The Haunted Forest (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

Zach (Grayson Gwaze), a plucky teen, finds employment at his cousin’s haunted forest attraction. When a death occurs on property, Zach and his fellow employees are shaken to their core, frustrated at the situation, but equally lost and looking for answers. The Haunted Forest is a psychological horror of sorts that utilizes those beloved haunted attractions as a vehicle for death, chaos, and emotional turmoil.

A unique take on a frame story, The Haunted Forest doesn’t possess the same level of vigor as the most famous of the brand. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Zemecki’s Forrest Gump personify the genre in different forms, and while The Haunted Forest intentionally refuses to fully commit to the genre, the reality is that it’s nearly impossible not to view it as a legitimate attempt at being the frame story like so many films and novels before it. What ultimately trips up the production regarding its sub-genre classification is that it, in fact, doesn’t fully commit. Had Writer-Director Keith Boynton properly used this as a vehicle to tell this story, I feel that it would have been more immersive and, in turn, more effective. 

Furthermore, it often feels as if the actors aren’t able to fully commit to their lines, struggling to effectively insert emotion into the dialogue throughout a good portion of the narrative. Their words often feel flat, and The Haunted Forest suffers as a result of their performances. 

It seems that a lack of commitment, to a degree, is the greatest hindrance on The Haunted Forest, causing it to feel disjointed and ineffective at times. Additionally, it’s clear that the intention behind this horror flick is genuine, but it doesn’t feel as if those involved are able to fully realize the potential of what laid just before them. With Halloween just around the corner, The Haunted Forest had the potential to be a welcome venture into the world of horror, but there’s something of a disconnect present throughout that is never rectified, and it’s hard to say that the film will find legitimate success as a result. 

There are most certainly some issues that plague The Haunted Forest, but there’s some good present in the film as well. The film is technically sound, utilizing lighting to the benefit of nearly every scene. As one might expect, darkness plays a pivotal role in developing suspense and immersing viewers in this film–however, it’s done with such an expertise that it’s incredibly difficult to argue that it’s not nearly perfect. The ability of this team to hide characters in plain sight, to create suspense in some of the most unique ways is incredibly impressive, and that alone is worth your time. Technical brilliance should always be rewarded, and it’s fair to say that excellence is achieved here in regard to the lighting in The Haunted Forest. 

It would be unfair to state that The Haunted Forest is troublesome, because that’s not quite the best way to describe it. Rather, The Haunted Forest is a film full of potential that doesn’t come to be. It’s an experiment in filmmaking that makes sense if properly executed–but simply put: it’s not. I needed more conviction from many of the parties involved, and while, again, I don’t want to call The Haunted Forest “troubled,” it is fair to say that it is curious how some elements of the film are fleshed out. The Haunted Forest is something of an enigma, and I’m not entirely sure that it ever truly finds its footing. 

Written & Directed by Keith Boynton. 

Starring Grayson Gwaze, Cedric Gegel, Kaitlyn Lunardi, Meghan Reed, Jamie Bernadette, etc. 

6.5/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE