The Forest (1982 film)

The Forest
Theatrical poster
Directed by Don Jones
Produced by Frank Evans
Don Jones
Written by Don Jones
Starring Dean Russell
Gary Kent
Tomi Barrett
John Batis
Ann Wilkinson
John Batis
Music by Richard Hieronymus
Alan Oldfield
Cinematography Stuart Asbjornsen
Edited by Robert Berk
Don Jones
Production
company
Wide World of Entertainment
Distributed by Fury Films Ltd.
Release date
  • 1982 (1982)
Running time
 85 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The Forest is a 1982 American slasher film directed, written, edited and produced by Don Jones and starring Gary Kent, Tomi Barrett and John Batis. The film was shot in Sequoia National Park in California in 1981.

Plot

Two American hikers, Steve (Dean Russell) and Charlie (John Batis), venture into the local forest along with their girlfriends, Sharon (Tomi Barrett) and Teddi (Ann Wilkinson). However, John (Gary Kent), a cannibalistic woodsman, is lurking in the forest putting these four friends at risk.

Cast

  • Dean Russell as Steve
  • Gary Kent as John
  • Tomi Barrett as Sharon
  • John Batis as Charlie
  • Ann Wilkinson as Teddi
  • Jeanette Kelly as Mother
  • Corky Pigeon as John Jr.
  • Becki Burke as Jennifer
  • Tony Gee as Plumber
  • Stafford Morgan as Man
  • Marilyn Anderson as Woman
  • Jean Clark as Mechanic
  • Don Jones as Forest Ranger

Production

According to an interview with actor Gary Kent, writer-director Don Jones lost his house acquiring funding for the making of the film: "He hocked his house to make the film. He's one of the few directors ever that I know of, besides myself, who actually paid his deferments...When he finally got money from the film, he paid us first before he paid off his house."[1]

Release

The film was released theatrically in America. It also ran under the title Terror in the Forest, released in 1982 by Fury Films Ltds.

It was released as a video in the 1980s and 1990s by Prism Entertainment and Starmaker Video.

On November 7, 2006, Code Red released the film on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen transfer, a stills gallery, and commentary with director Don Jones and Gary Kent.[2]

As a part of their Exploitation Cinema line, Code Red rereleased the film in 2009 as a double feature with Don't Go In The Woods. This release did not include the commentary or stills gallery, but retained the widescreen transfer.[3]

Reception

TV Guide awarded the film one out of four stars, writing: "This obscure low-budgeter gives the Friday the 13th formula a bit of a twist, introducing both a cannibal angle and ghosts. A human-flesh-eating madman terrorizes people in a patch of woods, haunted by the ghosts of his murdered wife and children. A poorly made effort that barely saw a theatrical release and is now available everywhere on videotape for less than 10 bucks."[4] Todd Martin from HorrorNews.net gave the film a negative review, stating that the film was "boring, lame, and the death scenes left a lot to be desired".[5] Hysteria Lives gave the film 1/5 stars, calling it "a grade Z, back-packing slash-a-thon which starts with too very wooden (but hey that's ok, it ties in nicely with the forest theme!), middle aged actors being offed by briefly glimpsed back wood loon."[6] Brett Gallman from Oh, the Horror! wrote, "The Forest is an incoherent mess of a flick... There’s almost no redeeming value to the film, as the acting is terrible, the music is generic, and the direction is mediocre. I can somewhat praise the photography, as I have seen worse in these low budget slashers... Beyond this, you only have a half baked story about a cannibal man and his ghost kids that only registers on the unintentional comedy scale."[7]

References

  1. ↑ Albright, Brian (2008). Wild Beyond Belief!: Interviews with Exploitation Filmmakers of the 1960s and 1970s. Jeffers, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 129–30. ISBN 978-0-786-48250-4.
  2. ↑ The Forest (DVD)|format= requires |url= (help). Code Red. 2006 [1982]. ASIN B000HC2LQC.
  3. ↑ Jane, Ian (June 26, 2009). "Review: Don't Go in the Woods / The Forest". DVD Talk. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  4. ↑ "The Forest". TV Guide. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ Martin, Todd. "Film Review: The Forest (1982)". HorrorNews.net. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "THE FOREST". Hysteria Lives.co.uk. Hysteria Lives!. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  7. ↑ Gallman, Brett. "Horror Reviews - Forest, The (1982)". Oh the Horror.com. Brett Gallman. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
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