Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Forest Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 27, 2021

“The Forest” is a 1982 release looking to participate in the great horror movie gold rush of the early 1980s. Writer/director Don Jones collects a small amount of money and heads to the Sequoia National Park in California to create a genre picture that plays into slasher trends of the era, but also wants to try a few different ideas, including the addition of a ghost story to a tale of outdoor survival. Jones doesn’t have the time or coin to provide hospital corners on the effort, which is prone to padding and pausing, but he has a strange vision for “The Forest” that’s almost worth a sit, working to change a few elements of intimidation to help the material reach different areas of fear. That’s not to suggest anything in the feature is suspenseful, but Jones takes a different route to scares at times, ending up with a lumpy oddity that merges the afterlife, cannibalism, and camping, making for a passable bottom shelf offering.

Life in the big city has been brutal for Charlie (John Batis), who can’t stand the pollution and traffic any longer. His best pal, Steve (Dean Russell), suggests a camping trip to help clear their heads, taking time to visit a national park for some hiking, enjoying the wonders of nature. Also interested in the trip is Charlie’s wife, Teddi (Ann Wilkinson), who’s looking to prove her toughness with a stint in the woods, joined by Steve’s spouse, Sharon (Elaine Warner). Getting a head start, the women make it to the open world first, but they make a horrific discovery when the ghosts of John Jr. (Corky Pigeon, who would go on to play Freddy in the T.V. show “Silver Spoons”) and Jennifer (Becki Burke) materialize, warning them that their living father, John (Gary Kent), is living in a cave nearby, and he is a danger to all. When Charlie and Steve finally make their way into the woods, they encounter John, who’s a seemingly stable man with a fondness for meat. Also in the area is Mother (Jeannette Kelly), John’s dead wife, and she wants to take possession of her kids, leaving them desperate to evade her mysterious presence.

“The Forest” establishes gruesomeness in a prologue of sorts, which follows a couple in the woods as they try to find their way out of the park, fearing they’re being followed. It’s meant to be a suspenseful sequence, but it arrives after the main titles, which offer smooth jazz scoring -- an odd choice for a movie about murder and ghosts. The twosome doesn’t last for long, visited by a man with a long knife, who kills the campers before “The Forest” switches focus to Charlie and Steve and their mounting frustrations. Charlie is fed up with California traffic and bad news, triggering a plan to visit a national park for the week, allowing the guys to clear their minds. Strangely, this news triggers a gender war with their wives, who want to use a trip to the great outdoors to prove their bravery, facing the dangers of the night on their own.

“The Forest” transitions to gorgeous Sequoia National Park locations, with Park making smart use of wide-open spaces, giving the feature some much needed scale without having to pay for it, following the women as they try to reach a meeting point with the men before nightfall. The husbands deal with car troubles, making them late to the party, and Jones also exposes some production limitations, trying to sell the bright noonday sun as “dusk.” A killer going after campers plays right into “Friday the 13th” territory, and Jones is happy to have that comparison. However, he shifts away from constant killing to add ghosts to the genre menu, with two kids popping up to help Teddi and Sharon, making it clear John isn’t trying to use his long knife for cutting branches. He’s out for blood. Well, a bit more than that, as a man living in a cave after enduring a traumatic incident with Mother has got to eat, and there’s nothing tastier than fresh camper, with Jones adding a touch of the macabre to keep things interesting, especially when Charlie and Steve find their way into the hermit’s cave to get out of the rain.

The Forest Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"The Forest" returns to Blu-ray with a "2016 HD Scan." The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation is a little rough around the edges, encountering judder, damaged frames, scratching, and speckling. The viewing experience offers a brighter look at frame particulars, enjoying the open world of the national park, which offers mild dimension as the characters march around the woods and rivers. Detail is passable with facial surfaces, highlighting age differences, and makeup effects are showcased with clarity. Colors are tastefully refreshed, with clothing bringing out bold primaries, including the red nightgown on Mother. Greenery is strong as well. Skintones are natural, and ghostly pallor is appreciable. Delineation is acceptable.

The Forest Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't strong, dealing with some volume fluctuations after a louder first reel. Dialogue exchanges are acceptable, with the living characters having no trouble with intelligibility. It's the ghostly reverb effect used for the spirits that's difficult to understand at times, which seems to be an inherent issue. Scoring cues enjoy acceptable instrumentation with synth stings and soft jazz. Mild hiss and pops are detected.

The Forest Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features director Don Jones and cinematographer Stuart Asbjornsen.

• Commentary #2 features director Don Jones and actor Gary Kent.

• Featurette (13:05, SD) is a 2006 conversation with Don Jones and Stuart Asbjornsen, and Gary Kent, who appears in a separate location. Jones details the genesis of "The Forest," a film that received a theatrical release despite being made for the VHS market. Financial woes are recalled, with Jones taking out a second mortgage to pay for the movie, only to lose his house in the end. Cast and crew are assessed, along with the Sequoia National Park locations. Kent goes into character, trying to work out a backstory and motivation for John, delving into the headspace of a cannibal to complete his performance. Jones reveals completion issues for the troubled endeavor, which was destroyed in an early edit, requiring the director to figure it out on his own. Hilariously, Jones acknowledges some interesting additions to the picture, but "doesn't understand the popularity" of "The Forest."

• And a Trailer (1:09, SD) is included.

The Forest Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Forest" lacks excitement, but Jones tries to get things going with some fight sequences and the central threat of a killer on the loose. What counts here is ambition, as the production tries to take a few detours, including the addition of helpful and harmful ghosts. While the backstory concerning the apparitions is incredibly grim, Jones doesn't lead into darkness, simply trying to make a mess of screen victims in the middle of gorgeous country. Expectations will destroy "The Forest" in the first five minutes, leaving the feature for a more patient genre maniac searching for a slasher movie that doesn't really want to be a slasher movie.