Sometimes the best kind of horror movie is one that reminds you of another horror film you remember or love fondly. The simplest and most overdone premises can be overlooked if you get that nostalgic vibe that paints a familiar picture, which is what “Dark Forest” does…mostly. The plot, as I indicated before, is as a run of the mill as they come: a group of friends goes into the woods for fun trip of camping, gossiping and getting away from the men in their lives. One of which happens to be a deranged, spiteful psychopath who proceeds to follow the girls and slaughter each and every one of them; as well as anyone unfortunate enough to be in his blood-soaked path. It’s a by the numbers slasher film plain and simple.
Much like Hayden Christensen in the “Star Wars” prequels, this cast looked good for the part but definitely didn’t have the acting chops for the part. The main girls are okay but everyone else is just as flat and lifeless as the body count tally marks most of them inevitably become. The film’s strongest points are in the camerawork and musical details. The idea of a guy in a white shirt killing people with a hammer may sound as silly as you think it is, but it’s framed expertly well and the music strikes many familiar chords used in previous horror movies. It reminded me of the iconic-yet-also-nostalgic-based score used in “It Follows”; one of the best new horror movies to come out in years.
The film is ultimately dragged through by its weakest selling point: the killer. His macho, misogynistic persona is the Hallmark of ugly stereotypes that cheapens everything enjoyable in this film. His motives are absurd, his methods are silly, even for a B horror movie like this one and he never EVER comes across as some kind of memorable serial killer character, like, say Michael Myers or Ghostface. Having the lynchpin of your film be a forgettable, woman-hating pig with a weak weapon and an even lamer personality is just poor planning. The film looks, sounds and even plays out expectedly; sometimes even better than expected, but the only fear this killer displays is fear of boredom and disappointment. Overall not bad, but the killer definitely kept it from being, feeling, or coming off as anything beyond a “not bad” stamp of sub pair approval.
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDsDpZR9_I8″]
Movie Rating: 3 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Do
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