Cabin in the Woods

Cabin the Woods

Drew Goddard's directorial debut of Cabin in the Woods which he co-wrote with Joss Whedon who also produced the film should be seen without knowing anything about it. In fact it would be hard to write a review of this without giving anything away. Suffice to say if you enjoy the snarky comedic Whedon dialogue of Firefly, Serenity and Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Tucker and Dave vs. Evil meets Sam Rami's Evil Dead series, then you will love this movie. You won't find spoilers here. Better yet just lose your browser window, and get to the theater now. NOW, GO.

Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford are these computer geeks who are working in what looks like an underground facility. The opening sequence is somewhat awkward in that one doesn't expect to see Richard Jenkins or Bradley Whitford in a Whedon film. Then the action is switched to a young woman in her underpants getting ready to go on a trip to the woods with her roommate, her boyfriend, a handsome new guy at school, and a stoner. The set-up is what you would expect for the unsuspecting college age kids going for an weekend adventure. Kristen Connolly as Dana a practically virginal coed who is being set up with Holden (Jesse Williams) the smart jock. Chris Hemsworth as Curt is the boyfriend of Dana's roommate Jules (Anna Hutchison) and Fran Kranz as Marty Mikalski their long time friend and hard core stoner dude who is obsessed with hidden conspiracies and being used as puppets. They travel in a RV camper to this really remote cabin that is supposed to belong to Curt's cousin. Along they way they encounter Mordecai (Tim de Zarn), the creepy proprietor of the last gas station before the mountain tunnels to the cabin. The place is not as bad as they had suspected but becomes sort of odd when Holden discovers a two way mirror in which he can see Dana in the other room. After that the fun begins when a cellar door pops open and below is a collection of odd trinkets dolls, masks, and vintage items that peek their curiosity. Then all hell breaks loose with zombie rednecks.

Really the best way to view this movie is not to look at the previews, not to know what's expected. It's not a typical slice and dice or torture porn. There's plenty of buckets of blood but it's done in such overkill as to be amusing rather than frightnightful. In fact the whole last act is so over the top that it's bound to become a cult favorite. So go now, get thee to the theater!
(Review by reesa)