The kind of quality all horror movies should strive for.

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2016)

This is damn good horror movie that's full of references and affectionate parody towards the horror genre. So many American horror movies from this decade are interchangeable and uninspired, but not so with 'The Cabin in the Woods'. While not the scariest per se, it succeeds at building suspense, and the humor is top notch. It's no exaggeration to say that this is the first horror movie in a long time that made actually CARE about it's characters. A huge point in its favor, as not caring is one of the main barriers I have standing between me becoming invested in the outcome of most horror stories. As for the effects, they were decent, and I can tell a lot of creativity was poured into this movie. I might have had this film over-hyped to me, and as such found the twist to be more straightforward than I imagined- by the thirty minute mark, it's really not that hard to figure out what's going on. However, the balance of favor shifted enough between apposing forces that the end of the movie remained hard to predict. The story actually isn't that complicated when you break it down, though certainly not devoid of depth. It raises some interesting philosophical questions that provide plenty to think about for any so inclined. It also appears to draw inspiration from Lovecraft, so what more could you want? I even found it strongly reminiscent of the SCP Foundation. In summery, I'd recommend this movie to anyone old or new to the horror genre. When it's not making you laugh, it knows how to make you feel well and truly screwed over at just the right moments. Based on my own enjoyment, I feel personally justified in giving it ten out of ten rating. While not the best thing since sliced bread, what it tried to do it did remarkably well.