Trees and The Environment: An Introduction

Explorations of how trees transform into “monsters” seeking revenge against the human world that exploits them highlight the power of monstrous nature. In films as diverse as The Wizard of Oz (1939) and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers(2002), trees have fought back against humans, becoming “monstrous nature.” In The Wizard of Oz, trees become animated when their apples are stolen (and a wicked witch intervenes). And in the The Two Towers, trees called Ents seek vengeance against Saruman (Christopher Lee) and his army when their leader Treebeard (John Rhys-Davies) sees a section of Fangorn Forest Saruman has decimated to feed his iron forges. 

Like the original Godzilla, monstrous nature films such as Severed (2005), The Ruins (2008), and Splinter (2008) highlight how trees might fight back against their human oppressors in the fantastic context of horror and science fiction. But the messages they convey also connect explicitly with current environmental issues. 

In Severed, genetic testing in a logging camp meant to accelerate tree growth and increase timber output also proves deadly to humans when splinters from GMO logs transform humans into zombies who feed on other loggers. Although the “outbreak” seems isolated, its presence in the film serves as a warning against both genetic modification and over-logging of forests, environmental disasters condemned in recent news articles. The third annual International March Against Monsanto on May 23, 2015 showcases a growing anti-GMO movement. And the Greenpeace website highlights protests against illegal logging in the Amazon Rainforest (“Logging: The Amazon’s Silent Crisis”). 

The Ruins also cautions against infiltrating rainforests when forest vines trap and kill American tourists trespassing on sacred Mayan land. In Splinter, “splinters” like those in Severed parasitically invade human carriers and turn them into monsters, a cataclysmic result that underpins the possible consequences of climate change—the emergence and evolution of deadly parasites. These films highlight how the monstrous meets nature, transforming frightening narratives into eco-horror.