A decent ghost story in the tradition of MR James, the Ealing studios spooky portmanteau Dead Of Night, and the Woman In Black, set on an abandoned council estate scheduled for demolition where a father and son are forced to squat. The movies teenage protagonist is awoken each night by strange noises coming from the flat next door, and witnesses his fathers behaviour becoming ever more bizarre and disturbing. Befriended by a local girl, they start to explore the empty flat together and discover its dark history. This 2014 British horror film was the directorial debut of Oliver Frampton, and premiered at that years FrightFest in London. There are one or two hiccups along the way, and the loose ends are all tied up a little too neatly to bring about the finale, but it is genuinely affecting and chilling in parts, and is an impressive and mournful debut marking Frampton and writer James Hall as ones to watch.
15 Reviews
Ends up just sleepwalking
r96sk29 February 2020
Uneventful. 'The Forgotten' is a rather dull horror flick.
It builds a little bit of tension in parts, but ends up just sleepwalking to a crescendo which concludes before it even gets going; which leads to a somewhat abrupt finish. Elarica Gallacher and Clem Tibber do give solid enough performances, I will say that.
It builds a little bit of tension in parts, but ends up just sleepwalking to a crescendo which concludes before it even gets going; which leads to a somewhat abrupt finish. Elarica Gallacher and Clem Tibber do give solid enough performances, I will say that.
restrained to a fault
phenomynouss25 February 2018
This movie is extremely restrained, minimalistic, "slow-burning" as another reviewer puts it. It's in fact too restrained. Far too restrained.
Ostensibly the movie is about some sinister ghostly going-ons in an ugly run-down flat in England. For the vast majority of the run time, we follow a lonely kid living in this run-down flat with his distant father. Late at night he hears odd thumpings and thudding sounds in the flat next to his. He suspects maybe it's someone stuck in there or something. His only friend and companion is a girl named Carmen, the only person around his age who s attention to him without bullying him.
This eats up the majority of the playtime, and if you're interested in the characters, good for you. Unfortunately there's very little that is compelling about this story at all. The supernatural elements come in so sparingly that it seems almost goofily out of place in an otherwise straightforward, realistic film. It's restrained to such a degree that it becomes a distraction, sticking out hard from the rest of the film.
Once we finally do get the plot to unfold, it's very late in the film, and the resolution is rushed along to such a degree that, being bored as I was by much of the first 2/3rds of the film, I missed something very quick and suddenly the last 10 minutes made very little sense to me. Looking at the other spoiler-filled reviews helped me to understand, but this movie left so little a mark on me that I just didn't care.
Ostensibly the movie is about some sinister ghostly going-ons in an ugly run-down flat in England. For the vast majority of the run time, we follow a lonely kid living in this run-down flat with his distant father. Late at night he hears odd thumpings and thudding sounds in the flat next to his. He suspects maybe it's someone stuck in there or something. His only friend and companion is a girl named Carmen, the only person around his age who s attention to him without bullying him.
This eats up the majority of the playtime, and if you're interested in the characters, good for you. Unfortunately there's very little that is compelling about this story at all. The supernatural elements come in so sparingly that it seems almost goofily out of place in an otherwise straightforward, realistic film. It's restrained to such a degree that it becomes a distraction, sticking out hard from the rest of the film.
Once we finally do get the plot to unfold, it's very late in the film, and the resolution is rushed along to such a degree that, being bored as I was by much of the first 2/3rds of the film, I missed something very quick and suddenly the last 10 minutes made very little sense to me. Looking at the other spoiler-filled reviews helped me to understand, but this movie left so little a mark on me that I just didn't care.
It kept me watching but no great shakes... As a Horror Film
Mehki_Girl30 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
....As a matter of fact the film would have been better if it just concentrated on family dynamics and dysfunction and loneliness and all that regular stuff.
Rather than the normal fear that i feel, when someone is in a very dark room with a very small light, my emotional reactions had more to do with the way adults around the fourteen-year-old protagonist were simply failing him all the time.
This kid needed parents and there were none in sight. No wonder he attached himself to a young girl who has her own issues (she cuts). He annoys her at first, but then she kind of takes him under her wing.
