Review: American Backwoods: Slew Hampshire (2013)

So… I watched American Backwoods: Slew Hampshire again last Thursday night. Dark outside, wind howling like it does down in Bohuslän when the rain is sideways. Perfect setting, right? Well, kinda.

This one’s wild. No fancy stars, unless we count Dayo Okeniyi (he was in The Hunger Games), and I do, sort of. But don’t go in expecting Hemsworth-level charm. The director, Flood Reed, wrote it, directed it AND acts in it. It’s got that scrappy vibe, like someone shot it with an old camcorder and a case of Red Bull. Which, weirdly enough, I found refreshing. Or at least different than all those bland Netflix horrors I can’t remember two days later.

The story? Four bros head into the woods of New England, planning to party before heading to college… but it all goes to hell real fast. Like, *Blekinge-folklore-on-acid* fast. Think Deliverance having a baby with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and that baby grows up drinking moonshine and listening to G.G. Allin. It’s gory. Like “I can smell the blood through the screen” gory.

I honest to god had a flashback to Midsommar ’94. I was at a bonfire outside Karlstad, and this local guy started storytelling about “skogsfolk” taking hikers. Full-on LARP energy. This film? Feels like that fever dream. Only with more intestines.

Do I recommend it? Ehh… depends. If you’re into grimy horror with oddball pacing, confusing tone shifts, and characters that yell instead of talking – then you’ll get a kick. If you want polished scares or coherent story arcs… maybe skip.

Still, I kinda respected the chaos of it. It feels like a film made by someone who *needed* to scream something into the woods. And I’m always up for that.

Watch it with beer and a mate who swears by Rob Zombie.

watch the full movie on CinemaOneMovies on YouTube

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