The Hell House LLC series is a fun trilogy of found footage horror that often gets overlooked. With 825 Forest Road, writer/director Stephen Cognetti steps away from the franchise – and found footage – for the first time to give fans a different type of haunted house story. Chuck Wilson has recently moved to Ashland Falls with his wife and sister. The small town harbors a dark secret that sends him on a frantic search before it’s too late.
Cognetti’s familiarity with jump scares is put to great use as 825 Forest Road does an excellent job of delivering its scares. This makes complete sense as found footage is fueled by jolting audiences. The mannequin seen on the movie’s poster is responsible for the most frightening moments. From its introduction, it looks incredibly creepy.
Cognetti’s pedigree comes through often. It is great for the more horror-tinged moments – a particularly scary livestream towards the end is pure found footage – but negatively impacts the more narrative parts of 825 Forest Road. The film strives to be a character-driven family drama, but there is not enough depth. Everyone is a rough draft; Chuck is a music teacher; Maria is a fashion designer; Isabel goes to college. Ultimately, none of it matters.
825 Forest Road does slightly better when dealing with trauma. Literally everyone is trying to handle a heavy emotional burden. Some are dealing with tragedy, while others are taking medicine. And then there are those that are dealing with the town itself. An oppressive atmosphere is felt throughout and helps paper over the weaker parts of the script.
All together, it is a strong, if flawed, first attempt at a traditional horror movie. Breaking the film into overlapping chapters runs the risk of being repetitive, but ends adding to 825 Forest Road. The characters may be lacking, but there is enough there to make you care. The ending is a little too abrupt, but effective scares make it an enjoyable.
825 Forest Road premieres on Shudder April 4.
