Exclusive Images: Natalie Dormer Goes Into 'The Forest'

Natalie Dormer has done an impressive job navigating the dangers of Panem and Westeros, but can she handle the horrors lurking inside Aokigahara? Directed by Jason Zada, The Forest stars Dormer as a young American woman named Sara Price who enters Japan's famous "Suicide Forest" in search of her sister, who's mysteriously vanished.

Despite strident warnings to stay on the path, Sara goes off in her own direction (this is a horror movie, after all) and soon finds herself face-to-face with the tormented souls that live within the woods. We're happy to debut three exclusive images from the movie, which you can check out after the jump. 

The first The Forest images below feature Zada, Dormer, and her co-star Taylor Kinney.

Proving yet again that truth is stranger (and often scarier) than fiction, Aokigahara is a real place. It boasts the dubious distinction of being the second-most popular spot for suicides in the world, right after San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge. Aokigahara recently inspired another movie, Gus Van Sant's The Sea of Trees starring Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe.

Although Dormer has made a strong impression in projects as varied and popular as Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games, and even Captain America – and although she's been working steadily onscreen since making her movie debut in 2005's Casanova – The Forest marks her first leading role in a feature film. Here's hoping it's the first of many to come.

The Forest beckons January 8, 2016. Check out the latest The Forest trailer below, and the official synopsis below that.

Rising with terrifying grandeur at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan, the legendary real-life Aokigahara Forest is the suspense-filled setting of the supernatural thriller. A young American woman, Sara (Natalie Dormer of "Game of Thrones" and "The Hunger Games"), journeys there in search of her twin sister, who has mysteriously disappeared. In the company of expatriate Aiden (Taylor Kinney of "Chicago Fire"), Sara enters the forest having been well warned to "stay on the path." Determined to discover the truth about her sister's fate, Sara will have to face the angry and tormented souls of the dead that prey on anyone who dares come near them. These malevolent spirits lying in wait for Sara at every turn will plunge her into a frightening darkness from which she must fight to save herself.