“The Forest” has all the parts of a successful horror movie: a notoriously creepy setting, a skilled leading actress and demonic faces, but fails to stand out.

Directed by Jason Zada, “The Forest” chronicles Sara’s (Natalie Dormer) journey to Japan where her twin sister has disappeared. Most of the locals tell her that she will never find her sister: she has gone into the “Sea of Trees,” where people go to kill themselves. She convinces a guide to take her in, and they spend the night before eventually getting lost in the forest.

The main point of the movie is to have us questioning what is real and what is just in Sara’s head. It is said that the forest causes people with “sadness in their heart” to see ghostly visions. This concept works well in regards to her interactions with Rob (Eoin Macken) her guide into the forest. The viewer questions whether to trust him the same way that Sara does in the movie.

Where it doesn’t work is the demonic faces that pop up every so often. It’s just not that believable that Sara would envision them chasing her and that such detailed faces could be “all in her head.”

The setting, the main draw for me, isn’t used to its full potential. The film takes place in Aokigahara, a forest lying at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. It is also a common suicide site, earning the name the Suicide Forest. The film would have been better if it dove into this premise more, which is terrifyingly fascinating. Instead, it’s more concerned with giving the forest a more supernatural effect.

The supernatural elements come in the form of demonic faces, a creepy Japanese schoolgirl and unnerving twin girls. The Japanese schoolgirl is particularly unsuccessful: sometimes you have to laugh a little when she shows up, just because it’s so overdone.

“The Forest” falls into this often, going just a little too far. A creepy moment, which could potentially be the most terrifying, is ruined by a jump scare.

If you have the extra time and cash to see it in the theatres, “The Forest” might be worth it. Surrounded by a bunch of other screaming theater-goers, the film can be a good time. But if you’re looking a memorable horror movie that’ll leave you thinking, skip “The Forest.”