The real lifeAokigahara “Suicide” Forestserves as the inspiration for Focus Features' new thrillerThe Forest. In case you missed the first trailer that debuted back in September,MTVhas debuted the second trailer, featuring starNatalie Dormer. The actress also debuted a new poster for this upcoming thriller on her officialFacebookandInstagrampages earlier today.
Rising with terrifying grandeur at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan, the legendary real-life Aokigahara Forest is the suspense-filled setting of the supernatural thriller.The Forestcenters on a young American woman, Sara (Natalie DormerofGame of ThronesandThe Hunger Games) journeys there in search of her twin sister, who has mysteriously disappeared. In the company of expatriate Aiden (Taylor Kinney ofChicago Fire), Sara enters the forest having been well warned to “stay on the path.”
Determined to discover the truth about her sister’s fate, Sara will have to face the angry and tormented souls of the dead that prey on anyone who dares come near them. These malevolent spirits lying in wait for Sara at every turn will plunge her into a frightening darkness from which she must fight to save herself. The supporting cast includes Stephanie Vogt, James Owen, Yukiyoshi Ozawa, Eoin Macken, Rina Takasaki, Kikuo Ichikawa and Noriko Sakura.
The real-life Aokigahara forest, also known as the Suicide Forest, is also the setting of another upcoming film,The Sea of Trees, starringMatthew McConaughey,Ken WatanabeandNaomi Watts. The forest has been associated with demons in Japanese mythology, and has been the site of hundreds of suicides throughout the years. It was estimated that, in 2010, more than 200 people tried to take their own lives in the forest, 54 of whom were successful.
The Foresthas been given a January 8, 2016release date, which pits it up against an untitled Blumhouse Pictureshorror movieand 20th Century Fox’sThe Revenant, which expands nationwide on that date after opening in limited release on Christmas Day. Jason Zada (The Houses October Built) directedThe Forestfrom a script by Sarah Cornwell andNick Antosca. Take a look at the new trailer and poster forThe Forestbefore it hits theaters this January.
