinism should apply here in full measure.
The writing on this terrible movie was just abysmal. I don't fault the actors involved as they did their jobs competently, even the directing seemed to be fine. It's the writing that was just so poor, it undid everything else about this movie. I never developed one iota of sympathy for the three protagonists and yet oddly enough from the moment he first appears, Morrison's character is far more identifiable and easier to empathize with. And he simply isn't the complete idiot the other three are, which has the most to do with it probably.
The writing on this terrible movie was just abysmal. I don't fault the actors involved as they did their jobs competently, even the directing seemed to be fine. It's the writing that was just so poor, it undid everything else about this movie. I never developed one iota of sympathy for the three protagonists and yet oddly enough from the moment he first appears, Morrison's character is far more identifiable and easier to empathize with. And he simply isn't the complete idiot the other three are, which has the most to do with it probably.
Suprisingly Good Indy
benstar-6787419 November 2021
I like to browse through Tubi for Bad movies to watch. Usually I find them but sometimes I stumble on a surprise. This movie was quite well acted for the low budget and was a surprisingly interesting thriller. I was impressed by the movie. Its no Citizen Kane but her its free and enjoyable.
...And the enemy is....ourselves.
bob_meg23 May 2011
Three college friends, Ruth, Deb, and Kate, recently graduated, set out for a long weekend at Kate's parents' remote cabin. They intend to do nothing but sunbathe, get stoned, and dish on boys until they stumble upon the loaded shotgun and dead fox stashed in their fridge.
That's when they meet Ed (James Morrison), a disenfranchised mountain man who has been squatting in the usually vacant summer house for months.
It's a great set-up, primarily because you never really know if Ed is a psycho or if he's just a poor homeless guy who's just angry that he's been busted by a trio of teens.
It's also great because, compared to the girls, Ed seems almost well-adjusted. Ruth is a closeted lesbian with a crush on Deb, Deb is the under-achieving party girl resentful of Kate and Ruth's money and academic success, and Kate has serious man and confidence issues. Oh yeah, and there's also the fact that Deb was brutally assaulted by her stepfather years before. Then there's that almost urban legendy story of the babysitter and her boyfriend who were hacked to pieces by a deranged mountain man just miles from Kate's family's place....
You get the idea. "Wilderness Survival For Girls" is chock full of rich character development, decent acting, and plenty of twists and turns (and plot angles to work them from). It's one of those movies where you won't find yourself looking at the clock once.
Is it a nonstop suspense thrill ride, ala "High Tension" or "Them?" No. The thrills here are more psychological than anything. But it doesn't preclude them from being any less brutal and shocking.
That's when they meet Ed (James Morrison), a disenfranchised mountain man who has been squatting in the usually vacant summer house for months.
It's a great set-up, primarily because you never really know if Ed is a psycho or if he's just a poor homeless guy who's just angry that he's been busted by a trio of teens.
It's also great because, compared to the girls, Ed seems almost well-adjusted. Ruth is a closeted lesbian with a crush on Deb, Deb is the under-achieving party girl resentful of Kate and Ruth's money and academic success, and Kate has serious man and confidence issues. Oh yeah, and there's also the fact that Deb was brutally assaulted by her stepfather years before. Then there's that almost urban legendy story of the babysitter and her boyfriend who were hacked to pieces by a deranged mountain man just miles from Kate's family's place....
You get the idea. "Wilderness Survival For Girls" is chock full of rich character development, decent acting, and plenty of twists and turns (and plot angles to work them from). It's one of those movies where you won't find yourself looking at the clock once.
Is it a nonstop suspense thrill ride, ala "High Tension" or "Them?" No. The thrills here are more psychological than anything. But it doesn't preclude them from being any less brutal and shocking.
WSfG delivers on several fronts.
saparke217 July 2010
I have bought this movie twice-- the second time after I lent it to a friend and never got it back. Lucky for me the copies are cheap on Amazon.
I watched this movie because it looks like every other slasher flick-- worse, a cheap indie slasher flick-- except that the reviews all over the box don't read like slasher reviews.
This movie delivers on several fronts. First, it is an edge of your seat thriller and will keep you guessing. Second, it is an intimate portrayal of female friendship. I think most women will see a part of themselves in one of these girls, and all will recognize a close friend. Third, it is a mind-bending mystery. The continuity is very good. Fourth, it is a poignant social commentary, and raises very complex and relevant questions. This movie will certainly start a conversation about fear and gender if you let it. If you're looking for mindless entertainment, you're not going to get it. If you're looking for a movie about exceptional people, you're not going to get it-- the people in this movie are not cut out to be astronauts or fortune 500 executives. Each character is as fundamentally good as they are fundamentally evil.
If you're a guy and you're wondering why you might enjoy this movie (since it does seem to mostly be about women), the male character in this movie is no less complex, interesting, and real than the teenage girls. I think it is a less common person who will sympathize with both the man and the teenagers in this movie. The humanity displayed in this movie is generally the kind of humanity that happens behind closed doors and is rarely ever expressed in words.
Fantastic acting. Fantastic script. Breathtaking, on-location photography. Poignant societal commentary on a topic that, although it is less commercial than racism or the glass ceiling, is no less woven through the lives of everyone in western culture. This is a really great movie.
I watched this movie because it looks like every other slasher flick-- worse, a cheap indie slasher flick-- except that the reviews all over the box don't read like slasher reviews.
