We seem to be living in an era of political horror cinema: The Hunt, Get Out, Us, the many variants of The Purge, etc. Much of it is progressive in perspective (although one can argue that it seems so since horror is an inherently conservative genre, rooted in fear of the other or of loss of what you perceive as yours). To this we might add Deep in the Forest, an overearnest, low budget tale of a small group of Democratic activists who take shelter in a cabin in the woods during a civil war between a fascist conservative government and, well it is never quite clear who is fighting back – progressive activists? Liberal members of the military? The media? We get no real threat in the film – one character mentions early on that the government is building “detention camps” for progressives, but we never see or hear about them.

The movie was filmed just as Covid hit in 2020, so though it carries a 2022 release date, it is very much the product of the Trump administration and the lead up to the 2020 election.

A very small group, members of the local “Democratic Club” are seemingly arrested in the night by soldiers. Instead, we learn this was a ruse to prevent them from really being arrested so they could go out in the woods and bicker with each other. This is not a film about the war or any war. The only people we see from “the other side” are the lodge’s caretaker, an old right winger whom they take prisoner and mostly just feed and otherwise take care of (except when hitting him to stop him from escaping) and a single soldier. The entire actual conflict is off camera, which makes it seem arbitrary and silly when they finally announce, “the war is over – the radio said so.”

This is not, as I noted, a film about war, however. It is a film about belief, ideology, and how one behaves when confronted with the realities of an armed conflict and not just discussing ideas over chardonnay and brie. The group initially follows their previously developed leadership structure – the chairman of the Democratic club becomes the de facto leader (John Carpenter stalwart Peter Jason, whom it is always a pleasure to see on screen), and the group bickers when he leaves to determine the new leader. Characters devolve into types, rather than full human beings and continue to argue for and against their previously held ideals, although the group is never really in any danger. When a pair of rednecks with shotguns show up, the group hides in the secret basement room until they leave, stealing most of the food stores. This begs the question, what is the point?  These people won’t defend themselves except verbally against each other, but nothing bad happens to them anyway.

The poster and publicity for Deep in the Forest seem to suggest another hi tech, shoot-em-up, political thriller, but this is instead a very low budget, single set drama about a group of people who cannot get along. It misses opportunities to explore in a deep and honest way the challenges small groups face when confronted with existential threats. There was potential here, but it remains unrealized.

The overall ambiance feels a bit too like Kirk Cameron films (yes, I’ve seen several – don’t ask): the “good guys” are overearnest and all good, just seeking to do the obvious right thing in a world full of people who just don’t get it because they are evil. The characters, as a result, don’t seem real, the situations are forced, and the ending obvious. I say all this as a progressive myself – while I am sympathetic with the politics, that does not excuse poor writing, poor character development or a lack of actual conflict.

3 out of 10