PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Stephen Cognetti’s 825 Forest Road took me on an absolutely insane ride. I don’t know what I was expecting, but what I got was the revival of all those old haunted house movies that made you shiver to your bones. The film is a step away from footage found by Stephen Cognetti, best known for the Hell House LLC. franchise. 825 Forest Road is a Shudder exclusive set to release on April 4th, 2025.
Let’s dive into my review.
Synopsis
After a family tragedy, Chuck Wilson (Joe Falcone) hopes to start a new life in Ashland Falls with his wife Maria (Elizabeth Vermilyea) and little sister Elizabeth, but every town has secrets, and he quickly discovers that the town has a very dark one. The ghost of Helen Foster has terrorized residents for decades, since her own suicide back in the ’40s. Finding Helen’s old home is key to ending the hauntings, but the address they have doesn’t match any of the town’s existing streets.
When Chuck realizes his family might be in danger of Helen’s wrath, he takes it upon himself to locate 825 Forest Road before it’s too late
The Rundown
825 Forest Road left me feeling a little uneasy, and completely excited. 825 Forest Road had me sleeping with a light on. It had me frightened in the best way possible. 825 Forest Road is instantly iconic in my life: it promised scares and it delivered with a sucker punch. You will never see what this movie has in store for you. Everything you predict is going to be off in some way. The film leaves a spark in your brain that grows 10 times its own size when the lights go out. What made it so special to me? There are plenty of reasons, but the biggest reason is that I know this life well. The Pennsylvania coal region has plenty of secrets, I would know because I grew up in it.
The film is set in a way that instantly reminded me of Dead Silence or the entire town of Silent Hill. 825 Forest Road is every legendary ghost story rolled into one. The entire movie is a homage to the things I grew up loving. I felt an instant attachment to the town and its citizens. We all have secrets, and we aren’t so inviting. 825 Forest Road takes our secrets and lays them out on the table. Every town in this area has a ghost story, and the film somehow rolled them all into one. The story may not be true, but it’s right on the nose. I am not fond of realism in horror, however, in a strange way I felt connected to the cast and the story sucked me right in.
Be Warned
The film is told in chapters, so you get to know every main character’s story, where they come from, who they are, and what they are afraid of. The runtime does not become tiresome because you are constantly looking at a new perspective that focuses on one person’s story at a time. To me, this made the film much easier to enjoy and you don’t need a whole lot of thought, you can just sit back and enjoy. Just heed my warning from the beginning, this film is going to stick with you long after the credits roll.
In The End
825 Forest Road is a dedication to everything creepy in my little town that consists of a gas station and three different bars. There is an instant attraction to the gloomy setting and the story only darkens the storm clouds. This is not a film you want to miss. I don’t say this often, but I enjoyed every single detail.
