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IMDbPro

The Forest

  • 20162016
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
4.8/10
44K
YOUR RATING
Natalie Dormer in The Forest (2016)
A supernatural thriller set in the legendary Aokigahara Forest at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan. A young American woman, Sara, goes in search of her twin sister, who has mysteriously disappeared. Despite everyone's warnings to "stay on the path," Sara enters the forest determined to discover the truth about her sister's fate -- only to be confronted by the angry and tormented souls of the dead that prey on anyone who wanders into the forest.
Play trailer2:29
19 Videos
67 Photos
HorrorMysteryThriller
A young woman's desperate search for her twin sister brings her to a ghost-filled stretch of wilderness known as the 'Suicide Forest.'A young woman's desperate search for her twin sister brings her to a ghost-filled stretch of wilderness known as the 'Suicide Forest.'A young woman's desperate search for her twin sister brings her to a ghost-filled stretch of wilderness known as the 'Suicide Forest.'
IMDb RATING
4.8/10
44K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Jason Zada
  • Writers
    • Ben Ketai
    • Sarah Cornwell
    • Nick Antosca
  • Stars
    • Natalie Dormer
    • Eoin Macken
    • Stephanie Vogt
  • Director
    • Jason Zada
  • Writers
    • Ben Ketai
    • Sarah Cornwell
    • Nick Antosca
  • Stars
    • Natalie Dormer
    • Eoin Macken
    • Stephanie Vogt
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 247User reviews
    • 178Critic reviews
    • 34Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos19

    Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:29
    Watch Trailer #1
    Official Trailer #2
    Trailer 1:03
    Watch Official Trailer #2
    The Forest: Say Something
    Clip 1:13
    Watch The Forest: Say Something
    The Forest: Need Your Help
    Clip 1:41
    Watch The Forest: Need Your Help
    The Forest: Sarah Meets Michi
    Clip 0:56
    Watch The Forest: Sarah Meets Michi
    The Forest: Hallway
    Clip 1:12
    Watch The Forest: Hallway
    The Forest: River
    Clip 1:14
    Watch The Forest: River
    The Forest: Michi's Warning
    Clip 0:45
    Watch The Forest: Michi's Warning
    The Forest: Maggots
    Clip 0:54
    Watch The Forest: Maggots
    The Forest: Cave
    Clip 0:44
    Watch The Forest: Cave
    THE FOREST - 'Say Something' Clip
    Clip 1:13
    Watch THE FOREST - 'Say Something' Clip
    The Forest: David S. Goyer
    Featurette 0:34
    Watch The Forest: David S. Goyer

    Photos67

    Natalie Dormer in The Forest (2016)
    Taylor Kinney in The Forest (2016)
    Taylor Kinney in The Forest (2016)
    Natalie Dormer in The Forest (2016)
    Natalie Dormer in The Forest (2016)
    Natalie Dormer in The Forest (2016)
    The Forest (2016)
    The Forest (2016)
    Natalie Dormer in The Forest (2016)
    Natalie Dormer in The Forest (2016)
    Yukiyoshi Ozawa, Natalie Dormer, Taylor Kinney, and Eoin Macken in The Forest (2016)
    The Forest (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Natalie Dormer
    Natalie Dormer
    • Sara…
    Eoin Macken
    Eoin Macken
    • Rob
    Stephanie Vogt
    Stephanie Vogt
    • Valerie
    Osamu Tanpopo
    • Homeless Man
    • (as Tanpopo Osamu)
    Yasuo Tobishima
    • Sushi Chef
    Ibuki Kaneda
    • Mei (Schoolgirl)
    Akiko Iwase
    Akiko Iwase
    • Head Teacher
    Kikuo Ichikawa
    • Businessman
    Noriko Sakura
    Noriko Sakura
    • Mayumi
    Jozef Aoki
    • Visitor Center Morgue Man
    Yûho Yamashita
    • Sakura
    • (as Yuho Yamashita)
    Taylor Kinney
    Taylor Kinney
    • Aiden
    Gen Seto
    Gen Seto
    • Narusawa Bartender
    Terry Diab
    • Grandma
    Nadja Mazalica
    • Sara…
    Lidija Antonic
    • Mother of Sara…
    Takako Akashi
    • Ubasute Old Woman #1
    Yuriri Naka
    Yuriri Naka
    • Narusawa Young Woman
    • Director
      • Jason Zada
    • Writers
      • Ben Ketai
      • Sarah Cornwell
      • Nick Antosca
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Natalie Dormer actually went to the Suicide Forest with her Japanese driver for research. She ventured five meters off the path to take photos and her Japanese driver would not step half an inch over the path.
    • Goofs
      During their first excursion into the forest with Sara, Aiden & Michi remove a decaying dead body hanging from a tree. As Michi cuts the rope, Aiden takes the body in a "Fireman's Carry" across his shoulders and lowers it to the ground.

