Oh boy, where do I even start with “American Backwoods: Slew Hampshire”? This film is, to put it mildly, a trip. And not the nice Swedish countryside kind where you can fika by a lake. No, more like a trip through the darkest, grittiest nånstans you never wanted to end up in.

First off, you’ve got to admire their guts. The film goes full throttle into horror—not the high-brow, artsy kind, but the gritty, in-your-face, what-the-hell-did-I-just-watch kind. It’s like a movie equivalent of surströmming; it’s definitely not for everyone, and the smell lingers long after.

The plot, if you can call it that, follows a bunch of college lads out for a boys’ weekend that goes massively bonkers. Think you know where it’s headed? Think again. Within the first 15 minutes, it flips from harmless fun to a nightmare sauce of grotesque encounters, twisted locals, and bloody mayhem. It’s as if someone mashed up “Deliverance” with the crazy nightmares I had after watching “Jägarna” for the first time.

What surprised me—actually, shocked me—was the cinematography. For such an obviously low-budget flick, some of the shots are gorgeous. Sunlight filtering through trees, blood spattering just right—it’s almost poetic if you can get past the visceral horror. And the sound design, wow. It’s like they piped in the screams straight from hell. Made my kaffe spill a couple of times.

Now, onto the characters. Let’s just say they don’t all make it, which is putting it lightly. However, there’s a certain raw chemistry among the actors that reminded me of impromptu late-night gab with pals in Södermalm. They’re believable, even when the script leaves you scratching your head. I swear, there’s one scene where I couldn’t tell if the actor was actually terrified or just realized what kind of movie he signed up for.

On the downside, it’s not like the film revolutionizes anything. The story feels like it’s borrowing too much from genre tropes; there’s a bit of déjà vu with every twist. And the violence, oof! Let’s just say if you have a queasy stomach, kanske ta en paus every now and then.

Funny enough, the film made me think of a camping trip… but enough about me, check the trailer here