ats ▁he ▁hits ▁are ▁often ▁ted iously ▁familiar ." ▁ ▁S late ' s ▁David ▁Ehr lich ▁said ▁that ▁the ▁film ' s ▁release ▁date ▁was ▁the ▁most ▁significant ▁indicator ▁of ▁its ▁lack ▁of ▁quality . ▁" Every ▁year , ▁during ▁the ▁first ▁proper ▁week end ▁of ▁January , ▁the ▁stud ios ' ▁n iche ▁labels ▁tro t ▁out ▁the ▁horror ▁mov ies ▁they ▁know ▁have ▁nothing ▁to ▁contribute ▁to ▁society ▁and ▁leave ▁them ▁for ▁dead ▁in ▁your ▁local ▁multiple x ," ▁he ▁wrote . ▁"[ A ] ny body ▁with ▁access ▁to ▁a ▁calendar ▁already ▁knows ▁that ▁The ▁Forest ▁is ▁bad ; ▁at ▁this ▁point , ▁that ' s ▁less ▁of ▁a ▁pres umption ▁than ▁it ▁is ▁a ▁tradition ." ▁Keep ing ▁with ▁the ▁film ' s ▁setting ▁and ▁them es , ▁he ▁li ken ed ▁the ▁practice ▁of ▁re le asing ▁such ▁films ▁at ▁that ▁time ▁of ▁year ▁to ▁the ▁supposed ▁ancient ▁Japanese ▁custom ▁of ▁u bas ute , ▁in ▁which ▁elder ly ▁people ▁who ▁could ▁no ▁longer ▁take ▁care ▁of ▁themselves ▁were ▁abandoned ▁to ▁their ▁fate ▁on ▁a ▁mountain . ▁ ▁Cont ro vers y ▁The ▁film ▁attract ed ▁controvers y ▁for ▁what ▁some ▁believed ▁to ▁be ▁trivial izing ▁the ▁issue ▁of ▁suic ide ▁in ▁Japan ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁dis res pect ing ▁the ▁people ▁who ▁have ▁died ▁in ▁the ▁real ▁life ▁forest . ▁Crit ic ▁Kevin ▁Mah er ▁wrote ▁in ▁his ▁review ▁that ▁" The ▁Forest ▁is ▁a ▁d umb ▁and ▁dre ary ▁horror ▁movie ▁that ' s ▁notable