Dark Woods

"They should have stayed away from that water"

2003 1h 25m NO

😐

5.8

MID

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★5.8TMDB · 104★6.1IMDB · 5,869

HorrorActionAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Five Norwegians head for a cabin in the wilderness for a few days of teambuilding. But strange things start happening — especially down by the water where they find an abandoned tent. Is there someone else?

“They should have stayed away from that water”

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Cast

Bjørn Floberg
Gunnar
Kristoffer Joner
Lasse
Eva Röse
Elin
Sampda Sharma
Sara
Marko Iversen Kanic
Per
Simon Norrthon
Tyskeren
Ivar Nørve
Politimann
Torstein Løning
Grindåpneren

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pål Øie
Writers: Christopher Grøndahl, Pål Øie
Languages: Norwegian, Swedish
Countries: Norway

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 19% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Norwegian, Swedish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Dark Woods Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pål Øie, shot by Sjur Aarthun. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trond Bjerknes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Inge-Lise Langfeldt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pål Øie directs. Sjur Aarthun behind the camera. Trond Bjerknes scores. Inge-Lise Langfeldt cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Norway. Dialogue in Norwegian, Swedish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 19% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 23 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Norwegian, Swedish.
5Part of the "Dark Woods Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Pål Øie, shot by Sjur Aarthun. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Trond Bjerknes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Inge-Lise Langfeldt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Bjørn Floberg and Kristoffer Joner and Eva Röse carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "They should have stayed away from that water".
11IMDB entry: tt0356176 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Sjur Aarthun
Original score: Trond Bjerknes
Editing: Inge-Lise Langfeldt
Production design: Trygve Hov
Costume design: Stina Thoresen
Makeup / hair: Stina Thoresen
Sound: Hugo Ekornes
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Status: Released
Budget: $6,200,000
Box office: $1,156,728
Return: 19% of budget
Original language: NO
IMDB: Dark Woods (2003)
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 5,869 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations

Part of

Dark Woods Collection

A Norwegian horror franchise. In the first movie, five Norwegians head for a cabin in the wilderness for a few days of team building. In the second film, five contract workers take on the task of finding any hazardous waste in a huge old sanatorium before it can be demolished.