Please, help us identify this movie!

September 2, 2020 3:36 PM

My SO is trying to remember a thriller released sometime between the mid-90s 2010. Involved a house in a forest, a kidnapping. A few more details inside.

Here are the details my SO remembers:
- Drama/thriller/horror film
- Released between the mid-90s and mid-2000s - definitely before 2010
- A large portion takes place in the forest or woods, and in a house in the forest/woods
- Story involved a kidnapping
- May have been set mostly in the daytime
- There may have been a scene in which the victim's family were talking to the police to figure out who the kidnapper was

MeFites, you are magic in remembering films and shows based on scant details. Thank you in advance!

posted by aquamvidam to Media & Arts (19 answers total)

My first thought was The Vanishing. There's a large chunk at a house in the woods, though there are a couple of timelines mixed together in there.
posted by gideonfrog at 3:43 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

I feel like there have been a number of films that could fit that description; are there any other identifying details you can remember? Like, "there was a little girl and maybe a ghost" or "it was made in the 90s but set in pioneer days"?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:54 PM on September 2, 2020 [2 favorites]

2007's Gone Baby Gone takes place in Boston, but Captain Doyle's house (at least, in retirement) in a forested area.
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:25 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

Fargo?
posted by Beardman at 4:26 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: gideonfrog - The Vanishing is a great guess, but he's never seen it!

EmpressCallipygos - He doesn't remember whether there were kids in the film. It was set contemporaneously.

Wasn't Fargo or Gone Baby Gone unfortunately. He doesn't remember there being snow in the film.

Thank you all - please keep em coming!
posted by aquamvidam at 4:31 PM on September 2, 2020

Was it The Forgotten, maybe? I don't remember much in the forest, but I blocked most of it out because I found it to be very, very bad.
posted by Paper rabies at 4:37 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

Could it have been Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann?

Here's the trailer.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 4:49 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

The Deep End? Mostly at a house at Lake Tahoe.
posted by miles per flower at 4:51 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Not The Forgotten, Cry in the Wild, or The Deep End, sadly, but all excellent ideas. I'm prodding him for some more details to narrow it down, and I'll post them here as they come.
posted by aquamvidam at 5:05 PM on September 2, 2020

Blair Witch?
posted by Thorzdad at 5:06 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

There was a remake of Cape Fear that could fit.
posted by janell at 5:50 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Wasn't Blair Witch or Cape Fear, unfortunately.

Few more details:
- Film was in English, took place in the US.
- He thinks that the characters had American accents.
- There may have been a big house at the edge of the woods.
- Film was more drama/thriller than horror/gore.
- There may have been a chase scene.
posted by aquamvidam at 6:36 PM on September 2, 2020

Probably too recent, but maybe Edge of Winter (?)

Edit: The Forgotten is another candidate.
posted by jmfitch at 6:44 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

Kiss the Girls?
posted by wwartorff at 6:51 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The Clearing? 2004, Robert Redford, Helen Mirren, Willem Dafoe.
posted by expialidocious at 8:56 PM on September 2, 2020 [3 favorites]

"Don't Say A Word?" Not a great movie but I still quote, "I'llll neeeeever teeeeeelllll" at every opportunity.
posted by Aquifer at 10:38 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

Could it be Cellular? Kim Basinger kidnapped by Jason Statham, I think kept in a house in the woods. Chris Evans races against time to find her. Trailer.
posted by biffa at 12:57 AM on September 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

Probably not because it came out in 2012, but just in case: Gone, starring Amanda Seyfried?
posted by firei at 3:35 AM on September 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: expialidocious - It was The Clearing!

Apparently, this has been bugging him for years. Thank you so much for solving the mystery!

Thank you, everyone, for your amazing help!
posted by aquamvidam at 4:04 AM on September 3, 2020