Horror Movie Review: The Forgotten (2014)

Written by James Hall and Oliver Frampton, with the latter also taking on directorial duties for his debut. The Forgotten is a British supernatural horror film that sounds like any other supernatural horror film ever, aside from being set on a council estate.

However, in a welcome surprise, The Forgotten is a smartly told, mysterious and creepy film. One that features strong characters and solid acting alongside its frights.

The star is Clem Tibber who plays the 14-year-old boy Tommy. He is forced to live with his father, Mark (Shaun Dingwall) following a mysterious incident involving his mother. Something his father is trying to hide from him as Tommy is told she has gone to stay with her sister for a few days.

Tommy’s mother and father are estranged and Mark has taken up residence inside a rundown flat on an empty council estate that is due for demolition. It’s not a nice place to be for anyone, let alone Tommy who is a bit of a loner.

While staying there, one night Tommy hears noises on the other side of the wall. The wall in between his bedroom and the flat next door. A flat that is apparently empty according to his father. The noises continue though so Tommy decides to go investigate. What will he find?

A lovely horror movie that enhances its creep factor with a solid location, great use of darkness and character reactions. Several exemplary scenes are downright frightening. The scene where Tommy finds all his stuff pushed up against the wall will send a shiver down the spine.

Then we have the mystery of what is going on with Mark, Tommy’s mother and the local girl, Carmen (Elarica Johnson), Tommy befriends. Mystery that has a fair amount of misdirection but is paid off well. It’s very easy to get invested.

The Forgotten is a class act, where you’ll find yourself caring about the characters and hoping that everything turns out alright. That it also has some emotional pull is just the icing on the cake.