Rate NOBODY SLEEPS IN THE WOODS TONIGHT (2020)

W LESIE DZIS NIE ZASNIE NIKT (NOBODY SLEEPS IN THE WOODS TONIGHT) is an exploitation slasher flick where we follow teenagers at a survival camp. They're the exact same 5 stereotypes we've seen many times before (a concept that was already deconstructed in THE CABIN IN THE WOODS), including a brunette girl (Zosia) with a traumatizing past and a blonde girl (Aniela) who has sex on screen. Is this deliberately clichéd, like a parody? But their arcs are exactly what we expect without any irony or subversion. Sure, the geek (Julek) mentions horror movie rules, but only once. He also says quotes a couple of times, but those lines come from films of a different sub-genre of horror, so it doesn't really count as self-awareness. In fact, the tone throughout most of the story is pretty serious. The humor comes mostly from the characters being funny among one another, as opposed to the makers trying to make fun of them or the situations they're in. And the inconsistencies get worse during the last 20 minutes, because the color grading and the use of tropes shift radically. It feels like we're seeing a tribute that plays things straight rather than a send-up. The grindhouse style end credits highlight this change. That being said, it's not a boring movie at all. I appreciate the preference for practical effects and real stunts. It's not a spoiler to say that main and minor characters die one by one, right? Well, let's just say that, when the second teenager bites the dust, I was shocked. Sure, we can question the logic of how it happened without a certain other person noticing it (despite being nearby), but the technique used to pull this surprise off deserves credit.

4/10
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