      The chances of this happening in real life are extremely unlikely. Even an inexperienced person like Aiden would know better than to make close, direct physical contact with a putrefying corpse, which is undoubtedly swarming with bacteria and insects- as well as leaking any number of bacteria laden bodily fluids- creating a highly unsanitary situation.

      Furthermore- immediately after having the corpse directly across his shoulders- Aiden continues his hike in close proximity to his companions. Not only does his light color T-Shirt show no sign of bodily fluids or rotting flesh, in real life the smell of the decaying body on Aiden's clothing and skin would be so overwhelming as to be unbearable, not only to him but to those around him (that's why those who work around crime scenes, dead bodies, etc., wear special disposable bio suits and sometimes must even dispose of their street clothing if it is saturated with the odor of decaying tissue- the smell is that bad).
    • Quotes

      [from trailer]

      Sara: My sister Jess and I, we are identical twins. Once something happens to the one of us, the other one could tell. It's hard to explain, but I can just feel it. She's in trouble, and she needs me.

    • Connections
      Featured in Monster Vision: A History and Analysis of Horror Cinema (2016)
    • Soundtracks
      Japan
      Written by Alex Banks and Hannah Thomas

      Courtesy of Cavendish Music

      Under license from 5 Alarm Music

    User reviews247

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    3/10
    The Forest has a creepy enough atmosphere, but it's not enough to make up for the confused plot and lack of scares.
    I had my eye on this movie since it came out earlier this year. It was a January release so I was in no rush to see it, but it had a genuinely cool premise: looking for someone in the suicide forest, which is an actual place in Japan where people go to commit suicide. It's pretty unsettling. In the movie, it's said that the forest compels people to kill themselves due to supernatural forces or vengeful spirits. The Forest focuses on Sara, whose sister has gone missing in said forest, and Sara's desperate endeavors to find her sister despite the evidence pointing to her being dead. Up until about the 30-minute mark, I was on board. The pieces were set, the exposition was established, and the characters (Sara, her journalist friend Aiden, and a tour guide) were finally heading into the forest. Again, the atmosphere is creepy throughout. The director clearly has a grasp on how to build tension.

    The problem is that the promising build ups lead to zero payoffs. There are handful of cheap jump scares, a couple of which admittedly shocked me but only momentarily. Once the initial shock wore off seconds later I was in the same state of mind as before. Effective jump scares linger for a while; they imbue dread and usually add something to the narrative. The jump scares here are your typical, "Boo! Something's behind you!", which are easy to shrug off. Also, once they're in the forest, the characters make some decisions that are unfathomably stupid and out-of-character. Like, the main point of the forest is that it makes you think you see things, a psychedelic effect if you will. So after Sara receives this crucial information, she runs after the first thing she sees scurrying around in the forest. While it's pitch black, mind you. It completely takes you out of the movie and makes you lose all empathy for the characters for putting themselves in these avoidable situations.

    Also, The Forest focuses more on the bond between Sara and her sister than the actual forest. So there are plenty of flashbacks, dream sequences, all that garbage that just muddles the fact that, hey, this forest is really f*cking scary. Why not focus on the forest instead of forcing character development, if you can even call it that? It makes no sense. Also, there's nothing we haven't seen before. People being hung? First scene in Sinister. Claustrophobic underground tunnels? The Descent. The only thing that makes the movie unique is the actual setting which is used as a backdrop more than anything.

    The acting is good, as is the premise, but the potential littered within this movie is never fully realized. The director can definitely creep you out but he'll need a better script if he wants to make a truly great movie. The Forest just leaves you feeling hollow and disappointed.
    helpful•127
    18
    • lnvicta
    • Mar 28, 2016

    FAQ1

    • Why is no one in the forest seem to be bothered by mosquitos or any flying bug?.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 8, 2016 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Khu Rừng Tự Sát
    • Filming locations
      • Tara National Forest, Serbia(the forest scenes)
    • Production companies
      • AI-Film
      • Lava Bear Films
      • Phantom Four Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $10,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $26,594,261
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $12,741,176
      • Jan 10, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $39,712,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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