Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) is set to star in the new horror film “The Forest”. The first official trailer has also been released recently.
MTV reported that “The Forest” is based on the real-life wooded area outside of Tokyo, Japan. The forest is called Aokigahara, also known as “Suicide Forest” or “Sea of Trees” because of its dark history. The Japanese forest spans 14 square miles and lies at the foot of Mt. Fuji. It acquired its name because of the high number of people who kill themselves at the place every year. Since the 1950s about 50 to 100 individuals would commit suicide in Aokigahara annually.
Many believe the before the 19th century, families would abandon the sick and elderly in suicide forest to get rid of the burden of having to care for them and paying for medical expenses. Such act was called “ubasute”. The cruel act eventually caused the forest to be haunted by demons and the souls of those who died tragically, according to folklore. After the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Aokigahara is the most common site in the world where people kill themselves, Screen Rant wrote.
Dormer will take the lead role. Taylor Kinney will also appear in the movie, which was written by David S. Goyer (Batman V Superman). Jason Zada (Take This Lollipop) is the director and it will be his feature debut. The newly relaunched Gramercy Pictures, a subsidiary of Focus Features, was behind the making of the film, based on the same MTV report.
The synopsis stated that Sara (Dormer) searches for her twin sister who mysteriously disappeared in the legendary Aokigahara Forest. People warned her to stay on the path, but she still enters the woods to uncover the truth about her sister’s whereabouts. While wandering the forest, she will encounter many angry and dangerous souls of the dead.
Screen Rant wrote that the fact that the setting is based on a real place makes “The Forest” scarier. Some of the signs featured in the trailer were the real ones in Japan. The cast and crew will hopefully come up with a great film, while respecting the actual deaths that occurred in Aokigahara. Fans are expecting more surprises as the plot progresses. The movie is also set to rake in huge crowds, considering Dormer’s popularity and great acting skills.
The Forest” will launch in theaters on Jan. 8, 2016.
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