Forest of Death (2023) – Film Review

Forest of Death goes one up on typical cabin in the woods films by hosting its monster fodder in a decent size building located in a forest that’s home to a skin-walker. The film begins with a brief introductory section showing the couple that previously rented the cabin. First, the monster kills the guy; then it takes his form and entices the girl into the bedroom, where she sees the body of her real lover and quickly becomes its next victim.

The next few scenes introduce Tom (Tyler Miller), Dylan (Dylan DeVane), Ashley (Chloe Marie Rhoades), and Tracy (Stephanie Kirves). Tom is Ashleys boyfriend. He’s hired the cabin for romantic getaway and invited his best friend Dylan to split the rental costs. However, Dylan doesn’t want to feel like the third wheel so he is thinking about pulling out. Then Tom tells him Ashley is bringing along Tracy, one of her friends, to make up the numbers.

While Tom is busy convincing Dylan to come, Ashley is doing the same with Tracy. It’s an amusing segment. Tom is assuring Dylan he’s sure to get laid, while Tracy is making it clear to Ashley: “I’m not sleeping with him.”

However, when they meet, Dylan and Tracy hit it off quite well and it soon becomes clear he’s made a good first impression.

After they unpack, the four friends go exploring the woods. It’s a happy time and, overall, Forest of Death gets off to a good start, with some nice scenes of nature and a good choice of background music.

Unfortunately, the gang get lost and find themselves wandering through the forest after dark. Dylan volunteers to scout ahead and see where one route will take them, spots a guy wandering through the trees, and shouts for help. The guy ignores him and the next thing Dylan knows he’s at the wrong end of a shotgun.

The person brandishing the shotgun and behaving in an erratic manner turns out to be the nephew of the man they are renting the cabin from. His name is Roger. He’s a weird guy, but he helps Dylan regroup with his friends and then guides them hack to the cabin.

The following evening Roger (Benjamin L. Newmark) returns and attempts to gatecrash the party as the four renters sit outside the cabin, gathered around a fire. It’s obvious nobody wants him there, but he manages to stay long enough to freak them out with his story about the evil that lives in the woods and how he encountered it once disguised as his dead wife.

Although Tom and the other renters take Rogers warnings with a grain of salt, some of the things he tells them could help keep them safe. For instance, he informs them the shapeshifer doesn’t like fire. He also warns them it can look and sound like anyone to get inside their heads.

Dylan has already had an experience where he thought he heard Tom calling him into the woods, but he doesn’t share the information with the group. Later when Tom has a similar experience, and returns with a handful of wood he says he thought Ashley was calling to him and is surprised when the others confirm she has been with them all the time. This is a clear indication that there may be truth in Roger’s story. Nevertheless, Tom and the other renters continue to do things that nobody in their right mind would do after hearing his warning.

For instance, when Ashley freaks out because she sees Roger spying on them through the window, Tom and Dylan rush out into the woods to confront him. While they are playing alpha males by the light of a flashlight they encounter something that looks like Roger and taunts them as it moves through the trees.

After they retreat back to the cabin, Ashley calls Roger’s uncle to complain, only to discover Roger is there with him and has been there all day watching the ballgame. Ashley initially doubts the story but has to accept it is true after speaking to Roger on the phone. As far as red flags go, that’s a pretty big one. The cabin is a 30-minute drive from their host’s house and nobody can be in two places at once.

Then, seconds later, when Roger appears to turn up again, everyone rushes out into the woods, and increases the danger of this risky action by failing to stay in a group. The Forest of Death storyline is not without potential, but actions like these are so stupid that any credibility the film may have had at the start takes a rapid nosedive. However, it remains watchable because the characters are likable and it’s hard not to want everything to turn out okay for them in the end.

As far as the special effects in the film go, its a pretty mixed bag. The guy in the introductory scene is supposed to look like his eyes have been ripped out, but it’s a massive fail. It’s easy to see he’s got dark red patches covering his eyes.

At the other end of the scale, some of the stabbing scenes are very realistic and, although the quality of the acting isn’t always on point, it’s acceptable and better than that of many other low-budget indie horror films.

Although Forest of Death is available on Blu-ray and DVD, this one’s not really a keeper; so you may want to save your money and try searching for it on TubiTV, or an alternative platform, where you can stream it for free.