Dark Forest

I learnt about this Manitoba movie by reading the newspaper, about how it was a movie made entirely in my home province (including the props) and that since it was playing at the cheap theatre downtown there would be no risk of spending $5 for a seat. I also thought it would be a nice change from those Hollywood movies. Now I'm not an expert on film making, but even I thought it could use some extra work. Several scenes went nowhere, the pacing was a bit off in the beginning and the movie needs to cut back on transitions. The biggest disappointment was that there were a lot of of missed opportunities: I would have edited the campfire horror story with the first murders in a similar style to a Watchmen chapter. Still, it was not a waste of time. The image quality and music made me feel like I travelled back in time to a 1980's theatre, the effects were decent and the other people in the theatre had a chuckle here and there. Also the bad guy was properly casted and really did look... coo coo! My advice, go in the theatre expecting to watch something on par with a high school movie project and you should be good. Not the best grade, but I wouldn't mind working with these people myself.

I have to admit, all other things aside, Genevieve really made an impact for me here. No you will not see her without her clothes, if that is your first thought. Still she really is one of a kind - maybe it just me. Overall the acting (not just hers) is decent enough - especially if you considere the b-movie quality of it all.

Then there are some neat effects or outside the camera/frame. This may work or not - depending on how much slack you are willing to cut (no pun intended). Yes this is a slasher, yes people will die. I doubt you will care for most of them (Genevieve aside).

There is not much else to say here. The movie could have been better, but I've also seen way worse.

Very cheesy movie. Basic slasher in the woods. The movie has nothing new to offer. Seemed like they were trying to go with some comedy but every joke fell flat and seemed like a seven or eight year old wrote the jokes. In my opinion, I would say don't waste your time. There is much better movies out there.

Most slasher aficionados should appreciate this retro-feeling low budget effort which contains all the tropes you'd expect from an 80's slice-and-dice film from hot chicks, deadly hammers, a cool car, teens in the woods, a wild-looking killer, the nerd, the a-hole, the neutral guy and a cool synth musical score. The actor who plays the killer plays it up well and seeps sinister ooze in every shot he's in. Looks the part perfectly. The cast is largely amateurs who do well with what they have to work with as does the crew. But what really grabs me is the music which conveys all the dreaminess necessary in the dreamy-like sequences and all the dread in the dreadful scenes and all the suspense in the suspenseful scenes. Go in expecting a low budget effort and it should meet expectations!

DARK FOREST is a really fun and retro-stylish, 80's slasher, teen horror film that totally surprised me! It has good cinematography, tight editing and some really nice stylized performances in the vein of Friday the 13th and all the great 80's horror films I love. It also brings some pretty campy yet creepily effective gore which really balances everything out. Also, as another reviewer noted, WOMEN FIGHT BACK IN DARK FOREST which is a really cool twist and brings it right into contemporary times, giving it some social relevancy. All in all, it totally surprised me. It's a great watch and reminded me of all those summers watching 80's horror on VHS & BETA. Nice work!