Review of The Forest (2016) by Jack F — 17 Oct 2016

Forests can be naturally creepy places. They're big and vast, and it's very easy to lose one's bearings and get caught up in an endless sea of greens and browns. Plus, there's the uncertainty factor: oftentimes, especially in the dark, you just can't tell exactly what's out there. Of course, there're the obvious answers, like insects and small mammals such as rabbits or foxes. But in a pitch black scenario, in which everything is enshrouded by the trees and shrubbery...it can be very easy for the mind to convince you there's something more sinister lurking in the darkness...maybe even something supernatural...

"The Forest" plays off such primal fears, but to varying degrees of success. There is a lot of potential in the story, especially since its setting is a real life location. Aokigahara Forest is located in Japan at the base of Mount Fuji, and it has achieved infamy as a frequent suicide destination over the years. Additionally, it is rumored to be haunted by the restless spirits of those who've died in the forest, referred to as "yurei." Natalie Dormer plays a young woman who ventures into the forest in search of her missing sister, despite assurances from locals that those who go into the forest usually don't want to be found.

Now isn't that a great premise for a spooky little ghost story? And yes, there are times when "The Forest" succeeds in delivering chills to viewers' spines. But mostly, the proceedings come off as rather lethargic, and that's not a good look for any film, but especially one that clocks in at an otherwise lean 93 minutes. As usual, there's an overreliance on "jump scares," including a couple that seem especially gratuitous as they have absolutely nothing to do with the story, and some even come from the dreaded "it was only a dream" sequence. In other words, the very definition of "cheap.".

Sara (Dormer), an American businesswoman, comes to Japan in search of her twin sister, Jess (Dormer again), who teaches English at an elementary school. She had previously been informed by the local police that Jess had last been seen entering the notorious Aokigahara Forest, and given its history, they assume she had gone there to die. But Sara doesn't buy it; she shares a special bond with her sister, almost like a psychic, magical twin link, and she believes that Jess is alive. So she and a friendly American journalist (Taylor Kinney) trek into the forest to try and locate the wayward sister, and then, as apparently neither has ever seen "The Blair Witch Project," they decide to spend the night when it gets too dark to continue the search.

Alright, now look...I understand this is a horror movie (of sorts), and that by definition, that means its characters are going to make dumb decisions. But good Lord...when you're in a foreign country in an area you know nothing about, and in a location notorious for being dangerous (amongst other things), and when your cell phone doesn't get any kind of signal in said location, and you've got a minimal supply of resources at your disposal...there are dumb decisions, there are agonizingly idiotic decisions, and there's THIS.

This initial, terrible choice is then exacerbated by even more senseless behavior. Naturally, the forest's unearthly denizens begin to show themselves, and Sara was warned MULTIPLE times that the yurei would attempt to mess with her head, but stupid is as stupid does, I guess, so she makes more bad decisions, and begins to run away, and blah blah blah blah blah....

These kinds of story turns and character behaviors wouldn't rile me as much if the movie was consistently scary. And this is all the more disappointing when, as noted above, there are moments that are actually kinda brilliant, dealing in creepy, subtle scares as opposed to the jarring "Boo, gotcha!" variety. There are sequences in which Sara is moving along and we can just barely make out the images of ghostly specters hiding amongst the trees. The images are brief and fleeting, and it actually puts the audience directly into Sara's mindset; were those spirits REALLY there, or were we just seeing things?

There are also some unsettling, quieter moments such as the sight of colored ropes extended throughout the trees. We're told that, upon entry, some suicidal people begin tying these ropes to the trees so that they can find their way back out in case they change their mind...or, in a far more morbid reasoning, so that authorities or loved ones can find their bodies...

There are additional annoyances at the story level. The climax is unsatisfying (in addition to not being scary), the ending is murky, and there's a moment that seems like it's supposed to be an ostensible "twist," but it's so obvious that it moves beyond disappointing and just becomes frustrating. And we're never really given any sort of insight into Jess, the missing sister, whatsoever; what drove her to enter the forest in the first place?

I had some marginal expectations for "The Forest," as I had a vague knowledge of Aokigahara beforehand, and when I heard there was going to be a ghost story utilizing it as a setting, I immediately recognized the potential. And considering the quality of some of the ghost stories I'd seen in recent years, that only made the prospect seem more appealing. But this is just another missed opportunity, the kind of mediocre fright flick that's destined for late night, Syfy channel status.