Forest of the Dead
Seville/Warner Brothers
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Heading off on a sunny afternoon, two groups of friends prepare for a weekend of fun at an isolated summer camp. But, when the first group disappears overnight, their perfect vacation becomes a perfect nightmare! As darkness falls, the campers are hunted and slaughtered, each transformed into murderous, cannibalistic creatures thirsty for human blood!

Sometimes it's hard not to give no-budget horror a little more praise than their entertainment value might deserve. Movies cost money to make. When you don't have much cash it limits what one can do. But a lack of funds doesn't give a movie a free pass. No-budget filmmaking or not, Forest of the Dead is a tedious affair.

It takes place in a haunted campground. Strike one for originality. The script is filled with lame, cartoon-like caricatures rather than fleshed-out people. Strike two. Combine the bad script with equally bad acting on several fronts and you've got a cinematic strikeout.

Forest of the Dead feels more like a group of friends getting together with a video camera to have some fun than it is the kind of movie total strangers would be happy to pay to see. Where's the entertainment in a couple of clearly English Canadians putting on a bad French accent (and I'm talking epic badness)? The only thing I found it had going for it was its visuals, which have several interesting moments. The cover art, which appears to be inspired somewhat by Robert Kirkman's "The Walking Dead" comic book, also looks cool.

Combining horror and comedy isn't easy if you want to be taken seriously. Forest of the Dead tries but in the end it's a failure, even in the realm of low-budget filmmaking.

Video: How's it look?
Well, it's no-budget filmmaking. Forest of the Dead isn't pretty from a technical perspective. The full-screen transfer is often of pretty low quality, likely a result of its low-quality original source.

Audio: How's it sound?
While the dialogue is clear, there's also a lot of distracting background noise. The Dolby stereo mix does the best that it can given the circumstances.

Extras: What additional goodies are included?

• Writer/director Brian Singleton introduces the film. I think he's supposed to be funny, but it comes off more geeky and it ultimately undermines the movie that follows.
• Singleton and stars Miles Finlayson and Mark Singleton offer a commentary track that is interesting in that it documents the filmmaking process and makes it very personal. That's what makes it interesting. It's just not the same when you've got a bankroll sitting behind you.
• "Out of the Dark" is an eight-minute behind-the-scenes featurette composed of lots of clips but no sense of connection.
• "Behind the Blood" documents the film's effects.
• Ever wanted to see a watermelon get smashed by a cinder block? "Hell's Bells: The Nightmare of Sound Design" is your featurette. There's also lessons in branch breaking and slicing sounds amongst others.
• Return of the Dastardly Zombie Vampire Mummy from Panet-X is a short film from Brian Singleton.
• Outtakes.
• Preview trailer.

Closing Thoughts
If you buy a DVD for its cover art, Forest of the Dead might be one to consider. Seriously, does anybody buy a DVD just for the cover art (if you own five copies of the Reservoir Dogs SE, raise your hand)? Otherwise, Forest of the Dead is one to avoid. Unless, of course, you have a fetish for bad French Canadian accents.


Review brought to you by our friend Ryan @ Movie-Views.com