Summary

  • Woodlands and forests are effective backdrops for horror stories, offering unique close-to-nature scares and allowing filmmakers to be more provocative.
  • The best horror movies in the woods span various sub-genres of horror and feature gore, ghosts, monsters, psychological horror, and post-apocalyptic survival horror.
  • Movies like "Annihilation," "The Ritual," and "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil" demonstrate how a single forest location can be used in limitless ways within the horror genre.

Woodlands and forests are one of the most effective backdrops for horror stories, and the best horror movies in the woods use the unique close-to-nature scares only a forest or jungle can bring. They also tend to be more provocative, shocking, and experimental with their ideas. Some of the most well-known horror movies set in forests span various distinct sub-genres of horror and can boast some of the most notorious horror movies ever, thanks to movies like The Blair Witch Project, Deliverance, and many more.

From cult slasher favorites to critically acclaimed modern classics, the best horror movies set in the woods demonstrate how a single location can be used in a limitless number of ways, all within the same genre. Whether searching for gore, ghosts, monsters, psychological horror, or even post-apocalyptic survival horror, there's a horror movie set in a forest featuring almost every kind of threat imaginable. In day or night, the forests and woodlands prove to be perfect settings for some of the best horror movies to date.

Related
15 Best Horror Movies Of All Time, Ranked
What are the best horror movies of all time? Every fan has their opinion, but these movies have stood the test of time to become certifiable icons.

25 Trollhunter (2010)

A Norwegian Found Footage Movie About Legendary Trolls

Trollhunter

Director
André Øvredal
Release Date
October 29, 2010
Writers
André Øvredal
Cast
Robert Stoltenberg, Knut Nærum, Johanna Mørck, Tomas Alf Larsen, Hans Morten Hansen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Otto Jespersen
Rating
PG-13
Genres
Drama, Horror, Fantasy

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Trollhunter is a Norwegian found-footage movie about a man hired to hunt trolls in the countryside by the government. In this world, the government knows trolls exist, and the main job is to keep them out of the public eye and in a part of the country where they can't hurt anyone. However, this is foiled when a group of student filmmakers set out to make a documentary about Hans, a suspected bear poacher. What they don't know is that Han is a troll hunter.

Trollhunter was directed by André Øvredal, who used it as a calling card to get jobs on movies like The Autopsy of Jane Doe and The Last Voyage of the Demeter.

This is a found-footage movie, but since the kids are making a documentary, the movie shows some nice footage of the troll hunter in action, although the movie still utilizes a lot of the trappings of the genre, including shaky cam and quickly moving the camera away from the actual trolls.

24 The Ruins (2008)

A Movie About Killer Vines At A Mayan Temple

The Ruins (2008)
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Director
Carter Smith
Release Date
April 4, 2008
Cast
Jonathan Tucker , Jena Malone , Laura Ramsey , Shawn Ashmore , Joe Anderson
Runtime
91 Minutes

The Ruins, based on the novel by Scott B. Smith, is a movie that takes place at a Mayan Temple in Mexico. While technically in a jungle - and not the woods - the genre remains familiar. A group of travelers go into a strange, exotic land and not everyone makes it out alive. Nothing starts right for these travelers, as villagers show up with guns, knives, and other weapons and kill one of them when they try to leave. Forced back up the temple, the survivors realize the vines are the real threat.

The gross-out moments and the horror in the temple are enough to make most viewers squirm

The Ruins is a single-location horror movie, one that is both gruesome and bleak. It also resides in the body horror genre, as the vines attack and get into the skin of the travelers, forcing them to cut themselves open to get them out and, in some cases, undergo amputations to try to save their lives. This is a horror movie that fans won't watch for the characters, as none deserve much sympathy, but the gross-out moments and the horror in the temple are enough to make most viewers squirm.

23 Hatchet (2006)

Adam Green's Slasher Horror Calling Card

Hatchet
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Horror
Comedy
Thriller
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Director
Adam Green
Release Date
September 7, 2007
Writers
Adam Green
Cast
Tony Todd , Amara Zaragoza , Kane Hodder , Joel David Moore , Deon Richmond
Runtime
85 minutes

Adam Green made his name with the franchise Hatchet, the original movie coming out in 2006. This movie used the horror in the woods concept by adding the dangers of the swamps and bayous in Louisiana. Hatchet introduces a new horror villain named Victor Crowley. The legend says that Victor's father accidentally killed him when he hit him with an axe while trying to save him from a burning house. Since his father's death, Victor is said to roam the swamps killing anyone who enters.

