The Forest

Parental Rating: PG-13

Contains: Violence    Adult Content    

Jill's Review

Opens January 8, 2016

Runs 95 minutes

Natalie Dormer is Sara, the twin to Jess.  Both were raised by their grandmother after a terrible tragedy took their parents' lives. Sara blocked out a lot of the tragedy while Jess chose to escape her memories through reckless behavior. When Sara receives a call from the Japanese authorities reporting that her sister has gone missing and was last seen entering the Aokigahara Forest, she is a little worried. Then when she discovers that the Aokigahara Forest is known as the "Suicide Forest", she becomes concerned and heads to Japan to find her sister. Along the way she meets Aiden (Taylor Kinney) who offers to help her navigate the forest if she will let him write an article about it. Together with a Park Ranger, they enter the forest. Soon they find Jess' tent but there is no sign of her. The Park Ranger urges them to leave the forest and return in the morning because after dark, there are evil forces that exploit your darkest fears. Of course, Sara refuses to leave because she can sense that her sister is still alive and close. Aiden stays with her. Will they find Jess and make it out of the forest or will they succumb to the haunting darkness of the Forest?

Ok. This movie wasn't really scary and left a few questions at the end. However, it wasn't terrible. It was interesting because the Aokigahara Forest is a real place. It is at the base of Mount Fuji and it has a terrible history. In the past, the Japanese would take the infirm or the elderly and leave them in the forest to die when they could no longer care for them. Gradually, it has become a place where people actually go to commit suicide. It is known to have bodies hanging from trees and skeletal remains spread all over the place. Thus, the stories of demons and spirits inhabiting the Forest. A great starting place. But, the Forest never seemed that scary in the movie. Although, I would not want to get lost in there alone. There was a decent amount of tension. And, an interesting turn of events near the end of the film. Still, not super scary. A decent January movie that you can probably wait and watch on cable some night.

Movie Search

Find a movie by name, genre, or ranking.