NOW ON VOD! Director Brendan Rudnicki has unleashed a lean, mean, frightening machine with his lethal horror movie Forest of Death. It opens in a spiffy vacation cabin in the woods, where something terrible happens to Brad (Kellan Rudnicki) and his girlfriend (Alexandra Ussery). Many weekends later, couple Tom (Tyler Miller) and Ashley (Chloe Marie Rhoades) have rented the cabin in the woods for a weekend of “relaxation” (booze, sex, and weed). Tom convinces his reluctant buddy Dylan (Dylan DeVane) to join by mentioning Ashley will be bringing a cute friend for Dylan. Ashley convinces her friend Tracy (Stephanie Kirves) to come along by promising her that Tracy doesn’t have to hook up with the guy Tom is bringing.
“It will mimic the appearance and voices of familiar faces to lure folks out into the woods and get them.”
Once at the cabin, everyone stretches their legs with a hike. When it gets dark, they get lost. Dylan sees a figure in the woods and calls out, but the figure walks away. Then they are found by Roger (Benjamin L Newmark), whose Uncle Joe (Reggie Johnson) owns the cabin they are renting. Joe explains they were looking for whoever has been killing their livestock and to call if the group runs into trouble. Roger then tells a story about how there is a shapeshifter in these parts that wanders the woods. It will mimic the appearance and voices of familiar faces to lure folks out into the woods and get them. As the weekend progresses, the group sees people standing behind the trees. Then at night, the voices begin…
The first thing that impressed me about the script by director Rudnicki and co-writer Kellan Rudnicki was how quickly it started paying off. The Rudnickis attempt a land speed record by getting to the goods inside the first minute. And it was scary. I’ve seen the meanest horror ever filmed, and my skin jumped backward in the first minute here. The editing work by the Rudnickis cuts quickly and deeply, over and over. And once that Rudnicki rhythm is established, the horror gets delivered regularly and builds to a terrifying crescendo. Even the playful montages of drinking and card playing are fun, as they are essentially baiting the audience with the incoming doom of the cast.
