Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that The Forest is a horror movie set in the real-life Aokigahara forest near Japan's Mt. Fuji, where many people go to commit suicide and which is rumored to be haunted. There are lots of creepy ghosts, hanging bodies, scary sounds, and jump-scares; some blood is shown, and characters die. A knife is used to cut and stab, and a shotgun is shown. Language is infrequent but does include uses of "s--t" and "goddamn." There's some social drinking, and a scene of characters talking and sharing beers in a bar. Sex isn't an issue. As far as horror movies go, this one isn't terrible, and horror hounds will be interested. And fans of Natalie Dormer (The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, etc.) will want to see her in her first major starring role.
Sexual
Content
A character alludes to picking up college girls by memorizing poetry.
Violence
Bloody wounds; gory images of dead bodies with blood pooling around them. Lots of scary ghosts, scary sounds, and jump-scares. Hanging corpses in a forest. Character falls into a cave, with a painful injured foot. Creepy maggots. Knife held to throat, character stabbed in chest, knife stabbing at clutched fingers. Talk and images of suicide. Shotgun shown.
Language
One or two uses of "s--t," "damn," "goddamn," "Jesus" (as an exclamation).
Social
Behavior
Not a "message movie," but characters do choose to help others (some more selflessly than others). The movie may also encourage teens to discuss the issue of suicide.
Consumerism
One shot of Nike shoes. A View Master toy is part of the plot.
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Some social drinking. Characters share beers at a bar while talking. Spoken story about a drunk driver killing people.