Getting back to the parents. The dad drags him to some abandoned building to live in and when the kid says I keep hearing noises, the father rather than being concerned, simply tells the son, what a pain in the ass he is. Really that's all you have? This kid was so sweet and so well-behaved, I wanted to take him myself.
He goes to visit his mom in s mental hospital and she starts weeping and tells him how f afraid she is. What do you want a 14 year old kid to do? Now he has to comfort you? You can't comfort him.
He gets to stay at the girlfriend's house. The dad is really, nice but then tells him the next day that he and his daughter have very little. Come on! How much is it to feed one more mouth? me and my sisters boyfriends were over the house so often my mother just added them to the shopping list. She just threw into more pork chops into the food basket. and trust me we were poor but somehow she managed to feed her 4 kids, plus two teenage boys. The kid's sleeping on the couch!
I really wanted to take this kid home before they turned him into a juvenile delinquent by disappointing and failing him so often that he becomes angry with the world
I don't know, maybe I saw this movie through a parent's eye, but to me this was more of a character study dealing with family dysfunction and worked much better that way, than trying to create a ghost story.
The main story was interesting enough for me to keep me watching. I really felt for this kid and I really felt for this kid in relation to the failure of all the adults around him. To me that was the real story.
One extra star for making me connect with anf care about the character. So 7 stars.
Rather than the normal fear that i feel, when someone is in a very dark room with a very small light, my emotional reactions had more to do with the way adults around the fourteen-year-old protagonist were simply failing him all the time.
This kid needed parents and there were none in sight. No wonder he attached himself to a young girl who has her own issues (she cuts). He annoys her at first, but then she kind of takes him under her wing.
Getting back to the parents. The dad drags him to some abandoned building to live in and when the kid says I keep hearing noises, the father rather than being concerned, simply tells the son, what a pain in the ass he is. Really that's all you have? This kid was so sweet and so well-behaved, I wanted to take him myself.
He goes to visit his mom in s mental hospital and she starts weeping and tells him how f afraid she is. What do you want a 14 year old kid to do? Now he has to comfort you? You can't comfort him.
He gets to stay at the girlfriend's house. The dad is really, nice but then tells him the next day that he and his daughter have very little. Come on! How much is it to feed one more mouth? me and my sisters boyfriends were over the house so often my mother just added them to the shopping list. She just threw into more pork chops into the food basket. and trust me we were poor but somehow she managed to feed her 4 kids, plus two teenage boys. The kid's sleeping on the couch!
I really wanted to take this kid home before they turned him into a juvenile delinquent by disappointing and failing him so often that he becomes angry with the world
I don't know, maybe I saw this movie through a parent's eye, but to me this was more of a character study dealing with family dysfunction and worked much better that way, than trying to create a ghost story.
The main story was interesting enough for me to keep me watching. I really felt for this kid and I really felt for this kid in relation to the failure of all the adults around him. To me that was the real story.
One extra star for making me connect with anf care about the character. So 7 stars.
No horror at all.
kirstynoycephotography3 June 2020
A Decent British Thriller
jhmoondance2 April 2022
Well......this was a well written story with a great twist towards the end n a brilliant plot. There was some quite tense n suspenseful moments throughout the movie.
The acting was superb n the characters were full of charisma.
The ending was totally unexpected n unpredictable with a good twist.
I recommend this movie especially if you like suspense n high drama.
The acting was superb n the characters were full of charisma.
The ending was totally unexpected n unpredictable with a good twist.
I recommend this movie especially if you like suspense n high drama.
Utter trash
zoeyaitchison18 June 2020
There is zero atmosphere to this so called suspense horror the performances are lack lustre at best, the tilt is laughable because there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of! 96 minutes of my life I wasted and will never get back, domt do it to yourself
"Don't you, forget about me, Don't, don't, don't, don't Don't you, forget about me."
morrison-dylan-fan8 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Recently seeing the very good Urban Ghost Story (1998-also reviewed) I started looking for another British Horror title. Digging into my pile of DVD's,I found a movie that I've been meaning to watch for ages, but had forgotten.
