"Horror" for non-Horror fans

Rating: 4/10 (27 April 2012)

The Cabin in the Woods is full of CGI, cliché horror predators, comedy, and plenty of jump scares. Of course, this is the whole point. The problem is the execution is done without generating any real suspense, atmosphere or character development. This is absent in most recent horror movies anyway so youthful, casual, fans may not even notice.
The problem is, beyond the idea, there's not much else redeeming about the movie. Every scare you know is coming. (I went to this movie with a person who rarely watches horror movies and this person was able to predict when most jump scares were about to occur.) The gore is also lacking. Lots of CGI blood, yes. But actual horror-movie as-it's-happening gore? Very little. The person I went with is easily frightened but walked away from this with a 'meh' attitude (not frightened at all). A lot of ideas weren't followed through with. There was almost no detail to anything, and nothing really came as a surprise (despite what all the reviews say).
The best parts were the comedic moments (although many missed the mark) and the quirkiness of some scenes. There also were a few WTF moments which were all good and certainly the best parts of the movie - I just wish they were a more cohesive part of it.
Overall, the movie seemed like a good idea that was slapped together without much passion. It's a different take on everything, but beyond that the movie is quite simple and plain. It's too scatter-shot and doesn't take some ideas as far as they needed to go. Casual movie fans and non-Horror fans will appreciate this movie more for what it is. However, even this is not much more than a simple 'unique' shell of an idea that is lightly packed with generic, meta, filler.