A Night in the Woods
Year: 2011
Runtime: 82 mins
Language: English
Director: Richard Parry
Brody, his girlfriend Kerry, and their friend Leo set out for a hike in Dartmoor, but a night of camping quickly spirals into terror. Jealousy, sexual tension, and strained relationships erupt, and collective paranoia mounts as a darker, unseen force stalks the ancient, eerie woods. The trio must confront what hunts them and fight to survive the night.
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A Night in the Woods (2011) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained
Read the complete plot breakdown of A Night in the Woods (2011), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
The film follows Kerry Hastings and her American boyfriend Brody Cartwright on a camping trip to Dartmoor, where Brody is determined to document every moment with his video camera. The mood turns tense when Kerry invites Leo to join them; Brody’s patience thins as he watches Leo flirt with Kerry, trying to hide his growing jealousy by pretending friendliness. The trio pulls off a stop at a local pub, where villagers recount a chilling legend about The Huntsman, a figure who carves crosses into the foreheads of sinners before striking them down.
As the days pass, Brody’s envy spikes after he witnesses Kerry and Leo sharing jokes and warmth, prompting him to question whether Leo is truly a cousin. He covertly confronts Leo over footage of Leo sneaking into their home, and in a misguided bid to catch them in the act, Brody plants a camera in their tent. The surveillance exposes a web of deception: not only are Kerry and Leo not related, but they were lovers in the past, and Kerry had lied to Brody to smooth things over. With the truth out, Leo and Kerry’s relationship rekindles, a development that bursts into a violent moment when Leo hurts Kerry. He tries to apologize, but Kerry rejects him, insinuating that Brody’s emotional distance echoes her late father’s memory. Leo disappears, leaving Kerry alone in the woods.
Alone, Kerry starts to sense something sinister in the forest: strange noises echo around the trees, and nooses appear dangling from branches. She is suddenly chased by an unseen force, knocked unconscious, and wakes to find a cross carved on her forehead. She staggers back to the campsite, furious to uncover the tent camera and the footage Brody had secretly recorded—clips of her nightmare-filled sleep and a revelation that Brody had plotted to abandon her in the woods, mirroring a solitude he once sought there ten years earlier. The anger burns hot, and she snaps at the camera, vowing to hurt Brody.
Her fury is interrupted by a brutal discovery: Leo returns, badly bruised and cut. Kerry moves to help him, but Leo erupts in a fit of rage and chases her into the trees. Moments later, she encounters a bruised and bleeding Brody, who urges her to believe that Leo is not himself and that an unknown force is hunting them. They scramble to find an exit, but trust frays as Kerry spots Leo’s bracelet on the ground and suspects Brody of foul play. In a desperate struggle, Kerry fights Brody and kills him, leaving herself battered, alone, and hunted in the forest.
In a further shock, Kerry finds Leo’s digital camera and watches a clip revealing Brody being attacked and dragged away by an unseen assailant. Panic floods her as she scouts for a way out, but a violent assault interrupts her escape, and the screen cuts to black, leaving the fate of Kerry and the mystery of the woods unresolved.
Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:48
Explore Movie Threads
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Paranoid horror thrillers like A Night in the Woods
Stories where isolation and distrust turn allies into enemies.If you liked the claustrophobic terror and relationship breakdown in A Night in the Woods, explore more movies like it. These horror and thriller films focus on groups under pressure, where trust erodes and paranoia takes hold in isolated settings, creating a deeply unsettling experience.
Narrative Summary
Narratives in this thread typically begin with a group in a stressful, isolated situation. Tension builds steadily as interpersonal conflicts—often fueled by jealousy, secrets, or betrayal—are ignited by a perceived external menace. The story revolves around the collapse of social bonds, culminating in a fight for survival where the line between friend and foe is blurred.
Why These Movies?
Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on the psychology of confinement and distrust. They create a palpable sense of dread not just from a monster or killer, but from the terrifying realization that the people you're with cannot be trusted, making the environment itself feel oppressive and lethal.
Supernatural psychological horror movies like A Night in the Woods
Horror films where a vague supernatural force preys on fragile minds.Fans of the ambiguous evil and psychological terror in A Night in the Woods will find similar stories here. These films feature a vague supernatural threat that preys on characters' deepest fears and flaws, resulting in bleak, open-ended conclusions that linger in the mind.
Narrative Summary
The narrative pattern involves a group or individual confronted by a poorly understood supernatural entity. This force doesn't just pose a physical threat; it manipulates, exposes secrets, and amplifies existing psychological vulnerabilities. The plot is as much about confronting inner demons as it is about surviving an external one, often leading to an ambiguous or bleak ending where the threat's nature is never fully explained.
Why These Movies?
These films are grouped by their use of an enigmatic supernatural element to explore themes of guilt, trauma, and madness. The experience is defined by sustained dread and a feeling of hopelessness, as the characters are undone by a force they can neither comprehend nor defeat, leaving a lasting sense of unease.
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A Night in the Woods Timeline
Track the full timeline of A Night in the Woods with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Characters, Settings & Themes in A Night in the Woods
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape A Night in the Woods. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
