The Blair Witch Project is one of the most influential movies of all time. It is one of the most successful independent films of all time and kickstarted the found footage craze that remains popular today. It is no surprise that many filmmakers have looked to it for inspiration.
Horror in the Forest is the latest indie release to liberally borrow from the 1999 classic. Georgie (Alexa Lauren) and Bo (Andrew Thomas) are two young documentarians whose latest project involves investigating a series of abductions from the supposedly haunted Redwood Forest. As they continue to pursue the mysterious leads, they risk becoming another addition to the legend.
The opening is the type often found in horror. A mother and daughter are camping in the woods before something violently drags them away. This turns out to be found footage that is being watched by the crew and leads into the actual movie. It is not the last time that Horror in the Forest employs the “found footage in a found footage” technique.
The film is never able to find its footing. When it is not scenes of characters watching videos, there is lots of screaming and overacting. Based on what the people are going through, their reactions completely make sense, but it is always a distraction that ruins immersion. There is also an unnecessary “will they or won’t they” subplot that ends up going nowhere.
All this is a shame, since Horror in the Forest has some well done creepy moments. There is a great random mirror in the woods scene and the final minutes when everything inevitably goes sideways is gory and chaotic fun. Regrettably, much like the rest of the script, there is an undeniable sense of “been there, done that”.
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