Film Review: #PamperAndShriek with The Forest

Happy Friday everyone! The world may be going to ruin but films sure do make life better. And so, to celebrate to launch of mystery horror, The Forest (Jason Zada, 2016), being released on DVD this week, I was kindly sent a copy along with some beauty goodies to pamper myself with. Here's a little look...

Nothing beats a cosy night in with a scary film. You have a bath or shower, grab your blanket and tasty treats and hope to be scared half to death by your screen. And so, what better way to enjoy a latest release then with some beauty treats? As part of my amazing pamper kit was a selection of Soap & Glory gems which included their amazing hand cream (Soap & Glory Hand Food*) which I use religiously, Flake Away Body Scrub, Righteous Body Butter*, Clean On Me Body Wash* and topped off with The Original Pink Body Spray* and a cleansing face pack. So having made myself all fresh, clean and tingly, it was time to grab some popcorn and enjoy a fright flick...

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Similar to Gus Van Sant's Sea Of Trees (2015) setting and inspired by the disturbing real-life stories of suicides in the Aokigahara forest, The Forest follows Sara Price (Natalie Dormer of Game of Thrones) as she enters into the woods of Japan in search of her missing twin sister.

Essentially, the film is a walking tour of her journey as Sara desperately tries to track down her sister's movements. On her arrival to Japan, Sara meets a seemingly shady journalist (Taylor Kinney) who offers to accompany her on a guided tour of the forest alongside a ranger. Taking inspiration, or perhaps just plan imitating classic horror tropes from the likes of the Blair Witch, Evil Dead-style cabins in the woods, and possibly even The Descent, they are for sure some rather creepy and unsettling moments - though with little originality. The over-use of jump scares and 'things that go bump in the tent' mean that all tension is gradually lost as the director, Jason Zada, cries wolf just one too many times. However, planted in the viewers mind is a constant suggestion that this could all be in Sara's psyche; causing us to constantly doubt whether what is happening is real or hallucination. To this, The Forest owes the majority of its successes.

With regards to acting, both lead-and-supporting roles, Dormer proves herself to be a good twin who clearly her own demons whilst also searching for her missing sister. Despite her Game of Thrones fame, Dormer is able to present a fresh character through a believable performance as Sara, whilst Kinney offers an acceptable (though not particularly memorable) performance as Aiden. Overall, though rather cliched in parts and, unfortunately, nothing original, The Forest makes for easy viewing horror for those who fancy a scare but without having to think too much in to it. Personally, I enjoyed the plot narrative and would recommend it to all you horror fans out there. Perhaps set to be a cult classic, The Forest gets a Sophie star rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, perhaps set to be a cult classic, it is out now on DVD, Bluray and Digital Download.

That's it for another film review! Thank you so much to the creators of The Forest for an amazing evening of pampering and film - there's really nothing more that I enjoy than that. How do you like to watch horror films? Have you seen The Forest yet? As always, I love reading your comments so please do leave me lots of lovely ones below.

Until next time film fans, have an awesome weekend

*Disclaimer: All items in this post were provided to me for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the brand.