What results is a new Jason Voorhees-styled slasher killer, with Victor a terrifying man wearing a mask and killing with a hatchet, chainsaw, and anything else he can get his hands on. What really makes this a movie for horror lovers is the supporting cast. Candyman actor Tony Todd plays a tour guide named Rev. Zombie, Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund as a victim named Samson, and Jason Voorhees actor Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley.

22 Wolf Creek (2005)

Based On The Real-Life Outback Backpack Murders

Wolf Creek
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Horror
Thriller
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Director
Greg Mclean
Release Date
December 25, 2005
Distributor(s)
Dimension Films
Writers
Greg Mclean
Cast
Kestie Morassi , Cassandra Magrath , Andy McPhee , John Jarratt , Nathan Phillips
Runtime
99 minutes

In the same vein as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Wolf Creek is a horror movie that claims to be based on a true story. Also, like TCM, it is not entirely true. Both movies are based on the stories of real-life serial killers, but they are mostly fictional retellings of these killers. While TCM was based partially on John Wayne Gacy, Wolf Creek was based on the murderers, Ivan Milat in the 1990s and Bradley Murdoch in 2001. What results is similar, although Wolf Creek is bloodier and more violent than TCM.

It is excessive in its violence and very brutal when it comes to the kills.

This Australian horror movie received mixed reviews, although that is expected from something as violent and harrowing as this slasher movie. The movie does play things fair, as it doesn't rely on gimmicks or twists and just presents a terror-filled movie that shows a remorseless and seemingly unstoppable man murdering people for sport. It is excessive in its violence and very brutal when it comes to the kills, but it makes no apologies and is a movie that should please hardcore horror fans.

21 Knock at The Cabin (2023)

M. Night Shyamalan's Apocalyptic Thriller

Knock at the Cabin
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Horror
Mystery
Thriller
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Director
M. Night Shyamalan
Release Date
February 3, 2023
Distributor(s)
Universal Pictures
Writers
M. Night Shyamalan , Steve Desmond , Michael Sherman
Cast
Dave Bautista , Jonathan Groff , Ben Aldridge , Nikki Amuka-Bird , Kristen Cui , Abby Quinn , Rupert Grint
Runtime
139 minutes

M. Night Shyamalan had attempted a horror movie in the woods before with The Village, and it ended up as one of his worst critically-reviewed movies at that time in his career. The biggest problem was the twists that had become commonplace in his films, and many fans and critics didn't buy that specific twist. Shyamalan has enjoyed a career resurgence recently and Knock at the Cabin shows that he might have learned from his lessons. This movie is an apocalyptic thriller set in a secluded cabin in the woods.

Based on The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay, Knock at the Cabin tells the story of a little girl named Wen who is staying on vacation at a cabin with her dads, Eric and Andrew. However, when a group of four people arrive and say someone must sacrifice themselves or the world will end in an apocalypse, they have to find a way out and determine whether they would sacrifice the world for their family. The movie earned positive reviews and was a minor box office success.

20 Annihilation (2018)

A Scientific Anomaly Turns A Forest Into A Nightmare

Annihilation
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Director
Alex Garland
Release Date
February 22, 2018
Cast
Sonoya Mizuno , Kola Bokinni , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Gina Rodriguez , Cosmo Jarvis , Oscar Isaac , Tessa Thompson , Tuva Novotny , Natalie Portman , David Gyasi
Runtime
2hours

Annihilation was an interesting mix of science fiction and horror. Directed by sci-fi auteur Alex Garland, Annihilation sets up its story by introducing The Shimmer, a quarantined zone where nature has started to transform and morph. In Annihilation the woods don't just conceal a threat, they are the threat. When one team of scientists goes in investigating and never returns, a second team of all women is sent in to figure out what happened to the first team and what is going on.

Natalie Portman leads a cast full of powerful female characters, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Gina Rodriguez. What these women find in the woods when they venture into The Shimmer is deeply disturbing. This is almost more sci-fi than horror when the final twist comes, but what leads to that moment is very scary.

19 The Ritual (2017)

Four Friends Are Stalked Through A Scandinavian Forest

The Ritual
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Director
David Bruckner
Release Date
October 13, 2017
Cast
Sam Troughton , Rafe Spall
Runtime
94minutes

Released in 2017 as a British horror movie that received a Netflix international release, The Ritual is one of the best horror movies in the woods released in the last decade. In The Ritual, four friends are on a hiking trip in Sweden in honor of a close friend who was murdered. However, the four friends end up lost and realize that something in the woods might be tracking them.

