By MICHAEL GINGOLD

The first feature by a new filmmaker finds fear in the forest.

Writer/director Sarah Lyons gave RUE MORGUE the first look at the trailer and pics from her debut movie THE WOODS. It stars Taylor Harris-Butler, Samantha Evans, Troy Tripicchino, Jakob Martinez Cooper, Sean Cole and Todd Jones. The synopsis: “Years after a grisly hike in the woods took the lives of her best friends, lone survivor Kate Reed [Harris-Butler] recounts her story on a popular true crime podcast.”

“I’m extremely proud of all the people involved in making this project, almost all of whom are personal friends of mine,” Lyons tells us. “We took big risks making this movie, and did a lot of things you aren’t ‘supposed’ to do. We had an entirely female-run set [including producer Monica Arsenault, cinematographer Maddalena De Beni and assistant director/editor Erika Rodgers], a tiny budget, shot it in barely two weeks, and it was my first film of any sort. Not only did it pay off in terms of making a great movie, but I think people are ready for risk-taking and a DIY approach to make a comeback.”

“I want people to enjoy the film,” she adds, “but almost more than that, I want people to walk away from it feeling like they could make a horror movie, too. CEOs and executives in Hollywood have never really given artists and workers the respect we deserve, but I think they are especially overplaying their hand right now, and people are starting to see that they need us more than we need them. You don’t need the permission of a studio to make a movie; you need a good story, good friends, and resolve.”

We’ll keep you posted on when you’ll be able to head into THE WOODS!