Where to find it: Amazon Prime Video
Length: 87 minutes
Synopsis: Four teens find a horror comedy when they take the Duke of Edinburgh Award
Recommendation rating: 4/5
What I like about it: funny, politics, acting, editing
What I don’t like about it: the title (renamed from Boyz in the Wood) and the music
Review:
A group of teens undertake the orienteering challenge the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the Scottish Highlands. One of them, Ian, is here because the award looks good on a university application. The other three – Dean, Duncan and DJ Beatroot – have been ‘volunteered’ due to their part in a prank gone wrong. While Ian tries to bring the team together and the other three goof off, they are being stalked by a hunter who takes them for prey.
Has good jokes – especially towards the end when callbacks kick in – and a fun classist framework, a healthy disrespect for the police and tolerable lad-banter. Impressive editing and lots of beautiful highland footage makes up for its occasional weaknesses, making it less forgettable than most entries in the genre.
Content notes (may contain spoilers): drugs, dissociative VFX, scat, fur, violence (often sudden)