This is a tense horror survival story with some very scary moments that make full use of the remoteness of the forest, which also feels somewhat unique to The Ritual thanks to the incredible Scandinavian setting. At the end of the day, this is a movie about friendship, loss, and trauma, and the monsters that are hunting these hikers are all just a way to describe and show the sense of loss they are all experiencing as they head into this story.

18 Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (2009)

Two Hillbillies Living In The Woods Watch Prejudiced Young Adults Destroy Themselves

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
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Director
Eli Craig
Release Date
September 30, 2011
Cast
Tyler Labine , Katrina Bowden , Alan Tudyk , Chelan Simmons , Jesse Moss
Runtime
89 minutes

One of the more comedic horror movies in the woods is Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, which uses the forest setting both for scares and laughs. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil takes the basic setup from movies like The Hills Have Eyes and then subverts the genre tropes. A group of stereotypical young adults found in almost any horror movie encounter Tucker and Dale, two locals who live in a cabin in the woods.

The group believes Tucker and Dale are killers, but the pair are harmless. The bewildered Tucker and Dale are unable to stop the scared "victims" dying due to their own stupidity as they set up traps for their own "protection." While this is almost a satire of the horror genre, it takes its kills seriously enough to make it a fun horror movie in its own right. It is just told from the point of view of two hapless friends trying to figure out why all these kids keep dying.

17 Deliverance (1972)

John Boorman's Genre-Defining Classic Taught Audiences To Fear The Forest

Deliverance
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Director
John Boorman
Release Date
July 30, 1972
Cast
Jon Voight , burt reynolds , Ned Beatty
Runtime
1hr 49m

One of the earliest horror movies in the woods that turned the forest setting into the source of fear is the 1972 movie Deliverance. Directed by John Boorman, the movie stars Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ronny Cox, and New Beatty as four friends who set out to canoe down a remote Georgia river. However, after making fun of the locals (with an iconic Dueling Banjos moment), someone starts hunting them down with nefarious plans for the four of them.

Disturbance is never really classified with other horror movies in the woods, as it is more of an adventure thriller, but it fits the trappings of the genre perfectly, with the friends willing to go to any level to survive this scary experience. The movie won three Oscars and remains iconic, added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2008. This remains one of Burt Reynolds's most iconic roles, as well as one that goes completely against type for his career.

16 Wrong Turn (2003)

The Cult Early 00's Gem Starring Eliza Dushku And Jeremy Sisto

Wrong Turn
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Director
Mike P. Nelson
Release Date
February 26, 2021
Cast
Charlotte Vega , Adain Bradley , Bill Sage , Emma Dumont , Dylan McTee , Daisy Head
Runtime
84 minutes

Released in 2003, Wrong Turn featured a familiar story as a group of college students end up trapped in the woods after some cannibalistic mountain men flatten their tires and then start to hunt them. The movie featured Eliza Dushku at the height of her Buffy the Vampire fame, and Jeremy Sisto during his time on Six Feet Under. Between the West Virginia setting and the fear of getting lost in the woods, this was a movie that caused stress for many road-weary travelers.

While it wasn't groundbreaking, Wrong Turn found a home in the hearts of horror fans and ended up spawning a franchise with five sequels between 2007 and 2014 and then a Wrong Turn reboot in 2021. The following movies had their moments of horror, but none of them really matched up with the original, which remains a nasty horror movie with some gruesome kills and a young, fresh cast. If anything, the original was a throwback movie to classic horror movies in the woods.

15 Dog Soldiers (2002)

The Low-Budget British Werewolf Movie That Helped Revive A Subgenre

Dog Soldiers
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Director
Neil Marshall
Release Date
May 10, 2002
Cast
Sean Pertwee , Kevin McKidd , Emma Cleasby , Liam Cunningham , Thomas Lockyer , Darren Morfitt
Runtime
105 minutes

Neil Marshall's Dog Soldiers was a movie that came out two years after Ginger Snaps, and the two movies really helped revitalize the werewolf subgenre with very different experiences. While Ginger Snaps was more about an allegory of a young woman reaching puberty, Dog Soldiers was a movie about werewolves hunting people in the woods at night. 2002's Dog Soldiers followed a group of six British soldiers dropped into the Scottish Highlands for a training exercise.

However, soon the werewolves attack, and when the heroes flee and find shelter, they quickly realize they've wandered right into the werewolves' lair. What really makes this movie standout as one of the best werewolf movies of all time was the practical effects for the wolves. Their awkward transformations and movements made them some of the most memorable lycans in movie history.

