The Woods (2006)

Let’s start SPELL WEEK off right with a movie that is about witches and the evil things they do. “The Woods” is a wonderful example of a movie about a small coven of witches that are hiding in plain sight, waiting for the right moment, and the right girl, in order to complete the ritual that they have been preparing for, for all so long. It has a cast of then up-and-coming actors including Agnes Bruckner and Rachel Nichols, as well horror movie favorite Bruce Campbell.

Heather is a teenage with anger issues towards her mother. After acting out, by burning down part of their home, Heather’s parents send her off to a girls’ boarding school in the middle of the woods. The dean, Mrs. Traverse, allows Heather to join the school after she completes a test that contains occult symbols and meanings. Unknown to Heather, she is being groomed by Mrs. Traverse and the other teachers for a particular magical ritual that they want to complete. Meanwhile, Heather is being bullied by some of the other girls at the school and ends up befriending Marcy, another girl who is being groomed because she posses special powers of her. As Heather continues to lash out at her tormentors and instructors, she comes to realize that some girls have gone missing and the local authorities are under the sway of the school’s staff. Even when her parents come to take her back home, the powers of the coven prevent them from getting very far. The climax reveals the dark secrets of the woods and how it’s history is having a direct influence on the school and those within.