825 Forest Road Review: Haunted Houses, Buried Grief, and Cognetti’s Signature Dread

There’s nothing like the feel of a Stephen Cognetti film. For fans of Hell House LLC, you’ll feel the echo within minutes unsettling dolls, cryptic houses, quiet dread. I’ve been following Cognetti’s work since the beginning, and while 825 Forest Road may not break the mold, it does something else: it reflects.

Cognetti’s Blueprint: 825 Forest Road Feels Like Home (And That’s Not a Bad Thing)

There’s a reason Cognetti’s work resonates, his films don’t just haunt, they grieve. 825 Forest Road feels like a continuation of unresolved trauma, not just in its characters, but in its visual atmosphere. It’s not about jump scares, it’s about the way denial curdles into something supernatural.

Shudder sent me a screener, and I watched it with expectations. The casting felt off at first. Everyone looked just slightly… wrong. Not in a bad-acting way, in that indie-film way where people feel more like characters you know from real life than polished TV faces. That “wrong” look grew on me. It’s part of the charm.

Ashland Falls and the Grief That Won’t Stay Buried

The story kicks off with Chuck, Maria, and Izzy, a family trying to reset after tragedy. The town of Ashland Falls, of course, is holding something back. You can tell early on this isn’t just ghost story territory, it’s about trauma that won’t let go.

Izzy draws. Izzy dreams. Izzy lost her mom and isn’t getting answers. Chuck is in protector mode but also steeped in denial. Maria? Somewhere between numb and not OK. And they’ve all ended up in a house where previous owners disappeared, where a woman named Helen Foster has become legend, and where the town’s past seems to decide who survives.

Maria is more than a stressed wife trope. Her breakdown is manic, loud, socially explosive, she overshares like someone who’s been gaslit too long and finally bursts. It’s deeply relatable, especially for viewers with mental health scars.

The Uneasy Weight of Silence and Mistrust

This movie has a lot to say about denial, personal, generational, and community-wide. There are scenes where characters literally see something and don’t tell the others. There’s tension not just from the haunting, but from what’s left unsaid in grief.

Neighbors whisper about suicides. A library scene reveals mental health histories that the town buried along with its dead. Maria starts to unravel, not just because of what’s happening in the house, but because no one believes her.

The library being full of stacked books, outdated records, and overlooked truths fits beautifully. The library isn’t just creepy, it’s a metaphor for everything the town avoids dealing with.

Helen Foster and the Idea of a Ghost Built From Shame

Helen Foster isn’t a ghost, she’s what happens when grief is ignored long enough to mutate. The entire town becomes complicit in birthing her legend. Chuck tries to fight the monster without naming it, and he loses. That’s the heart of the film

There’s also a subplot involving Ellen (Helen’s daughter), a grief monster, and a suicide-murder revenge loop that could’ve been heavy-handed, but somehow isn’t. It’s messy, but intentionally so. Just like real grief.

Colors like autumn golds, and greens, and an 80s vibe with fire hydrants and no phones. These aren’t just aesthetic, they’re story anchors. They suggest a town emotionally stuck, or repeating a trauma loop without moving forward.

Spoiler Reflections

Chuck’s refusal to acknowledge what’s happening — even after multiple warnings — costs him everything. Izzy is left alone. Maria is consumed. The town moves on, as it always has.

The final scenes are frustrating on the surface, but reflective underneath. Chuck loses his sister not just to the supernatural, but to his own insistence that trauma can be rationalized. In trying to kill the spirit of grief, he lets it win.

Chuck doesn’t “win.” There’s no neat conclusion. But that’s the point. The story reflects what happens when people skip healing and try to logic their way out of loss.

Should You Stream 825 Forest Road on Shudder?

If you’ve followed Cognetti before, this isn’t just a repeat, it’s a personal evolution. If you haven’t, you’ll still get a layered supernatural story wrapped around very human emotions.

It’s not polished, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s indie horror with something to say. And for that, it earns its place. Smooth, trope-filled, digestible, but with enough emotional weight to leave an aftertaste.

Catch 825 Forest Road streaming exclusively on Shudder from April 4. The screener provided by the platform, thanks Shudder for supporting independent horror voices.

Watch 825 Forest Road on Shudder starting April 4, 2025.
This review was written with early access via Shudder’s screener platform — many thanks to the team for supporting independent horror reviewers.

Select Discover: Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor
Stephen Cognetti’s Best: Hell House LLC
For More Haunted House Horror: The Bloodhound and The Banishing