There aren’t many films around that pack the punch The Cabin in the Woods provides. While on the surface it may seem to be a typical teen horror story, with all the expected cliches and archetypes, it is really a brilliantly crafted love letter to the genre. From the minds of Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes a film which stands apart from the dozens of horror films that have come out every year.  The Cabin in the Woods starts out with a familiar plot, five college students going out to a cabin on the lake for a weekend…but after the first 30 minutes, be prepared to be taken for a ride unlike any! Whedon and Goddard show their mastery of the horror genre here with some truly frightful scares and tension you can cut with a knife (pun intended). These instances are broken up by some very funny scenes; I have to give a huge nod to Frank Kranz for bringing huge laughs as he fights off zombies with a bong. The rest of the cast does a really great job as well, especially Kristen Connolly as the almost-token virgin. The ability to provide the requisite amount of violence, gore, and comedy while presenting it in a fascinating and very much self-aware manner is what makes the film truly unique and engaging.   Be prepared for scares, laughs and a whole bunch of fantastic WTF moments with The Cabin in the Woods.

Rating: 5.0/5.0