Forest Of Death - 1.5/5

After I discovered the Pang brothers, I have eagerly sought out whatever I could find that they had even touched. Although they have had some missteps ("The Messengers" comes to mind) they have almost always had something in their sleeves to impress me. Until I watched "Forest Of Death".

The more I think back on this film the more I question its integrity on all levels whether it be writing, acting, music, or directing and I find that I become even more saddened with these thoughts. How could a film that taps into some very interesting subject matter with the Pang brothers at the helm go so incredibly awry?

Honestly, there is not much to be praised after watching this one. The story has almost no flow to it, it doesn't even attempt to distract the viewers from its odd leaps in logic and shifts in direction, and to top it all off it was completely BORING. Yipes!

And there were some moments that I enjoyed (particularly the third act when the Detective and Botonist go on their rescue mission) but the lead up to the climax was poorly developed and then the ending left me with a great deal of 'what the fuck?!' moments that I became so confused I no longer could tell if this was a science fiction film about talking trees, a murder who-dun-it mystery, a ghost story, or for that matter an alien flick. I was messed up by the time the credit began to roll, and that's never good for me.

I'm not sure what the hell happened to "Forest Of Death", but as a Pang brothers fan even I advise skipping this one. Far too cheesy and absurd for even the most open-minded horror film goers.

I guess now I'll just have to go back and rewatch "Re-Cycle" or "Diary" to feel better. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider