825 Forest Road

Creepy indie film. Kind of an abrupt ending without much explanation, but you still get the overall idea and plot. This director creeped me out with the "Hell House LLC" movies when they were released, but this didn't really live up to that creepiness, but still worth a watch!

The movie has a new refreshing buildup method, and it gives you new perspectives that you don't see in a horror movie very often. I thought this way of telling a story was good and also entertaining.

The bad reviews are just people wanting some high budget horror with known/ famous actors. Sooo if you find yourself liking indie horror, then watch this!

This movie was pretty slow moving and developing also not the best acting, but boy oh boy the scary scenes were very scary. It was pretty difficult to stay with due to slow development, but once it got going I was happy I stuck it out.

I would have to recommend this movie fir a time you are looking for a scary movie that has a new fresh approach to haunted house and human possession.

The movie is eerie and has some good jump scares. Not for the faint of heart.

I was between a rating of 6 and 7. I would have given a higher score if the acting was better and if the story moved along quicker..

I recently watched 825 Forest Road (2025) on Shudder. The story follows a family searching for a fresh start who move into a new house in a small town. Unfortunately, the town-and the house-have a dark history that threatens to make their new beginning anything but refreshing.

The film is written and directed by Stephen Cognetti (Hell House LLC) and stars Elizabeth Vermilyea (Hell House LLC: Lineage), Kathryn Miller (Nefarious), Joe Bandelli (Hell House LLC), and Brian Anthony Wilson (Law Abiding Citizen).

This is one of those horror films that focuses more on building a backstory and explaining why things are happening rather than showing them unfold on screen. I found myself wanting more horror scenes-it felt slow at times and bordered on boring. That said, when the horror finally kicks in, the effects are well done. There are solid practical effects, effective makeup to enhance the haunted visuals, and a couple of decent jump scares.

Still, it's the kind of film where you might find yourself checking your phone regularly, waiting for something to happen.

In conclusion, 825 Forest Road has a few redeeming elements, but ultimately it doesn't do enough to stand out in the haunted house subgenre. I'd give it a 5/10.

It begins well with a suitably creepy opening with a zoom call between two girls, there is an ambient ' Silent Hill' small town vibe (and the town looks lush) which always appeals to me in any horror film.

Rather than the usual blood/gore this acts as a quiet sometimes reflective horror about dark past secrets. It reminded me of Ti West's ' The Innkeepers' and John Irvin's Ghost Story.

It has a few effective creepy scenes-the piano scene being one of them.

What lets it down is I couldn't take the character ' Isabel' looking way older than she is. She clearly looks mid 20s tops, so when he brother asks her how she is getting on at school I just laughed.

The scares, although well done, were signposted way too soon. The creepy doll (Mia lookalike!!) was put into frame once the camera panned either left or right and a movement by the ghost in the background was an ill judged piece of mis-direction.

The various POVs were unsubtle and added nothing to proceedings as a whole and the ' teenage' love interest was the usual tedious ' tick box' exercise so prevalent in movies nowadays- and they had zero chemistry.

It's one of those films that could have been better and shows how old I've become in seeing where and when the scares come along; however if either Elsie and Molly want a old fashioned ghost story I would recommend.

825 Forest Road could have been a great horror movie with a few more script re-writes. There are a handful of great scares, and interesting relationships between the three main characters. You can expect that the creators of Hell House made the most out of the mannequin in this film. Unfortunately, the script also suffers from some significant flaws. For instance, there are only about four characters in the story who actually matter. Many of the side characters could have easily been written out of the story. The Gardening Club, realtor, and the opening scene characters didn't serve a relevant purpose. There are also often times when the writing makes basic story elements confusing. As an example, It took me awhile to realize that Ashley and Isabel were different characters. Finally and most importantly, the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Despite these flaws, I would recommend watching 825 Forest Road. Just don't expect the next Shining, or even the next Insidious.