Movie Review: The Forest (2016)

The Forest (2016)
Rating: PG-13 (for disturbing thematic content and images)
Genre: Drama, Horror
Directed By: Jason Zada
Written By: Sarah Cornwell, Nick Antosca,Ben Ketai
In Theaters: Jan 8, 2016 Wide
Runtime: 1 hr. 35 min.
Gramercy Pictures

Against the backdrop of Japan's Aokigahara forest, where people go to end their lives, an American woman braves the mysterious, uncharted terrain to search for her missing sister.

I had high hopes for this movie, as someone who knew about the Aokigahara forest before the trailer came out. I put the movie on my 'must see list' and dragged my mom to it opening day. The first hour though was rather disappointing, filled with every horror movie cliche and stupid blond looking over her shoulder moment possible. Every ten minutes or so there would be a jump scare that you could see from a mile away and it was almost painful to sit through. 

The last thirty minutes though were worth the $8.50 and hour wait. After being able to guess the next move for the first 2/3 of the movie I never saw the plot twist coming. I spent the last 1/3 of the movie thinking I had it all figure out only to find out I was dead wrong. Suddenly all the 'pointless' cliche crap in the beginning made perfect sense. 

The ending was shocking, disturbing, and unsettling. As the credits rolled I was just sitting there thinking "oh no f#*%ing way" 

You can't outrun your demons. 

This movie is not something you should rush out to the theaters to see, but I highly recommend catching it on Netflix or renting it. 

3.5/5 sheep 

RenStogner

Getting lost in a forest: Dos and Don'ts by Jeremy Bates (Suicide Forest book tour)

Given that Suicide Forest is about a bunch of friends who get lost in a forest and begin to succumb to the elements (among other things!) I thought it might be fun—and educational—to write a short post on what to do—and not do—when/if you get lost in a forest.

Here it goes:



1) Don’t panic! Easier said than done, maybe. But the best thing to do is sit tight and hope someone comes looking for you soon. Doing so will prevent you from getting even more lost, as well as help you to conserve energy.

2) Identify your immediate location with some kind of landmark—this could be a tall tree, a prominent boulder, etc. The reason? In case you don’t listen to point one and panic, wander off, and get yourself more lost.

3) Know how to orient yourself! Know the sun rises in the east, sets in the west. Know moss grows on the north sides of rocks/trees.

4) Search your surroundings for water (but don’t go too far!) Keep an eye out for birds, as they often stay close to a clean water source. If you get desperate, you can wrap your shirt around your legs in the morning and collect dew, or even build a below-ground sill.

5) Search your surroundings for food. Don’t be afraid to eat fat little insects for a protein boost.

6) Make a fire. If you have a battery handy, you can short-circuit it by connecting the positive and negative terminals with a wire or foil, which will create a spark to light your tinder. Not only will the fire keep you warm, it will help keep the mosquitos away. Also, if you found water, you can purify it over the flames. Finally, if you add green wood and brush to it, you have a very smoky signal fire.

There are probably a dozen other things you can do to survive the woods until you are rescued, but I’d say the abovementioned are some of the most important. So have fun hiking/camping—and, oh yeah, point number seven: watch out for serial killers!

Suicide Forest 

Author: Jeremy Bates
Publisher: Ghillinnein Books
Pages: 350
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Format: Paperback/KindleJust outside of Tokyo lies Aokigahara, a vast forest and one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Japan…and also the most infamous spot to commit suicide in the world. Legend has it that the spirits of those many suicides are still roaming, haunting deep in the ancient woods.

When bad weather prevents a group of friends from climbing neighboring Mt. Fuji, they decide to spend the night camping in Aokigahara. But they get more than they bargained for when one of them is found hanged in the morning—and they realize there might be some truth to the legends after all.

Suicide Forest is available at Amazon

About the Author:
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Jeremy Bates is the author of the #1 Amazon bestseller White Lies, which was nominated for the 2012 Foreword Book of the Year Award. He has spent the last ten years traveling the world, visiting more than thirty countries. He has lived in Canada, the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Bates is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a degree in English literature and philosophy. He is an active member of Horror Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Inc., and Crime Writers of Canada.