Terror at Black Tree Forest Movie Review!
Sam Mason Bell works very hard here in the UK. His CV is crammed full of movies beginning around 2008. Toxic Shlock, Clownsploitation, contributions to Deep Web XXX (see review here) and A Taste of Phobia (see review here), Sam was last reviewed by me back in 2019 with Lonely Hearts (see review here) and I honestly struggled with myself for that one. I wanted to like it, but I think the whole based around reality TV thing dulled it for me. Either way, that was then, “Fluffy bunnies” and all, this is now.
Terror at Black Tree Forest is highly concentrated on the characters, like Lonely Hearts, they speak as everyday folks do, having normal conversations, just being average, and that’s quite appealing. The only fault I would find in this is because the scenes and chats last a long time, it seems Sam decided to pop really distracting music over just about everything.
We open to a young couple, Jackie and Gill, wandering through a forest after reminiscing and debating where they had their first kiss. This is a romantic camping trip, Jackie is tired, Gill is enthusiastic because he’s going to propose. After a flat-out rejection, he walks off to be slaughtered by a maniac who soon after sends Jackie with her ex-lover.
After the credits we meet a chirpy group of folks who are off trekking and camping in the forest. They’re a mixed bunch, likeable, not offensive. The two men like to wind the girls up, one lady smokes a hell of a lot of weed, one guy, Simon, when he speaks his eyes are all over the place. I mean, I thought he was a blind man at first then realized he’s just weird or can’t remember his lines so has prompt cards everywhere. “Gotta love a spooky forest. Who knows what creeps around. Later we gotta bring out the spooky stories.” he tells Caroline, Molly and Jane.
The girls wander off for a bit just before sunset and chance upon some old ruins. As they talk and chill out, they suddenly make out somebody watching them in the undergrowth before being scared by the boys. Back at the camp site, as they settle in, Will narrates the story behind the Terror at Black Tree Forest. Fifty years ago, near enough to the day, at exactly the same spot, a man called Brian Meadows had a picnic with his mother. A group of escaped lunatics brutally raped and tortured her before his very eyes. Alone, it drove him insane. Twenty years later, a group of campers were killed one by one. Legend has it there’s a curse on the forest. The girl’s mock until Simon, who left earlier, jump scares Jane. She loses her shit and storms off in a rage.
Whilst looking for Jane, Simon is stabbed in the throat by someone wearing a potato sack over their head like the legend of Brian Meadows states. Meanwhile, Molly finds Jane and they head back to the camp unbeknown of Simon’s bloody fate. Time passes, Will plays guitar and they all relax, but gradually become worried about Simon. Will rings his mobile and they hear it going off some way away in the dark. Will goes looking, the girls shrug. “They’re probably just messing around.” comments Jane. God! The fucking stupid synth music overlapping what could be a really eerie scene as Will looks around is absolutely pointless!! Whose idea was it to make this a damn musical??!! Tunes in every scene and not very decent sounds either!
He finds Simon’s phone and convinces the ladies to help him, though they’re still convinced that it’s one of their sick jokes. “Ohhh, who the fuck is that??!!” as they catch a glimpse of someone nearby. In the brief glimpse, did not look like Simon. “That isn’t him,” says Will, getting a bit shaky, “We have to get out of here!”
Suddenly they find the gear left behind by Jackie and Gill, two of their friends. Will is shouted at, they still think it’s his jokes, “Everything is real!” he pleads, “I have not done this!”
Terror at Black Tree Forest is low key and nothing much happens for long periods of time, but that makes it feel a bit more authentic, like these are proper people in real danger. It’s a jolly quick masked psychopath on the loose in the dark movie and doesn’t try to be anything else.
Don’t try to guess who the killer is because you’ll get it right, it’s obvious. Terror at Black Tree Forest is a quickie horror, nicely shot, using the forest locations wonderfully, especially after night fall. The murders aren’t major graphic and are simple in their execution, this is more a character flick, as I said before. The cast hold up their end well enough, regardless of Omar Mahood Lagares and his wild eyeballs. Annabella Rich, as Jane has a big CV to her name, the rest have a handful but there’s nobody over the top outstanding, nor anyone under performing either.
Omar Mahmood Lagares, all eyeballs aside, is great as Simon, purposely being a goof, he’s probably the most fun, he dies too soon. Speaking of deaths, Martin W. Payne appears and is offed graphically, I swear down he’s after the record for the most put upon to die actor in underground films. Annabella, you can tell, has a career behind her and definitely in front of her.
Terror at Black Tree Forest could have easily become a parody, you know, a gentle spoof of the American teens in the woods making out, then dying. There’s glimmers of VHS era franchise horrors, but that’s to be expected going by the settings. Sam plays this seriously, yeah the characters say stupid things yet they are reactions normally made by folks. The writing is, because of that factor, excellent throughout.
Don’t walk through Sam’s forest expecting gore and butchery galore. Don’t drink a beer and invite your gang around. Watch it in the right frame of mind to enjoy real humans getting scared.
Directed by: Sam Mason Bell
Written by: Sam Mason Bell, Jackson Batchelor
Produced by: Martin W Payne
Cinematography by: Jackson Batchelor
Editing by: Sam Mason Bell
Music by: Ben Farrent
Special Effects by: Katie Johnson
Cast: Annabella Rich, Omar Mahmood Lagares, Will Jones, Cassandra Wallace, Martin W Payne, Ella Palmer, Amanda Bourne, Max Pill
Year: 2021
Country: UK
Language: English
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 1h 15min
Studio: H B Films, Trash Arts
Distributor: SCS Entertainment
Terror at Black Tree Forest
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