View on the film:
Transferring to cinema after being co -creator of the Hayley Atwell- starring TV mini-series Life of Crime (2013), co-writer (with James Hall) / director Oliver Frampton makes a directing debut which is strongly rooted to the Kitchen Sink British TV plays, via Frampton & cinematographer Eben Bolter sitting in with Tommy (played with a great naturalistic emotional rawness by Clem Tibber) under harsh, limited light, and cramped tracking shots unlocking a claustrophobic atmosphere.
Holding back from ghostly sightings until a final 15 minutes rush of blood to the head, Frampton subtly layers Paul Frith's whispering score and the slamming of doors/ yelling round the rough block of flats, with an eerie scratching at the walls and patter of feet running across the floor in the next flat, the noises of which dig into Tommy's anxiety.
Digging into the history of the flat, the screenplay by Hall and Frampton keep the chills grounded to human Horror,via linking the ghostly haunting to childhood neglect, as Tommy's optimism gets crushed in the crumbling flat that he is squatting in with his abrasive dad, with the only glimmer of hope, being developing a friendship with the also forgotten Carmen.
Keeping the ghostly antics grounded to the forgotten children of neglect, the writers disappointingly undermine all the build-up with frantic twists in the final 15 minutes, which lean on a hilariously large number of coincidences to have all fallen into place at t he same time,as Tommy is left forgotten.
View on the film:
Transferring to cinema after being co -creator of the Hayley Atwell- starring TV mini-series Life of Crime (2013), co-writer (with James Hall) / director Oliver Frampton makes a directing debut which is strongly rooted to the Kitchen Sink British TV plays, via Frampton & cinematographer Eben Bolter sitting in with Tommy (played with a great naturalistic emotional rawness by Clem Tibber) under harsh, limited light, and cramped tracking shots unlocking a claustrophobic atmosphere.
Holding back from ghostly sightings until a final 15 minutes rush of blood to the head, Frampton subtly layers Paul Frith's whispering score and the slamming of doors/ yelling round the rough block of flats, with an eerie scratching at the walls and patter of feet running across the floor in the next flat, the noises of which dig into Tommy's anxiety.
Digging into the history of the flat, the screenplay by Hall and Frampton keep the chills grounded to human Horror,via linking the ghostly haunting to childhood neglect, as Tommy's optimism gets crushed in the crumbling flat that he is squatting in with his abrasive dad, with the only glimmer of hope, being developing a friendship with the also forgotten Carmen.
Keeping the ghostly antics grounded to the forgotten children of neglect, the writers disappointingly undermine all the build-up with frantic twists in the final 15 minutes, which lean on a hilariously large number of coincidences to have all fallen into place at t he same time,as Tommy is left forgotten.
What a waste of my evening
ellermania-6055430 January 2023
I live in the UK and I like a good British movie. Thought of giving this one a go. A strange slow movie that never gets better. Towards the middle to the end u might think its gonna get interesting but u just keep getting disappointed on how bad it is. I watched it late even though I knew I had to wake up early and I was really annoyed on how bad this movie was and never got better. Waste, total waste. Not to mention there was no subtitle and the characters spoke like they were talking inwards so I couldn't understand parts of it. I am truly disappointed with the story, acting and lack of a good plot.
I enjoyed this movie
mbiv24 September 2021
The slasher people won't like it, the jiggly bimbo people won't like it, but the psychological horror people will probably enjoy it.
It is a rather slow-moving film, not a lot of yacking, and you have to pay attention to impressions because they're doling out facts with an eye-dropper.
The protagonists, though, are sympathetic, and the acting is good, and there are some genuine chills along the way, especially toward the climax.
I admit, I'm still chewing on the ending to make sense of it, but still recommend.
It is a rather slow-moving film, not a lot of yacking, and you have to pay attention to impressions because they're doling out facts with an eye-dropper.
The protagonists, though, are sympathetic, and the acting is good, and there are some genuine chills along the way, especially toward the climax.
I admit, I'm still chewing on the ending to make sense of it, but still recommend.
One to remember........
