- Film Title: The Haunted Forest
- Director: Keith Boynton
- Story by: Devin McEwan – written by Keith Boynton
- Cast: Grayson Gwaze (Zach), Cedric Gegel (Mark), Kaitlyn Lunardi (Sarah), Meghan Reed (Susie), Keith Boynton, Jamie Bernadette, Myles Hamilton, Dave Harding, Mashka Wolfe, EJ Roeder, Victor Zheng, Josie Martin-Knowles, Samantha Waldrup, Elizabeth Keith, Nathan Lassman, Grant Scherini, Tristen Raughton.
- Production: Sane Lake Pictures
- Release Date: Premiering August 23, 2025, at FrightFest Film Festival
- Runtime: 93 minutes
- Review by: Mother of Movies
When Scream Parks Become Sacred Grounds: The Premise of ‘The Haunted Forest’
While this review delves into the narrative’s twists and turns, we’ve carefully navigated around the ultimate final reveals. Proceed if you’re prepared to explore the darker corners of ‘The Haunted Forest’ with us.
From the moment the screen flickers to life, dropping us into the clichéd yet eternally effective scenario of a couple making out in a car, The Haunted Forest immediately declares its intentions. It’s a darkly humorous critique of the horror genre’s well-trodden paths. We’ve all seen this opening, the request for the girl to go investigate alone, the immediate glimpse of a shadowy villain wielding a scythe. It’s a knowing nod, a trope embraced, and for a moment, you lean in, ready for the ride.
This FrightFest premiere, directed by Keith Boynton, promises a supernatural slasher wrapped in a commentary on historical injustice and the dark allure of the macabre. At Mother of Movies, we champion the underseen and the underrated, and this indie horror film, with its solid cast of genre regulars, certainly made an entrance from the get-go.
The narrative quickly shifts from the classic slasher setup to introduce Zach (Grayson Gwaze), a high-school senior whose obsession with horror comics and Halloween leads him to a job at his cousin Mark’s (Cedric Gegel) legendary haunted forest attraction. But this isn’t just any scream park; it’s built on cursed ground, a site where 400 Indians were slaughtered by hatred and ignorance. The spokesperson’s depressing account, delivered with a theatrical flourish, sets a deeply unsettling tone, hinting at a much older, more profound terror than mere costumed scares.
This immediately taps into the kind of societal underbellies and historical injustices that Mother of Movies loves to dissect. A carnival on a massacre site, chilling, grotesque, and unforgettable.
Zach’s initiation into this world is a wad of classic horror tropes and whispered historical rituals. He meets Jacko, a bearded veteran employee who takes him under his wing, showing him the ropes of sneaking around and scaring people, a job many of us, myself included, have either dreamed of doing or been on the receiving end of. During this time, we’re introduced to Sarah (Kaitlyn Lunardi, familiar from Cabin Fever). Sarah is a makeup artist who paints Zach’s skeleton face and shares tales of Native American traditions and a deep pain when it comes to the atrocities.
The film sprinkles in classic foreshadowing, with Zach and Sarah discussing their biggest fears (spiders and werewolves, respectively), though the tone remains elusive. The cast features indie horror stalwarts like Jamie Bernadette and Meghan Reed (from I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu), adding a layer of credibility that gets any genre fan excited.
The Unraveling of the Attraction: Death, Deception, and Dark Humor
As Zach settles into his new, immersive scare actor world, the line between performance and reality blurs. A masked and cloaked figure gives him a first dose of being scared, followed by a group ritual of drinking to the dead and paying respects. It’s here that the film begins to explore the cult-like mentality that can form around shared experiences, especially those tinged with the supernatural or morbid. Zach’s stay with his cousin Mark introduces us to Susie, making for a packed, if somewhat dysfunctional, house that feels like a family reunion on the edge of chaos.
The plot thickens with the introduction of a rival haunted forest and an ex-staff member looking for beef, adding a layer of corporate competition to the supernatural dread. However, the film escalates when Sarah and Zach’s budding romance leads to a deeper revelation: the mass grave of the slaughtered Indigenous people is right nearby. Worse than that, their spirits are right beside her, and she can hear them.
Then comes the first “accident” involving the resident zip line, which pushes the narrative firmly into slasher territory. Mark’s immediate PR-mode reaction (“don’t say anything to the press”) is a cynical, yet relatable, commentary on how businesses often prioritize image over integrity, even in the face of tragedy.
The film then takes a turn, slowing down considerably. Mark, despite being tired, sees the tragedy as a perverse blessing; The Haunted Forest becomes a hit, drawing tonnes of guests and fostering a high level of success. But when a scare-related chainsaw incident results in a guest’s arm being chopped with surprisingly little screaming, it’s clear that something more is happening than mere superficial slasher territory is underfoot.
Climax and Conclusion: A Muddled Massacre or a Message Lost?
Halloween night arrives, bringing new safety procedures and security, no more pesky chainsaw mishaps at The Haunted Forest. Carly, a schoolmate, appears, hinting at potential romantic complications for Zach, and adding a touch of teen drama to the horror. However, the climax, centered around VIPs and the famous haunted trail, is where The Haunted Forest feels somewhat disjointed.
The decision to make most of the kills off-screen diffuses some of the potential terror. Zach, cleaning up with his earphones on, seems almost oblivious to the escalating carnage, creating a bizarre, almost surreal atmosphere as annoying influencers meet their demise.
With cult-like retribution, While conceptually powerful in its exploration of historical trauma and justice, is executed in a way that feels too loosely connected to be poignant.
The Haunted Forest leaves us with an ambiguous, almost meta-narrative conclusion: was it all a comic Zach wrote? A dream? Or his way of reshaping a zombie-infested narrative into something else? The idea of Zach and Carly watching Love Actually and living happily ever after feels like a jarring, cynical punchline to an otherwise grim tale. That’s even if that’s what happened. While the film dips its toes in profound themes of injustice, cult mentality, and the commercialization of tragedy, its execution often feels dulled, swinging wildly between sharp social commentary and B-movie absurdity.
It’s a horror film that, for all its polished ideas and solid performances (especially from Kaitlyn Lunardi and Grayson Gwaze, who navigate the tonal shifts with a delightful effort), doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Keith Boynton, as both director and cast member, demonstrates a clear passion for the genre, weaving a complex tapestry of horror. While the distribution details for a wider release aren’t yet clear beyond its FrightFest premiere, the film certainly plants itself firmly in the independent horror landscape, daring to be different, even if it occasionally loses its way in the woods.
Mother of Movies’ Verdict
THE HAUNTED FOREST is rated
2.5 Chainsaws Without a Chain out of 5
- Official Film Page (FrightFest)
- Related Review (Mother of Movies)
- More slashers? Mother of Movies has loads of stabby movies: Neon Lights / Bad Cupid / The Stylist, or The Midnight Man.
The Haunted Forest (2025)
A carnival on a massacre site, chilling, grotesque, and unforgettable. – Mother of MoviesSupport Mother of Movies and keep the content flowing:
❤️ Donate to Mother of MoviesThe Haunted Forest
Director: Keith Boynton
Date Created: 2025-08-23 18:25
2.5
Pros
- Great cast
- Strong performances
- Beautiful Halloween setting
Cons
- Underdeveloped
- Soft kills
