The Forest | Rotten Tomatoes

The Forest

PG-13

Released Jan 8, 2016

1 hr. 33 min.

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

TRAILER

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List

10%

138 Reviews

Tomatometer

22%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When her twin sister disappears in Japan, a young American named Sara (Natalie Dormer) becomes determined to find out what happened to her. Sara's investigation leads her to the legendary Aokigahara Forest, located at the base of Mount Fuji. Accompanied by expatriate Aiden, she enters the mysterious wilderness after being warned to "stay on the path." Her investigation plunges her into a dark world where the angry and tormented souls of the dead prey on those who dare to explore the forest.

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Critics Consensus

The Forest offers Natalie Dormer a few chances to showcase her range in a dual role, but they aren't enough to offset the fact that the movie's simply not all that scary.

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Jacob Jordan B

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/20/22

Full Review

Maurice A. T

Hollywood spent $26M to make a film a few college students could've shot in a day, using a $500 DSLR and cheap laptop. I hate dumb protagonists. I don't know what I hated more, the unnecessary jump scares, the stupid protagonist, or the supporting characters that willfully break their own rules. She does EVERYTHING in her power to die and it was frustrating watching her make mistake most normal humans would have been to afraid to make. They told her many times before the journey, "Do not leave the path..." Her tour guide told her multiple times, "If you see or hear something strange, don't follow it because it's not real." Yet, she ignores EVERYTHING. She would have been by herself the moment she walked off the path. End of movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/08/22

Full Review

steve d

It dragged along with absolutely no suspense.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Matuzh

So underrated movie. It isn't actually so bad.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/24/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Pretty freaky. Keeps you watching. Was decent

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/11/22

Full Review

jelisije j

Natalie Dormer searches for her twin sister who was last scene in one of the deadliest supernatural forests in the world. Had potential, but left me unsatisfied at the end.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Jason Zada

Director

Natalie Dormer

Sara

Taylor Kinney

Aiden

Yukiyoshi Ozawa

Michi

Eoin Macken

Rob

Stephanie Vogt

Valerie

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The Forest: B-Roll 1

4:39

The Forest: Trailer 2

1:02

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

The film feels more like an expertly crafted missed opportunity, a suspense opus filled with some solidly intriguing ideas that for some reason it refuses to investigate.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 16, 2016

Full Review

Roxana Hadadi

Chesapeake Family Magazine

Disturbingly manipulative and yet totally conventional, The Forest is more memorable for being opportunistic than for being truly frightening.

Rated: 1.5/5

Aug 2, 2016

Full Review

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

We are packed onto a poorly designed ghost train and hurtled past a randomly arranged array of stuff that would fail to frighten even the frailest infant.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 6, 2016

Full Review

Jordy Sirkin

Jordy Reviews It

It’s not scary, slightly cheesy, and a little confusing (but not in a good way). While there’s an interesting twist at the end, you can’t help but feel completely robbed of time when this movie is over.

Feb 22, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Instead of turning the forest into a place where Japanese people find some kind of sad and disturbing comfort on a mass scale, the filmmakers have chosen to turn the place into a haunted house.

Rated: 1.5/4

Apr 23, 2022

Full Review

Nick Levine

NME (New Musical Express)

Playing both sisters, Natalie Dormer gives a compelling dual performance but she's saddled by the script's simplistic dialogue, which is often as wooden as the forest itself.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 8, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

When her twin sister disappears in Japan, a young American named Sara (Natalie Dormer) becomes determined to find out what happened to her. Sara's investigation leads her to the legendary Aokigahara Forest, located at the base of Mount Fuji. Accompanied by expatriate Aiden, she enters the mysterious wilderness after being warned to "stay on the path." Her investigation plunges her into a dark world where the angry and tormented souls of the dead prey on those who dare to explore the forest.

Director: Jason Zada
Executive Producer: Len Blavatnik, Aviv Giladi, Lawrence Bender, Andrew Pfeffer
Screenwriter: Ben Ketai, Sarah Cornwell, Nick Antosca
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Lava Bear Films, Phantom Four
Rating: PG-13 (Disturbing Thematic Content|Disturbing Images)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 8, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 6, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $26.6M
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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