Film Review - THE CABIN IN THE WOODS ★★★★☆

It's hard to pinpoint the best way to review The Cabin In The Woods, but the best start to it would be to simply just recommend seeing it.

Co-written by geek God Joss Whedon and his Buffy The Vampire Slayer collaborator Drew Goddard (who directs here and also co-wrote Cloverfield), this horror gem had been sitting on the shelf since 2009 until Lionsgate picked it up from MGM. Wisely setting it for release just in time to capitalize on both Whedon's foray into the big screen mainstream with Marvel's The Avengers, and rising star Chris Hemsworth, who has made a name for himself as Thor since he was cast as a then unknown in Cabin.

To go into the meaty details of the plot would be spoiling the fun. That is no to say that it is a roller coaster of massive twists and turns that would be wrong to reveal, but the enjoyment is to witness it all methodically unfold and challenge all your expectations of what you would assume to transpire.

The commercials and trailers do a commendable job of minimally teasing the skeleton outline of the plot. Five friends embark on a weekend excursion to a secluded summer house for typical college hijinks. But the cabin is not at all what it seems as a an underground high tech control room appears to be in control of the ensuing death, destruction, and mayhem.

Cabin never screws with your head regarding what is up to behind the curtain. From the very beginning you are in on the backstage workings of the button pushing techies played by Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, and Whedon-verse staple Amy Acker. And the film is very much about its excellent play on the importance of the journey and the destination.

How it all fits together while winking to the audience is what makes the film so fun, and not in the same way Wes Craven's Scream was the refreshing in-your-face game changer in response to a generation of stale slasher film standards.

Hemsworth is joined by Fran Kranz (Dollhouse), who as the stoner with the best reality grip on the situation, has a majority of the winning witty lines that Whedon is great for providing. Kristen Connolly also turns in a strong performance as the shy girl turned reluctant horror movie scream queen warrior.

The conventions played with and subsequently turned on their asses will make you realize that there can be gems sitting on a shelf begging to see the light of day. Whedon has tapped a top notch production crew, including Director of Photography Peter Deming who also shot Evil Dead 2, Scream 2, 3, 4, and Lost Highway, and delivers the perfect effective horror mood to the big screen.

While it does get to the gore when it needs to, it's not necessarily over the top scary because of the way it plays its horror genre hand to the audience. The less is more review here is for best, and thankfully there has been a gentleman's agreement online for not revealing massive spoilers since its premiere at SXSW in March. I will easily call The Cabin In The Woods wildly entertaining, smart, and original, and not to be underestimated, missed, or simply grouped in with your run of the mill horror fare.

REVIEW RATING: ★★★★☆
Directed By: Drew Goddard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Bradley Whitford, Fran Kranz, Richard Jenkins, Kristen Connolly
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R

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