Movies
Forest of the Living Dead (The Forest)
“As a Japanese film, with a low budget, Forest of the Living Dead is really quite good. As an American film, it will more than likely leave less seasoned viewers confused and unsatisfied.”
Aokigahara, also known as the Sea of Trees, is a forest that lies at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. The forest, which has a historic association with demons in Japanese mythology, is a popular place for suicides. The high rate in recent years has led officials to downplay the association of suicide with the forest, and government has refused to comment. It is said that ubasute, an act in which a sick or elderly relative was carried to a remote location and left to die, was allegedly practiced there into the 19th century, and the forest is reputedly haunted by the ghosts of those who were left.
Forest of the Living Dead (aka The Forest), is based on this real-life suicide forest. A psychological horror film, directed by American writer and director Shan Serafin, Forest tells the story of an American model, Arianna, who becomes a “demonic spirit” after she kills herself in Aokigahara after her boyfriend, Jason, leaves her.
Lasting no more than 30 seconds, the opening sequence consists of Arianna begging in the forest – asking what she can do to prove her love – before a plastic bag is violently pulled over her head. We later learn the hands that are attacking her – are her own. This twisted plotline base and ravishing opening could only lead to a great film…right?
Sadly, the low budget, which has allegedly been reported on IMDB as far greater than the truth, shows itself too often. Yet, it (beneficially) only comes in signs of ADR and bad acting (which includes the character Valerie excessively using the F word). While the title is confusing in that people would expect a zombie film, or at least something close to it, the twists and turns of Forest are actually intriguing. However, it almost proves to be an English speaking Japanese horror film. The gore is mostly absent. Shots of gnarled teeth in plastic bags and morphed shifted faces ala Ringu, are short and effective. Jumps in the timeline are often and puzzling. Michael Madsen’s brief performance is phenomenal and he acts the hell out of the script he is given.
Perhaps, in the end, Forest could have explored the true story of Aokigahara more deeply, and not relied so much on characters standing in open living spaces crying out “What was that?” -while other characters stare at them blankly. (Yes, this type of scenario happened more than once.)
As a Japanese film, with a low budget, Forest of the Living Dead is really quite good. As an American film, it will more than likely leave less seasoned viewers confused and unsatisfied.
This week kicked off with the release of hippo horror movie Hungry at home, and four more horror movies have arrived for at-home viewing as we head into the final weekend of June.
Here are the new horror movies that released on Friday, June 26, 2026!
The Halloween season can no longer be contained to the months of September and October, with “Summerween” becoming a thing in recent years. Essentially, it allows for Halloween to bleed into the warmer Summer months, and the first ever Summerween movie has arrived.
The Asylum released Summerween onto Digital outlets today.
In the film from writer/director Ryan Ebert, “On Summerween, a former circus clown escapes a mental institution to return to his abandoned mansion and hunt the teens partying there.”
Cole Chapleski, Chase Breithoff, Logan Roe, Sophia Sabol, and Clint Morrison star.
Director Ryan Ebert is the man behind a string of recent indie horrors we’ve covered, including Shark Side of the Moon, The Jolly Monkey, Jurassic Reborn, and Predator: Wastelands.
A witchy coming-of-age story from Dark Sky Films, Camp is now playing in select theaters.
Check your local listings to find a theater near you.
Camp is from writer-director Avalon Fast (Honeycomb, The Serpent’s Skin).
“Emily is the root cause of two devastating tragedies very early in her life, and she feels the weight of these accidents as though cursed. At her father’s suggestion, she takes a position at a summer camp for troubled youth to ease her guilt. When Emily arrives, she is welcomed by the other counselors, who accept her as she is and surround her with peace and forgiveness.
“As Emily begins to believe in a new kind of life, she starts to hear a voice whispering from deep in the woods — one that urges her to go home, and one that may be impossible to ignore.”
The film stars Zola Grimmer in her screen debut alongside Alice Wordsworth, Cherry Moore, Lea Rose Sebastianis (Castration Movie Part 1 & 2, In A Violent Nature), Ella Reece, Austyn Van de Kamp (This Too Shall Pass), Sophie Bawks-Smith (Honeycomb), Izza Jarvis, and Aiden Laudersmith.
Producers Tyler Perry and Jason Blum have joined forces for Peacock Original Strung.
The film is now streaming only on Peacock.
“A talented violinist takes a prestigious job as a music tutor for the gifted daughter of an influential and enigmatic family. As she becomes entangled in their opulent world, unsettling secrets begin to surface, forcing her to question her safety, her dreams, and even her sanity.”
Malcolm D. Lee (Scary Movie 5, Space Jam: A New Legacy) directs from a script written by Alan B. McElroy (Wrong Turn, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers).
Chloe Bailey (“Swarm“), Lynn Whitfield (Jaws: The Revenge), Lucien Laviscount (“Scream Queens”), Anna Diop (Us), Coco Jones (Vampires vs. the Bronx), Langley Kirkwood (“Banshee”), and Romy Woods star in Peacock’s Strung.
Produced by Diablo Cody, director Meredith Alloway’s Forbidden Fruits brought a new coven of witches to the big screen earlier this year, and it’s now streaming on Shudder.
Lola Tung (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”), Victoria Pedretti (“The Haunting of Hill House”), Alexandra Shipp (Tragedy Girls), Gabrielle Union (Breaking In), and Emma Chamberlain star in Forbidden Fruits, released by IFC and Shudder.
Free Eden employee Apple secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the basement of the mall store after hours. But when new hire Pumpkin challenges the group’s ‘girl boss’ ways, the women are forced to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate.
“Forbidden Fruits grabbed me by the neck the very first time I read it,” Diablo Cody said. “It’s one of the craziest, most creative, beautifully bonkers projects I’ve ever worked on.”
Meagan Navarro writes in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Forbidden Fruits may not necessarily forge new terrain in the teen satire space, but Alloway brings so much style and energy to her well-cast single-location stage play adaptation for the Gen Z crowd.”
The film is an adaptation of playwright Lily Houghton’s stage play Of the Women Came the Beginning of Sin and Through Her We All Die. Alloway and Houghton co-adapted.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by HUNGRY.
All aboard the swamp tour from hell – this hippo isn’t playing games…
HUNGRY is now available on Digital. Watch it now!
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