Sean Parker
Hell House LLC is one of the best found footage series of the last decade. Beginning in 2015, Stephen Cognetti’s films helped fill the void between the lackluster end of the Paranormal Activity franchise’s Ghost Dimension and its disembodied attempt at resurgence in 2021’s Next of Kin, which felt more like its own film that Paramount slapped the Paranormal Activity name on in order to keep the party going. During that time, Cognetti has made four Hell House movies, with a new, narrative-based fifth entry hitting theaters in August. But if you’ve been wondering what kind of creepy scares may translate from Cognetti’s found footage style into a more stylishly produced film, look no further than your Shudder subscriptions and this past weekend’s release of 825 Forest Road.
As a big fan of Cognetti’s found footage films, I was eager to see what he could create within the new borders of a narrative framework. While you can arguably do more with camera placements and effects that needn’t be in the moment, Cognetti instead diverts his attention from trying too many new things and effectively scares audiences with his tried-and-true methodologies. The director infuses 825 Forest Road with found footage frights from shifting pans and background agitations that make for a roller coaster of unease and the most rollicking haunted house experience since the first Insidious.
825 Forest Road tells the story of Joe Falcone’s Chuck, whose mother’s death displaces his estranged sister Isabelle (Kathryn Miller), which causes him to uproot his artist wife Maria (Elizabeth Vermilyea) from the big city and move them all to the sleepy suburban town of Ashland Falls—a town with a secret. Once moved into the new place, the three quickly begin to feel as if they’re not alone in the house as all manner of strange occurrences begin to befall them, from visible sightings of a ghostly figure to debilitating psychological assaults. But unlike most of these investigatory procedurals that slowly roll viewers through a town unwilling to provide answers and characters that would rather go against every fiber of their being to deny what’s happening, 825 Forest Road goes against the norm, providing the audience with a fast-paced scareathon of thrills and chills.
After finding his wife’s dressmaker’s doll in their backyard one night, Chuck is urged by his neighbor (Lorenzo Beronilla) to keep his search on the down low and is told about the ghost of Helen Foster, who has terrorized residents, even causing them to commit suicide, since as far back as her tragedy in the 1940s. With the map changed to cover up what is happening, no one can seem to find the home of the ghostly woman, and simply seeking the information typically ends in the seeker’s demise. Featuring a mannequin analogous to Hell House LLC’s clown dolls, a fantastic array of locations, and a meticulous focus on the background, It’s ridiculously easy to get sucked into 825 Forest Road.
However, while I was thoroughly locked in for the entirety of 825 Forest Road, the movie’s structure is perhaps the most challenging thing about it. Set up like a book containing four chapters, the rotating viewpoints of Chuck, Isabelle, and Maria are seen covering what feels like less than a week of ghostly events in their new home before fusing the views in the climax. The idea to cut the film this way is likely to pace out the film’s most intense scenes by differentiating these viewpoints. Yet, many of the film’s key moments overlap, and the viewer ends up unnecessarily exposed to the same events, boasting new information and astonishingly little character development. And because fixed moments are standard between the stories, some timeline confusion is caused by skipping the event if it doesn’t provide anything additional, making scenes increasingly frustrating to watch over again since there’s no real connectedness to the process.
Though you could write off the film’s decision to tell its story in this manner as a nitpick, 825 Forest Road also culminates in a bit of a weak ending. The movie is intense and attention-consuming, but the final moments of the film leave many unresolved questions swirling as it opts for a minacious ending without any real recourse as to why. While there are avenues that presuppose an explanation, nothing is ever outright implied or inferred. In essence, it’s scares over substance in the movie’s final minutes, and because it doesn’t stick the landing, 825 Forest Road suffers as a whole.
I still have high hopes for Hell House LLC: Lineage, and if 825 Forest Road is any indication, it’s going to be a good time. While the final result of 825 Forest Road isn’t exactly what I had hoped for, I think a lot of the underlying tricks and techniques Cognetti uses translate well into narrative film. This first foray into the medium can be chalked up to learning something new, and there’s a lot to like about the director’s approach outside of the film’s storytelling issues. 25 Forest Road is a fun ride, for the most part. Regardless, it makes August’s Hell House sequel something worth getting excited for. Lineage will also feature a few of 825 Forest Road’s cast, including Elizabeth Vermilyea, Joe Bandelli, and Mike Sutton.
You can catch 825 Forest Road now streaming on Shudder.
825 Forest Road | Official Trailer | Shudder
After a family tragedy, Chuck Wilson hopes to start a new life in Ashland Falls with his wife Maria and little sister Isabelle, but he quickly discovers that the town has a dark secret. From the creator of HELL HOUSE LLC, 825 FOREST ROAD is streaming April 4th on Shudder.