14 Eden Lake (2008)

Local Kids Turn A Couple's Woodland Vacation Into A Truly Disturbing Movie

Eden Lake
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Director
James Watkins
Release Date
September 12, 2008
Cast
Kelly Reilly , Michael Fassbender , Jack O'Connell , Thomas Turgoose , Bronson Webb , Shaun Dooley
Runtime
91 Minutes

A talented cast drives this deeply disturbing horror-thriller about a couple (Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender) who are harassed by a group of young kids while on a secluded woodland getaway. One of the most extreme horror movies set in the woods or anywhere else, and one without supernatural elements, the situation quickly descends into a nightmarish ordeal of torture and murder. Eden Lake features extreme violence and is an unforgettable and unflinching movie.

However, it is also hard to watch at times since it features violence from and towards children. The movie received overwhelming critical praise, but it is also one that remains controversial when it comes to the fear of youth in Britain in what became known as the fear of "hoodies." This movie joined others like Harry Brown and Cherry Tree Lane in a series of movies that showed how the older generation should fear the youth movement.

13 Sleepaway Camp (1983)

The Cult 1980s Hit About Two Cousins Who Turn Summer Camp Into A Slaughter-Fest

Sleepaway Camp
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Director
Robert Hiltzik
Release Date
November 18, 1983
Cast
Jonathan Tiersten , Mike Kellin , Felissa Rose , Karen Fields , Christopher Collet
Runtime
84 minutes

Sleepaway Camp is a cult hit that, despite being a derivative summer camp slasher in many ways, left an impression on audiences in 1983 and has been doing so ever since. The story sees a young girl (Felissa Rose) and her cousin (Jonathan Tiersten) go to a summer camp, and any who disrespect them end up meeting a bloody end. What really makes this movie stand apart is the reveal of the killer in the final moments of the run time.

Sleepaway Camp has a wry sense of humor and some creative kill scenes, but many remember most about Sleepaway Camp is the movie's final twist. The film spawned a successful straight-to-video series of sequels and its popular legacy lives on even today. While this is a movie that has a twist ending that remains problematic in today's society, it remains a cult classic for horror movie fans.

12 The Burning (1981)

1980s Slasher About A Killer Wielding Gardening Shears

The Burning
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Director
Tony Maylam
Release Date
May 8, 1981
Cast
Leah Ayres , Brian Backer , Larry Joshua
Runtime
91 Mins

Another 1980s slasher horror set in the woods is The Burning, a killer-in-the-woods story now considered to be a cult classic due to its cast, pacing, and Tom Savini's marvelous makeup effects. The cast includes pre-fame Holly Hunter and Jason Alexander as two members of the typically ill-fated summer camp adolescents. They and their friends run afoul of the local legendary murderer, Cropsy, who kills his victims with super-sharp gardening shears.

The movie makes good use of its outdoor setting and provides genre fans with an entertaining take on the early 80s slasher formula with plenty of gore. When it was released, it did garner complaints that it was too much like Friday the 13th thanks to its setting in the woods with summer campers as well as the addition of Savini for its effects. However, it has since become a cult classic and critics looking back on it seem to appreciate the horror movie as one that stands on its own merits.

The Burning is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

11 The Last House On The Left (1972)

Wes Craven's Grindhouse Classic That The UK Banned

The Last House on the Left
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Director
Wes Craven
Release Date
August 30, 1972
Cast
Fred J. Lincoln , David Hess , Lucy Grantham , Jeramie Rain , Sandra Peabody
Runtime
84 minutes

Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left is a disturbing and effective horror movie, and one that makes great use of the remoteness of woodland settings. The story sees two teenage girls kidnapped by a group of sadistic killers, with the parents of one of the girls seeking bloody revenge. A remake of the Ingmar Bergman movie The Virgin Spring​​​​​​, The Last House On The Left gained notoriety in drive-in and Grindhouse theaters thanks to the overt brutality and extreme violence.

The Last House on the Left was controversial upon release and even banned in the UK for decades due to its content, particularly the murder scenes in the woods. To this day, it still remains a polarizing horror movie for viewers. While it is easy to see why Wes Craven became a famed horror director, he took the more nuanced Bergman movie and created something that stands alongside other video nasties of the 70s and 80s thanks to its gratuitous violence and disturbing storyline.

10 Dead End (2003)

A Cinematic Campfire Story That Makes Audiences Fear The Shadows Between The Trees

Dead End (2003)
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Director
Jean-Baptiste Andrea , Fabrice Canepa
Release Date
January 30, 2003
Cast
Alexandra Holden , Ray Wise , Lin Shaye , Mick Cain , Billy Asher , Amber Smith
Runtime
85 Minutes

Driving to a Christmas gathering along an isolated forest road, a family comes across a ghostly woman in white cradling a baby. Before they can find help, she disappears and their night becomes an endless series of bizarrely horrific encounters throughout 2003's Dead End. Dead End is similar to a campfire ghost story and makes full use of the darkness of the woods around the characters, leaving the worst of the horror up to the audience's imagination.

