The Forest Gives You Wood

Two horror movies coming out in 2016, both having nearly the same title and subject. What are the odds? And yet, in Hollywood, this kind of thing happens all the time. Perhaps I should go there to buy my Lotto™ tickets.

So we have The Forest and The Forest of the Lost Souls being released in early 2016, with both using the Aokigahara Forest – a real place in Japan – as the framework for the ensuing horror. (Aokigahara, as featured on TV, is where despondent people go to commit suicide. Don’t go there to have a picnic because hey, dead people all over the place.)

So here’s the plot of The Forest: “A young American woman comes in search of her twin sister, who has mysteriously disappeared in the Aokigahara Forest. Despite everyone’s warnings not to “stray from the path,” Sara dares to enter the woods to discover the truth about her sister’s fate, only to be confronted by the angry and tormented souls of the dead who now prey on anyone who crosses their paths.”

Can’t blame the tormented souls of the dead being all ticked off ’n stuff; their final resting place is a flippin’ tourist attraction.

Next is The Forest of the Lost Souls set in Portugal: “The Forest of the Lost Souls is a dense and remote forest, Portugal’s most popular place for suicide. In a summer morning, two strangers meet within the woods. Carolina is an eccentric, unstable young girl who finds all things related to death are fun.”

“As bumping into each other puts them off killing themselves, they decide to go for a walk to discover The Forest of the Lost Souls and see what they will find. As they walk deeper into the woods, they get to know each other and become friends – but one of them is not being honest, one of them is a dark and horrible person.”

I’ve met a few dark and horrible people lately. Think I’ll buy ’em a map to Aokigahara Forest.

Speaking of, there was a previous Japanese movie about the unhappiest place on Earth called Forest of Death, which came out in 2007. (Hard-core fans of this here e-blog know I reviewed and posted it on July 13, 2013.) In that one the trees in Forest of Death can communicate on behalf of the dead. So what do the dead say through the interpretations of the leaves? Heck if I know – I don’t speak lawn clipping.