Forest (1983)

The 80's was the decade where the slasher film genre had its strongest hold. Even though theaters and video stores were flooded with various titles, not all of them were actually worth seeing. Director Don Jones' The Forest, A.K.A. Terror in the Forest, is a perfect example of how a simple story structure (a killer killing people in a remote area) can go completely wrong. I've had my patience tested with slasher films in the past, but not quite in the way that this completely forgettable film managed to do. The premise is simple; two couples decide to go camping last minute, and become the target of a cannibalistic killer living in the woods that they have settled in. But this film tries to add something different to the experience. Unlike most traditional slasher flicks, this one has a supernatural element. Previous victims, who I won't go into detail explaining for those who want to give this film a chance, haunt the woods and become a helping aid to these campers. But don't get excited, this element only adds more frustration to the story. There is no sort of tension or suspense in this film at all. The killer of the film, who looks like some sort of overweight, out of work trucker is by far one of the least threatening in any slasher film. And how people are killed by this person is beyond me. The guy moves about as fast as molasses pouring from a tree, and he's a pretty dumb guy, which makes his ability to outwit all of these people beyond comprehension. The kills in the film are eye-rolling-ly terrible. The intro of the film features a couple being killed as they hike through the woods. What I imagine is supposed to be scary turns out to be one of the most unintentionally hilarious moments I've seen in any horror film. Come to think of it, I think I laughed at all of the kills in this film. There is a flashback in The Forest that explains the killer's back-story, but this is as cookie-cutter as it gets to explain why a man like that would turn into a monster like this. All around, The Forest is one of the most poorly written, poorly acted, poorly directed and poorly edited horror movies I've seen. I was hoping for a decent slasher film discovery with this film, especially for my 31 Days of Halloween celebration. But The Forest turned out to be the complete opposite of what I was looking for.