The Forest
The Forest

The Forest

2016Movie93 minEnglish

Set in the Aokigahara Forest, a real-life place in Japan where people go to end their lives. Against this backdrop, a young American woman comes in search of her twin sister, who has mysteriously disappeared.

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Insights

IMDb4.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes30%
Metacritic34/100
Google Users32%
Director: Jason ZadaGenres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Plot Summary

Sara Price travels to Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a place known for its tragic beauty and supernatural elements, in search of her twin sister, Jess. Despite warnings, Sara ventures into the dense woods, a place where the lost are said to linger. As she delves deeper, she encounters vengeful spirits and must confront her own inner demons to find her sister and escape the forest's terrifying grip.

Critical Reception

The Forest received largely negative reviews from critics, who found its scares predictable and its plot unoriginal. While some appreciated the atmospheric setting and Dormer's performance, most critics felt the film failed to deliver a compelling horror experience.

What Reviewers Say

  • Relies too heavily on jump scares and familiar horror tropes.
  • Fails to capitalize on its intriguing premise and atmospheric setting.
  • Despite a committed lead performance, the film is ultimately disappointing.

Google audience: Audiences found 'The Forest' to be a predictable and uninspired horror film, with many criticizing its reliance on cheap scares and a lack of genuine tension. While some appreciated the visual aspects and the lead actress, the overall sentiment was one of disappointment.

Fun Fact

The film was shot in Serbia and Japan, with the Japanese portions filmed in the actual Aokigahara forest, adding to the authenticity of the setting.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

5 reviews
Cam864

Cam864

The Forest was certainly an interesting concept but was very poorly executed; riddled with unnecessary jump scares as well as simply being poorly directed the film just flops. The ending left much more to be desired as well. On the bright s...
skyezero

skyezero

I would rather peel a raw onion and squeeze the juices into my eyes than watch recent horror movies coming out of Hollywood at the moment. WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE NO IMAGINATION AND JUST RELY ON CHEAP SHITTY JUMP SCENES WITH WANK PLOTS?! O...
Gimly

Gimly

I gained absolutely nothing from this experience bar the knowledge that Natalie Dormer makes for an attractive goth. _Final rating:★½: - Boring/disappointing. Avoid if possible._
Frank Ochieng

Frank Ochieng

The backbone of _The Forest’s_ conception is probably more fascinating than the horror film in which the narrative is based upon. Some may be familiar with the backstory of the “real” _Forest_ and its disturbing legendary reputation. Of cou...
Question

Question

Cool story, but I think it would've worked better as a psychological movie instead of a horror movie.