This is unlike many horror movies in the woods, as it takes it in a more mythical direction. This isn't a movie about cannibals or wild country people wanting to kill partying kids. It also isn't a movie about a masked vengeful slasher killer. This is a movie about trauma and the effects it can have on a family. The movie has a disturbing twist ending that seems almost like of a Twilight Zone episode.

9 Lake Of The Dead (1958)

Norwegian Horror That Proves How Eerie The Woods Can Be Even Without Bloodshed

Lake of the Dead (1958)
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Release Date
December 17, 1958
Runtime
76 Mins
Cast
Henny Moan

A little-known oddity outside its native Norway, Lake of the Dead is an atmospheric ghost story set deep in an idyllic yet haunting forest that houses a creepy cabin. The cabin comes with a dark story attached to it, but the movie uses it for more of a deconstruction of storytelling rather than using it as an opportunity for murder and monsters.

Filled with a unique sense of humor and a pervading feeling of mystery, Lake of the Dead has a lastingly eerie atmosphere throughout thanks in no small part to its natural surroundings. Critical reviews praised its atmosphere, and Kåre Bergstrøm received praise for his direction and camerawork with the movie that became known as his defining work and one of the best horror movies in the woods for fans of the genre.

Lake of the Dead is available to stream on AMC+.

8 The Cabin In The Woods (2011)

A Homage To Almost Every Horror Movie Monster In Cinema History

The Cabin in the Woods
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Director
Drew Goddard
Release Date
April 13, 2012
Cast
Richard Jenkins , Fran Kranz , Chris Hemsworth , Bradley Whitford , Kristen Connolly
Runtime
95 minutes

A rare horror-comedy that puts as much effort into its scares as it does into its laughs, The Cabin in the Woods can be viewed as a parody or satire of the genre, but it acts just as well as a straight exploration of its most prevalent themes. The wild story starts when a group of young friends visits a secluded cabin. It is the typical setup to a cabin in the woods story, but what happens next takes this movie in a wildly different direction.

Cabin in the Woods ends up as a parade of homages to some of the most beloved and inventive monsters and sub-genres from horror history, with the woodland setting unfolding into something much more sprawling and satisfying than the typical slasher spoof setup. The movie explores very unexpected directions and by the end, it turns the entire genre on its head.

7 It Comes At Night (2017)

The Movie That Proved Even Forests Aren't Safe After The Apocalypse

It Comes at Night
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Director
Trey Edward Shults
Release Date
June 9, 2017
Cast
Kelvin Harrison Jr. , Joel Edgerton , Christopher Abbott , Carmen Ejogo , Riley Keough
Runtime
97minutes

A unique and highly dramatic take on a post-apocalyptic survival horror setup, It Comes at Night follows a family surviving the collapse of civilization in seclusion in the woods when another family stumbles across their home seeking refuge. However, it isn't the disease or the fear of infection that carries this horror movie in the woods. Instead, it is the paranoia and mistrust of survivors in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Humans should always fear each other above all else.

The dynamics of trust and paranoia are played out to their most horrific ends as the two groups try to live together in a world filled with deadly danger that can crop up at any moment — and the stillness of their forest surroundings making the anguish and horror of their ordeal echo out all the louder.

6 Friday The 13th (1980)

The Classic Slasher That Introduced The World To Camp Crystal Lake

Friday the 13th
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Director
Sean S. Cunningham
Release Date
May 9, 1980
Cast
Peter Brouwer , Adrienne King , Betsy Palmer , Jeannine Taylor , Kevin Bacon , Robbi Morgan , Harry Crosby
Runtime
95 minutes

One of the biggest box office surprises in history, Friday the 13th was a low-budget movie that took theaters by storm and officially ushered in the slasher craze of the 1980s. The story of Mrs. Voorhees (Betsy Palmer) taking her revenge on the counselors at Camp Crystal Lake is one of the most well-known 80s horror films. It is also often misunderstood because this is not about Jason - the legend of the franchise - and that makes it a better movie thanks to that fact.

The slaughter of the campers in the woods is made all the more memorable by makeup guru Tom Savini and, although it is his mother who does the killing in the original movie, Jason Voorhees was introduced and an iconic and seemingly never-ending horror series was born. Next to Halloween, few horror franchises have the legs of this series of horror movies in the woods.