825 Forest Road Summary and Review - Every Town Has its Secrets

825 Forest Road tells the story of a town, Ashland Falls, haunted by the ghost of a long-dead resident, Helen Foster, who has terrorised the locals for decades. When newcomer Chuck Wilson arrives, he finds himself drawn into the mystery surrounding Helen and her former home at 825 Forest Road - an address that, curiously, doesn’t appear on any map.

The film opens promisingly, offering a glimpse of the fear that grips the town as Ashley and her friend conduct their own investigation into the legend of Forest Road. Their conversation is interrupted by an unseen and threatening presence, hinting at the dark forces at play and setting the stage for the suspense to come.

A Sinister Past

Chuck moves to Ashland Falls with his wife, Maria, and his sister, Isabelle, following the tragic death of their mother in a car accident - an accident that occurred while Isabelle was driving. The family settle into a house that’s been on the market for some time, unaware that the previous owner committed suicide. As they try to rebuild their lives, Chuck meets a neighbour, Larry, who hints at the town’s sinister past and encourages him to look into its history at the local library.

As Chuck begins to dig deeper, strange things start happening. Maria’s eerie dress-making mannequin mysteriously moving from their house to the street, and Chuck has an unsettling encounter with Ashley at the library, who warns him cryptically, “Don’t do it.” He even discovers a local support group for those residents brave enough to talk about the horrors they’ve experienced.

It all sets the stage for what could have been an entertaining, if familiar, supernatural tale of terror and vengeance but despite the initial promise, it doesn't quite deliver.

A Story of Four Parts

The story is divided into four chapters, with three focusing on Chuck, Maria and Isabelle, each offering their perspective on the same events. While I usually enjoy multi-perspective storytelling, here it felt disjointed. There’s too much in the way of repetition and not enough momentum, with each segment slowing the pace rather than building tension. As a result, the film loses focus on delivering actual scares.

I had hoped for a deeper investigation into Helen’s backstory - something involving interviews, research, with gradual revelations of why she haunts the town and the mystery behind the address. Instead, I was deprived of this enjoyment, and any inquiries were handled off-camera, which side-stepped real narrative depth.

One of the more baffling elements of the film is the characters’ lack of curiosity or alarm when things take a turn for the weird. At times, they seem oddly indifferent, as if unaware or uninterested in impending doom. One example (that doesn’t give too much away) is when Chuck meets a staff member at the library, then later sees her at the support group. He doesn’t acknowledge her, let alone ask what she’s doing there. Moments like this make the characters feel dull-witted and detached from the story..

And The Good Points

That said, there are positives. The film is nicely shot, with creative use of colour and lighting that gives it an atmospheric, vintage look with a modern edge. The practical effects are done well enough, with Cognetti’s influence most visible in the unsettling mannequin and the manifestations of Helen - genuinely creepy moments that provide flashes of what the film could have been. The performances are solid, though hampered by a clunky and often predictable script. Although one standout moment is Maria’s retelling of Helen’s story, delivered with real emotion and serving as a key moment in the film. But for a town supposedly traumatised by terror, there’s little terror to speak of.

I was looking forward to a good old-fashioned haunted house ghost story and in some ways, 825 Forest Road delivers that. But with a plodding narrative, uneven pacing, and a lack of consistent scares, it ultimately falls short of being the compelling supernatural horror it wants to be. It takes too long to reach its climax, and while the final scenes do manage to generate some real tension, it’s too little, too late. And, to top it off, an oddly unfinished twist and an abrupt ending leave too many questions unanswered. Given the pedigree of Cognetti and the Hell House franchise, I expected more and came away disappointed.

Rating: 2.5/5

Chuck Wilson: Joe Falcone
Maria Wilson: Elizabeth Vermilyea
Isabelle: Kathryn Miller
Helen Foster: Diomira Keane

Larry: Lorenzo Beronilla
Director: Stephen Cognetti
Writer: Stephen Cognetti

Release: 2025