FlashCallahan8 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Tommy is a fourteen-year-old boy that is forced to live with his father Mark, after his mother has a nervous breakdown.
He's grieved when he learns that his father is one of several squatters living in an empty council estate destined for demolition, but tries to make the best of it.
Tommy finds himself waking up each night by strange noises and on one occasion, finds that he and all of his belongings have been dragged from one side of the room to the other.
Growing ever more terrified, Tommy tries to talk to his father but finds that his father is becoming ever more bizarre and disturbing in personality........
Setting a supernatural horror/thriller film in a rundown block of flats in an urban area is always, in my humble opinion, a good move, because you already have an element of tension before the main story arc kicks in.
And it really helps that the film has one of the most unsettling opening scenes in recent memory, nothing but a black screen, and a call of distress. It's obviously going to have something to do with the eerie going ones in the block of flats, but it's effective nevertheless.
As characterisation goes, it's your atypical cast of urbanites. We have your 14 year old main protagonist, quiet and shy, but he has that abhorrent voice trait like he wants to be some kind of gangster.
Then we have the sassy girl who is a bit funny with him at first, but becomes really endeared to him, but also thinks it's still 1996 and girl power is an actual way of life.
Dad has a sinister side to him, and no matter how Albert Square the writer tries to make him, whenever he is on scree, you cannot shake the fact that he has some ulterior motive that is imperative to the whole narrative.
And this is why the film works so well. It's doesn't, for the first two acts anyway, try to be anything other than a straightforward haunted house movie, and its to its credit.
I doesn't reveal anything, other than the noises become louder, and Tommy is left alone by his dad for longer.
Because of the gritty aspect of the films setting, and the fact that the writer had a reality check by including 'real' people as characters rather than having well to do people as protagonists, like Hollywood does in every single quiet......quiet....bang film they churn out every week.
But then the third act happens, and revelations are, well, revealed, and a wonderful two acts are slightly marred by loose ends being tied up in the most bizarre ways imaginable, and basically not making a lot of sense.
But apart from the last ten minutes, it's a very well made British horror, which is a rarity to say these days, and Oliver Frampton is a name to look out for in the future.
He's grieved when he learns that his father is one of several squatters living in an empty council estate destined for demolition, but tries to make the best of it.
Tommy finds himself waking up each night by strange noises and on one occasion, finds that he and all of his belongings have been dragged from one side of the room to the other.
Growing ever more terrified, Tommy tries to talk to his father but finds that his father is becoming ever more bizarre and disturbing in personality........
Setting a supernatural horror/thriller film in a rundown block of flats in an urban area is always, in my humble opinion, a good move, because you already have an element of tension before the main story arc kicks in.
And it really helps that the film has one of the most unsettling opening scenes in recent memory, nothing but a black screen, and a call of distress. It's obviously going to have something to do with the eerie going ones in the block of flats, but it's effective nevertheless.
As characterisation goes, it's your atypical cast of urbanites. We have your 14 year old main protagonist, quiet and shy, but he has that abhorrent voice trait like he wants to be some kind of gangster.
Then we have the sassy girl who is a bit funny with him at first, but becomes really endeared to him, but also thinks it's still 1996 and girl power is an actual way of life.
Dad has a sinister side to him, and no matter how Albert Square the writer tries to make him, whenever he is on scree, you cannot shake the fact that he has some ulterior motive that is imperative to the whole narrative.
And this is why the film works so well. It's doesn't, for the first two acts anyway, try to be anything other than a straightforward haunted house movie, and its to its credit.
I doesn't reveal anything, other than the noises become louder, and Tommy is left alone by his dad for longer.
Because of the gritty aspect of the films setting, and the fact that the writer had a reality check by including 'real' people as characters rather than having well to do people as protagonists, like Hollywood does in every single quiet......quiet....bang film they churn out every week.
But then the third act happens, and revelations are, well, revealed, and a wonderful two acts are slightly marred by loose ends being tied up in the most bizarre ways imaginable, and basically not making a lot of sense.
But apart from the last ten minutes, it's a very well made British horror, which is a rarity to say these days, and Oliver Frampton is a name to look out for in the future.
