The intrigue of screening a cult narrative will always grab my attention, so keep me in mind when creating your next Waco, Spahn Ranch or Jonestown subject matter! In the meantime, I had such optimism when watching The Forest Through the Trees, (after reading the synopsis) which held my focus for a good 45-minutes! Not too bad, but nothing to rave about once you hit that road bump which drags your limp and tired body through a final 30 minutes of repeated rhetoric.  

Beginning with an obviously crushing and dangerous birth, a young mother is desperate to desert her malicious wooded compound and seek refuge by reinventing herself where she can raise her baby girl in a normal and loving environment. The sham of this is almost immediately palpable since we know her identity will be discovered, putting her daughter Chloe in severe jeopardy. Thus, I was understandably captivated when the inconsolable mom, Kathy, disappears into the night leaving a cryptic note behind for her husband/stepdad, Ken, to protect Chloe at all costs.

A year later, Ken and Chloe are struggling through a turbulent relationship without Kathy, when they are visited by a mysterious “lawyer” deeming a cabin in a remote forest (where Chloe was born) now belongs to the next of kin. Spinning an evident trap for the young lady, her stepdad and her new love (girlfriend Ava), they conclude that unanswered questions will be revealed by a visit to the newly acquired shack.  

And this is where we should all be eager for the evil carnage to arise through a fiendish cult imposing satanic spells on the newcomers, specifically…upon Chloe, the chosen heterochromiac who must withstand the 3 phases of the ritual including surrendering her body as a vessel for an ancient demon. Summoning their dark lord, Malphas, grants the followers access to the beautiful Utopia he plans to build as a “fuck you” to God for releasing him from paradise into his hellish existence. While this entire puzzle is being solved, we are presented with an extremely creepy “Poltergeist 3” old man leading the descent through barbaric torture, and viciousness when it comes to removing Chloe’s beloved family as a trade for her willing participation.

The incessant spiral of kills, dream sequences and on-going sacrificial speeches only delayed the unpredictable twist which resulted in a shock less turn of events. The slow pace caused the unveiling to reflect like a beaten dead horse by the time the climax arrived. By this time, I was ready for the final curtain to be drawn at least 20 minutes earlier.