825 Forest Road strives to be a compelling ghost story. Unfortunately, we are left with unanswered questions and a story that may have relied too heavily on jump scares. Don’t get me wrong, 825 Forest Road definitely has its moments where I started to get sucked into the story. However, the cheap tricks quickly took me out, and for me, that can’t be fixed.
Written and directed by Stephen Cognetti of Hell House LLC franchise fame, 825 Forest Road grabbed my attention, and I was in, no questions asked. I’m a huge fan of his found-footage films, and I was excited to see what he’d do outside that genre. That’s why it pains me to not only be disappointed but also to share that disappointment with others.
The basic premise is standard enough: Mom dies, older brother and his wife take in younger sister, and the whole family leaves the city for the “country.” Oops, the new house may be haunted. Except in this case, it’s possible that the whole city is haunted. Thanks, Chuck (Joe Falcone).
Mom’s Dead; Now What?
Chuck and Maria (Elizabeth Vermilyea) have decided to move out of the city with Chuck’s younger sister, Isabel (Kathryn Miller). They did so after Chuck and Isabel’s mother was killed in an accident. It’s important to note that Isabel blames herself as she was driving because the mental health aspect comes into play in this movie.
Maria is a talented designer whose business seems to be predominantly run in the city, about a two-hour drive away, and via live streaming. She has a creepy mannequin that scares us a few times as a nice little nod to our Hell House LLC clowns. The more events occur around the house, the more Maria questions her sanity despite having thousands of live-streaming witnesses. And, of course, her dear, sweet husband Chuck blames her bipolar disorder because that’s what a good horror movie trope husband does.
So right about now, you might be saying to yourself, “But she said the whole town was haunted”. Why, yes, I did! That’s where the confusion comes into this whole movie. Don’t worry; there are no spoilers here. It’s in the movie description. Helen Foster (Diomira Keane) killed herself in the 1940s after terrorizing the town for doing nothing to stop her daughter’s bullying. For some reason, the whole town covers up everything by hiding her address. They also redraw city boundaries or some nonsense like that and rename the streets.
Commence Confusion
That’s where I’m left confused. The whole movie is about how Chuck is supposed to be trying to find 825 Forest Road, where Helen Foster lived and killed herself. This is the address the whole town covered up. Chuck never seemed to have a plan as to what he was going to do when he found the house. The movie begins with and gives us glimpses throughout that he is off investigating or doing research trying to find 825 Forest Road. However, we never see him doing anything of the sort, except for maybe a couple of short scenes.
The real story was what was going on with Isabel and Maria. Both women were going through their own mental health situations or even crises, if you will. Isabel is dealing with the guilt of not only having lost her mother but also of blaming herself. Maria, with her bipolar disorder diagnosis, is questioning what she is experiencing in the home because of past personal experiences. Then we have Chuck, who doesn’t believe in therapy and feels a magic pill can fix anything. Cognetti was doing something here but stopped just short of expanding on the story.
Yay or Nay?
I wouldn’t say 825 Forest Road is a skipper. It definitely has its moments where the story lures you in. If you’re a fan of jump scares, then you are in for a fun time. I absolutely enjoyed the moments where I could see Stephen Cognetti of Hell House LLC remind me he was in there. The story just felt scattered and I wish it was more focused on the women. Focusing on the fact that women and their mental health needs are often brushed aside or outright ignored is not only a truth in real life but also very believable in horror. Cognetti was so close but just missed the mark.
825 Forest Road is available to stream on Shudder on April 4.