A must see!!!!
markgoddard200515 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Young Tommy, played by Clem Tibber, must now live in squalor with his father (Shaun Dingwall) on an abandoned estate. When Tommy hears strange noises at night coming from the flat next door, his father is reluctant to believe his stories as the place has been sealed up for some time. Finding a new friend in Carmen, played by Elarica Gallacher, who works at the local cafe, he convinces her to help him solve this eerie mystery.
Not since critically acclaimed The Babadook (2014), have I seen a horror that applies more depth into its makeup than your clichéd jump scares and things that go bump in the night. It's sad to watch the little pup being thrust into such a harsh environment, whilst being denied contact with his emotional constant, his mother. The father is of no comfort and makes no secret of what an imposition his son is. In vast contrast, new friend Carmen makes for a great companion as she gradually takes a shine to Tommy, despite having already been hardened by the life. She too has her own demons to battle it out with.
The conditions alone that poor Tommy has to live in when the sun goes down verge on apocalyptic, with nothing but electric camping lanterns to help them see through the dark. The claustrophobia created by these box-sized bedrooms, shrinking corridors and tunnel- like stairwells is unnervingly palpable to say the least. The scenes in the creepy red room, the apparent source of the noises, are where the movie reaches its fever pitch, very much akin to the terrifying jail cell sequences in Anthony DiBlasi's Last Shift (2014).
LAST WORDS: Another triumph for Metrodome, The Forgotten is easily their best horror release since last year's Halloween offering of Brit werewolf flick Howl (2015). It presents us with fully-fleshed sympathetic and complicated characters and a creeping atmosphere that claws at your throat with its dirty fingernails.
Not since critically acclaimed The Babadook (2014), have I seen a horror that applies more depth into its makeup than your clichéd jump scares and things that go bump in the night. It's sad to watch the little pup being thrust into such a harsh environment, whilst being denied contact with his emotional constant, his mother. The father is of no comfort and makes no secret of what an imposition his son is. In vast contrast, new friend Carmen makes for a great companion as she gradually takes a shine to Tommy, despite having already been hardened by the life. She too has her own demons to battle it out with.
The conditions alone that poor Tommy has to live in when the sun goes down verge on apocalyptic, with nothing but electric camping lanterns to help them see through the dark. The claustrophobia created by these box-sized bedrooms, shrinking corridors and tunnel- like stairwells is unnervingly palpable to say the least. The scenes in the creepy red room, the apparent source of the noises, are where the movie reaches its fever pitch, very much akin to the terrifying jail cell sequences in Anthony DiBlasi's Last Shift (2014).
LAST WORDS: Another triumph for Metrodome, The Forgotten is easily their best horror release since last year's Halloween offering of Brit werewolf flick Howl (2015). It presents us with fully-fleshed sympathetic and complicated characters and a creeping atmosphere that claws at your throat with its dirty fingernails.
A great horror movie!
ejamc31 October 2017
This movie was amazing! There's a lot you can do with an abandoned apartment complex, and making one of the apartments the site of a murder, and also of a haunting? The twist at the end was something I was not expecting! One of the best horror movies I've seen in recent years!
Bought Horror back to it's original form.
sarahesterson7 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Thought this was fantastic. Had all the trimmings of a great psychological horror, keeping you guessing with a good twist. One ro watch if you like a good gritty horror. Loved the setting and even more the scene in the red bedroom when Carmen was spinning round reacting to the ghostly goings on was my favourite, so well done, a slight touch of trainspotting vibe. Great cast, recognising a few faces from other parts.More please!
A haunting tale
Foggy-Compo15 November 2022
If you want a gory slasher then this isn't for you. If however, you like a traditional unsettling ghost story then this is for you. The acting is superb, each character draws you in to the plot. You actually give a damn about each and every person involved. There's no annoying, spoiled teenagers or jock type males, just ordinary folk. The pace is such that it builds suspense and tension. The use of music is subtle and unobtrusive. There's no annoying or overly dramatic screaming or shouting, over use of unnecessary violence or terribly executed gore. I genuinely can't think of another modern day story of phantasms told in such a perfect way. Had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.
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