The Same Old Horror Film... or is it?

Rating: 9/10 (1 August 2012)

Killer unicorns, zombie hillbillies and 20 foot serpent demons are just some of the delights on display for audiences of 'The Cabin In The Woods': the glorious pan-horror genre-exploder produced and co-written by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy and Firefly) and directed by Drew Goddard in his feature debut.
We begin, as we so often do, with five college students heading to the woods for a weekend of partying, drinking and, most importantly, not studying. The posse is made up of a college athlete, his ditzy girlfriend, a sensitive geek, the wholesome girl next door and a drug-addled waster. Getting lost on the way, they meet a creepy gas station attendant who warns: 'Getting there's not the trouble getting back's what you need to worry about'. A cliché premise for sure, but there's a second storyline that's about to rip it apart faster than an attractive teen on Friday the 13th.
Cut to a mysterious underground lair where a surveillance team monitor the students as they arrive at their destination. But they're not only watching them, they are controlling them – releasing mood altering gases, spiking their food and playing with trap doors. They're also running a sweepstakes amongst themselves. What are they betting on? How their victims will die, of course, because there's a variety of options.
As the cabin inmates get picked off one by one, the survivors slowly become wise to the murderous game they have become a part of: with only their wits and the will to survive, they must escape this nightmare Truman Show and break free from their puppet masters. Beyond that, I'd love to tell you more, but I won't. The second half of the movie has to be seen to be believed, and the less you know about it the more you'll enjoy it.
What makes the 'The Cabin In The Woods' such a success is it's brilliant balancing of the two story lines, and the perfect placement of humour throughout. Even though Drew Goddard gets directing credits, this film feels like Whedon through and through. The keen understanding of genre, brilliantly witty dialogue, teen sensibility and wonderful subversion of convention are reminiscent of Buffy The Vampire Slayer at its very best.
I'll end by joining the chorus of critics telling you not to read about 'The Cabin In The Woods', but to go out and see it: it's twists and turns need to be experienced first-hand, and with all its spectacle I would suggest catching it on the big screen rather than DVD. And please, stay out of the woods.
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