Episode 42 - And Through the Woods

This episode, Mike and Marty took the podcast out into the woods, for a fun camping trip and then things started to go horribly wrong.  We look at two films which follow in the footsteps of many previous films but perhaps most obviously, John Boorman's 1972 classic Deliverance.  The first we look at is Rituals from 1977.  Starring Hal Holbrook and a small group of very talented actors, and featuring a really top notch script, this was a truly delightful surprise.  It is a grueling experience as the viewer follows a group of doctors who are on an expedition to "The Cauldron" and run into something in the woods that clearly wants them to leave.  We follow that up with 1981's Just Before Dawn, directed by Jeff Lieberman who gave us the only "killer earthworm" film we've ever seen, Squirm.  Chris Lemmon and Gregg Henry are the leaders of a group of young people who intend to explore a remote forest area, despite the ominous warnings of both the creepy locals and the resident park ranger, played by the wonderful George Kennedy. There is much disco-dancing and crazy disregard for the dangers that surround the foolhardy campers, as well as the requisite drunken-coot and inbred hill-family, but still the movie falls totally flat.  Listen in to the conversation and see if you want to give either of these a shot, maybe you could watch them on your next camping trip.Send us your thoughts on the show and recommendations for future episodes to [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram, Letterboxd. YouTube.