The Forest

The Aokigahara Forest caused visions not only to the main character of this film, but also to me, the viewer. While the screen was showing an average, unambitious American horror film, what I saw was mainly the squandered potential and the fog-shrouded, excellent film that could be made on the basis of that place. But for that, Jason Zada would’ve had to try a little harder and build things on something more than several, and to a great extent cheap jump scares; to play with heavy paranoia, anxiety and insecurity. Or to al least find a somewhat scarier place, because the pine forest they’ve used is actually antiscary. Even that would be enough, see for example the recent The Hallow or The Witch. But, even though I’m rather critical, the horror year of 2016 could have begun a lot worse. This is just about nothing. Watched, standard, carry on. (07.01.2016)

Perhaps even the screenwriter himself didn’t know what was reality and what was only in the protagonist’s head. Or at least which of her imaginings would have an effect on reality and, if so, what kind of effect. It seems likely that he also didn’t know exactly what happened at the end. The Forest is supposed to scare with ghostly interpolations in the mold of the American version of The Grudge, and even the idea of angry ghosts of people who have committed suicide in the woods is borrowed from the Japanese original Ju-on: The Grudge. However, it lacks the clarity and balance between reality, childhood demons and frightening illusions in the forest, and the visual sophistication of the camerawork and editing that we’re used to from high-quality horror films are surprisingly missing here. This below-average film is a waste of the subject matter’s strong potential (that suicide forest in Japan really does exist). (14.04.2020)

The only mystery about this film is why it’s supposed to be a horror movie or a thriller. For me, the beginning was a boring and protracted preparation of a future victim for what might happen to them while running around the woods, followed by some similarly tedious running around the aforementioned woods, complete with predictable jump scares and an even more predictable ending. Now that I know what the Japanese wells and forests can hide, I can’t wait to see what’s next to come. Some sort of a mysterious cave or stream perhaps? (13.04.2017)

The Forest is a film with great potential, a film that could create a place for legends, not only in real life but in the film world as well. And although the filmmakers tried very hard to make it have the right WTF effect at the end, unfortunately, the excitement doesn't really come, and it's pretty gross in places. There is not a single character - except perhaps the Japanese ones - that I like in any way. Very much a missed opportunity. (19.08.2017)