Cabin in the Woods

One the best horror films I have seen in a long time: clever, twisted and scary - truly terrifying

Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Fran Kanz, Anna Hutchinson & Richard Jenkins
Dir: Drew Goddard
Writers: Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard

Don't go into the basement - well do go, or else there won't be film

What's it all about?
I'm going to have to be extremely vague here as to not give anything away, as the best bit of this film is you genuinely have no idea what's coming round the corner...
Five college friends, including the gorgeous Chris Hemsworth and newcomer Kristen Connolly, each one filling the typical horror character archetypes, set off for a weekend of fun in a conveniently remote cabin in the woods, and in true horror style: chaos ensues. They should have heeded the cliche warning of the creepy man at the gas-station, "You've got enough [gas] to get you there, getting back, that's your concern." Monsters are hiding in the basement and in the woods and Big Brother is watching. But don't be fooled into thinking this is just your run-of-the-mill killing spree film (as the trailer suggests) because it is very slick and very clever. 


Worth a watch?
The film combines all the elements of every slasher film you have ever seen and reassembles it into one f-ing scary Frankenstein's monster of a movie. There is genuinely something that will scare everyone in the audience, and that's what makes it so brilliant - it plays on your fears. I watched it with my boyfriend and we were both scared by it, but for different reasons - it was probably made more scary for him by me squeezing his arm every time there was a loud noise! Horror fans will enjoy playing 'spot the cliche' with Joss Whedon doing a similar favour to the genre as Was Craven did with Scream, yet the film is anything BUT unoriginal, offering laughs as well as frequent jumps and screams. 


Let Down?
I don't entirely agree with the ending, and whilst at some points it did seem a bit far-fetched, it generally exceeded my expectations as a horror film. 


So overall...
Cabin breathes new life into a genre that in recent years seems to have been somewhat over-done, with many writers and directors simply reverting to nudity and gore. But this is genuinely entertaining and witty, it will have you watching from between your fingers.

• Lives up to expectation  2/2
• Scenery/Effects 2/3
• Eye Candy 1/2
• Quality of Acting 2/3
• Plot 5/5
• Quality of film within it's genre: Horror 10/10

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