The Cabin in the Woods Movie Review

Director: Drew Goddard

Writers: Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard

In Theaters: April 13, 2012 (USA)

Running Time: 105 minutes

Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rated: R

Cast: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison

Synopsis:

Five friends decide to take a break to a remote cabin. When they arrive at the cabin, they find it a bit creepy but that does not stop them to have fun. They never thought that something horrible would await them in the night.  

Reaction:

Honestly, I did not expect much from this film knowing that most horror films today have a lot of things in common. Most of them tend to rely more on special and sound effects without giving much thought on coming up a good script. Like this film, I thought this is another typical teen slasher film with bunch of individuals trying to have the time of their life and then got stuck in a remote area with a ghost, a serial killer or maybe some zombies. And I was never wrong at least on the first few parts. There were several twists in the film that for me it lost its main theme. The film also got a stark resemblance to Evil Dead.

I guess the director aims to showcase to the viewers how most horror films are usually presented, Well, they were able to achieve that goal. However, those additional twists were overrated.  I cannot say it is an original story like what other reviewers were telling but it is a lame attempt at trying to put up everything horrific one can imagine in a film. And the outcome is not really that satisfying. I guess I might miss the whole point of the director but in my humble opinion, this is just like a "jack of all trade master of none" film. I do not know what to make of this film. It fails in its attempt to create a horror genre. At one point, I was on the verge of getting carried away with some scary scenes then the next moment I was brought back to another scene where the characters were exchanging some jokes. It just left me hanging. The finale is not that impressive though I was really surprised to see those familiar horror icons.

In fairness, I admire the director's brave attempt to come up with this kind of story. The film got its funny moments and thanks to Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. They definitely make the film interesting. The cameo role of Sigourney Weaver is indeed powerful. I hope to see more of her in suspense thriller films. All in all, I would rate this film as 5 out of 10.

Watch its Official Movie Trailer: