The Forest (2016) (English Language)

Review

93min

Genre:      Horror, Thriller

Director:   Jason Zada

Cast:        Natalie Dormer, Taylor Kinney, Yukiyoshi Ozawa…and more

Writers:    Nick Antosca, Sarah Cornwell & Ben Ketai

-Synopsis-

After the disappearance of her twin, a young American woman is drawn to a dark and notorious Japanese forest where she will face terror and her inner demons to discover the fate of her sister in this horror/thriller feature debut from director Jason Zada.

‘The Forest’ has received some flak for exploiting Japan’s Aokigahara for entertainment value, a forest at the foot of mount Fuji which has become a globally notorious suicide site and which has historical mythological significance in Japanese culture.

But ‘The Forest’ is by no means the first horror film to take advantage of tragedy for the sake of entertainment, horror classic ‘The Amityville Horror’ is a near 40 year old example, indeed this is not even the first movie to use Aokigahara as a story point, but if that were the film’s only major issue we’d feel much better about dedicating over 90 minutes to it.

‘Game of Thrones’ fans might be drawn to the film by the appearance of “Queen Margaery” herself as Natalie Dormer pulls double duty and goes American in playing both “Price” sisters. There are only a couple of creatively disturbing moments in ‘The Forest’ and producers have clearly tried to recreate the wonderfully creepy nature of Japanese horror for a “western” audience… with very limited success.

The foreboding power of the woods is a theme present in the mythology and literature of virtually every major civilization, so it would seem that the film’s producers are walking safe and well-trodden cinematic ground by sticking to a dark creepy forest narrative.

But ‘The Forest’ manages to squander the potential of its roots as it potters along with a distinct lack of tension, while ticking off as many predictable horror techniques as possible on the way to a disappointing twist and hugely unsatisfying conclusion.

Heavily relying on predictable horror standards like spooky apparitions and cheap jump-scares, there is a distinct lack of suspense and terror here… and ultimately it’s just not scary. Unsurprising since at its heart ‘The Forest’ is a distinctly mediocre psychological thriller masquerading as a moody horror flick.

The Bottom Line…

Despite attempts at re-creating the creepy nature of Japanese horror, ‘The Forest’ relies too heavily on predictable techniques to distract from the fact that it’s a forgettable thriller in horror’s clothing, featuring a distinct lack of menace or genuine scares, a perfect example of ineffective horror by numbers.

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Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Forest of the Living Dead (2011)

After a young American model commits suicide in the notorious Japanese forest of Aokigahara, she becomes a horrific vengeful spirit who enacts bloody revenge on those who wronged her in this supernatural indie horror.

Directed by Shan Serafin and starring Kai Elle, Aidan Bristow and Michael Madsen among others.

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