Forest of Death sounds too derivative to be worth the time. A cold open ends with a gruesome shot. An undisclosed amount of time later, four friends make plans to travel to a remote cabin for a relaxing weekend. One lazy montage later and the group find all their lives are in danger. The latest release from DBS Films is standard horror fare mixed with modern sensibilities. Forest of Death is more than just another generic scary flick, however. There is something more personal about it. This is because DBS is a community of filmmakers. As their core mission states, “Making Movies for Our Fans With Our Fans”.
Is Forest of Death able to stand out from the numerous other indie horror that comes out each month? While the main cast are nothing out of the ordinary down to their horrible problem solving abilities, there is one character that stands out. Roger (Benjamin L. Newmark) is the highlight of the entire film. Part ominous old man at the general store, part girlfriend stealing bully, he alternates between warning the friends and putting them down.
The character works so well because of Newmark’s commitment to the role. Roger is the embodiment of country bumpkin tropes and sleazy comments. Each appearance is an unexpected element of fun. The dialogue gets choppy at times and some bits of dialogue fit awkwardly together. This is most apparent during a phone call with a local sheriff’s office. (That being said, the scene is followed shortly by one of the creepiest moments in Forest of Death.)The same can be said of the score which alternates between unremarkable to awesome. There is an overreliance on montages that add nothing, however.
Forest of Death is an erratic watch. Its main cast are bland, but saved by a great supporting character. The stock cabin in the woods setting is balanced by the rarely used shapeshifter as the big bad. The ending is abrupt, but unsurprising. In other words, it is your basic fun horror movie, it just goes about things in its own way.
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