This movie delivers on several fronts. First, it is an edge of your seat thriller and will keep you guessing. Second, it is an intimate portrayal of female friendship. I think most women will see a part of themselves in one of these girls, and all will recognize a close friend. Third, it is a mind-bending mystery. The continuity is very good. Fourth, it is a poignant social commentary, and raises very complex and relevant questions. This movie will certainly start a conversation about fear and gender if you let it. If you're looking for mindless entertainment, you're not going to get it. If you're looking for a movie about exceptional people, you're not going to get it-- the people in this movie are not cut out to be astronauts or fortune 500 executives. Each character is as fundamentally good as they are fundamentally evil.
If you're a guy and you're wondering why you might enjoy this movie (since it does seem to mostly be about women), the male character in this movie is no less complex, interesting, and real than the teenage girls. I think it is a less common person who will sympathize with both the man and the teenagers in this movie. The humanity displayed in this movie is generally the kind of humanity that happens behind closed doors and is rarely ever expressed in words.
Fantastic acting. Fantastic script. Breathtaking, on-location photography. Poignant societal commentary on a topic that, although it is less commercial than racism or the glass ceiling, is no less woven through the lives of everyone in western culture. This is a really great movie.
Inventive Indie Thriller/Comedy/Coming of Age Story
Kenn-1511 October 2004
This first feature from the talented producer, director, writer and editor team of Eli Despres and Kim Roberts, shot on video in 18 days, marks an impressive debut and one not to be missed, if you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to catch it in a film festival or in its limited theatrical run. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled for the DVD and video release, if you like indie films that have that unpredictable and slightly off-center (but completely authentic) feel about them.
I, for one, appreciate films that can't easily be categorized, or that use established genres in interesting new ways, and this film qualifies. Three girls go to an isolated cabin retreat in the mountains of Colorado to celebrate their graduation from high school. Almost immediately lots of possibilities present themselves: Is this going to be a coming of age story? Is it going to be a "stranger in the dark woods terrorizing teenagers" slasher movie? Is it going to be a comedy about how bratty teenage girls treat each other? Well, what if some talented filmmakers put all those ingredients into a blender -- along with a few more -- and whip up a whole new, satisfying recipe? Sometimes these "genre-bending" exercises can fall flat on their faces, but in this case, the filmmakers -- because of a great script, great acting, and some beautiful camera-work and sure-footed editing -- take you along for the ride.
I, for one, appreciate films that can't easily be categorized, or that use established genres in interesting new ways, and this film qualifies. Three girls go to an isolated cabin retreat in the mountains of Colorado to celebrate their graduation from high school. Almost immediately lots of possibilities present themselves: Is this going to be a coming of age story? Is it going to be a "stranger in the dark woods terrorizing teenagers" slasher movie? Is it going to be a comedy about how bratty teenage girls treat each other? Well, what if some talented filmmakers put all those ingredients into a blender -- along with a few more -- and whip up a whole new, satisfying recipe? Sometimes these "genre-bending" exercises can fall flat on their faces, but in this case, the filmmakers -- because of a great script, great acting, and some beautiful camera-work and sure-footed editing -- take you along for the ride.
Excellent! A diamond in the rough!
gia34179 October 2004
I was very lucky to be part of the first audience to see this film. It is an amazing piece of art and I would definitely see it again. The creators took a blind leap with only having four members in the cast and a change of scenery three times. They pull it off amazingly though.
I recommend this film to anyone. To anyone who truly likes a well written, well scripted movie. The story is amazing, the cast is amazing. I couldn't have prayed for a better movie. It's probably one of the best thrillers I have seen in a long time...and that's saying a lot considering I work at a video store!
This film is a true 'Diamond in the Rough'
I recommend this film to anyone. To anyone who truly likes a well written, well scripted movie. The story is amazing, the cast is amazing. I couldn't have prayed for a better movie. It's probably one of the best thrillers I have seen in a long time...and that's saying a lot considering I work at a video store!
This film is a true 'Diamond in the Rough'
Excellently made, surprisingly good indie film.
raivan35413 June 2007
I was given this DVD by a friend along with a bunch of others, all low-budget exploitation films. I actually watched this one last, because the title made it seem the least promising. Boy was I wrong! WSFG was by far the best, and deserves to receive a fair amount of acclaim.
The cast of four is all excellent and perfectly cast. (It's fascinating to see the screen tests that show each of the three actresses reading a different part than they were ultimately given, and seeing why the casting decisions were made.) This is a seriously intended and excellently acted teen thriller, which still contains some erotic scenes and nudity -- though the players are still well thought out and given a depth of character. This film is definitely to be recommended. Special praise to the young actresses who should all go on to bigger roles.
The cast of four is all excellent and perfectly cast. (It's fascinating to see the screen tests that show each of the three actresses reading a different part than they were ultimately given, and seeing why the casting decisions were made.) This is a seriously intended and excellently acted teen thriller, which still contains some erotic scenes and nudity -- though the players are still well thought out and given a depth of character. This film is definitely to be recommended. Special praise to the young actresses who should all go on to bigger roles.
A fresh take on teens freaking out in the dark woods
reviewrrr18 March 2005
Really enjoyed this one. Its hard to find a new angle on teens in trouble, but they've done it for sure. Here we have three teens going out for the weekend to a remote cabin for a little girl time before they split for college or where ever. As can happen, they work themselves into knots (dark woods freak-out) and you take the ride with them. I kept thinking as I was watching this film...This is okay. The situation is still slightly controllable...oops. Okay. I can deal with this. I'll just...oops. Okay. Not so bad yet....The perfect example of 'creating your own problems' - what teens do so well. And the acting. These three were perfectly casted. Isaw this as the late show at San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival this year. I hope that it gets wider distribution. It's completely edited and packaged. I can't think of anything they can improve upon with this.
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