Cinema Saturday

The Cabin in the Woods
Lionsgate
September 18, 2012
95 minutes; R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity
with Chris Hemsworth, Richard Jenkins, Amy Acker, Jesse Williams
info on IMDb/buy DVD or Blu-ray/Amazon Instant Video

Five college students go to a secluded cabin in the woods - not heading the warning of the creepy man they encounter along the way - for a weekend of relaxing and debauchery. Only, that's never how it goes, is it?

The Cabin in the Woods from Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard takes whatever you're expecting from a normal horror movie and somehow gives it to you - while also, completely not.

And that's where this Cinema Saturday is going to be a bit different. I'm not giving you more of the plot, I'm not telling you what parts of the movie were great, how things developed, or anything.

If you don't know anything more about The Cabin in the Woods then please, don't try to find it out - just see it! I managed to remain unspoiled until I saw it and I'm thrilled that I did. (There should be a 'Fight Club' rule for this movie, you know, "The first rule about TCitW is you don't talk about TCitW (to people who haven't seen it).")

All that you do need to know is that this may now be one of my favorite movies.

Whedon is the creator, writer and all around mastermind behind the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show (and Angel, Firefly/Serenity and Dollhouse) and Goddard was a writer and producer for Buffy - as well as Angel, Alias and Lost.*  While Cabin in the Woods is definitely it's own story, I think it's more likely that if you love their previous creations, you'll enjoy the movie. Likewise, if you hate Buffy, etc - a) I don't get you - there's a higher probability you won't like this movie.

(Okay, I wasn't going to say anything about the actors/the story because I didn't want to get too specific - though I did want to quote things - but Fran Kranz was great. I'd only seen him in Dollhouse before and he was a bit different here, I hope to see him more.)

If you're looking for a horror film that's likely not what you're expecting but is a great ninety-five minutes, check out The Cabin in the Woods.


  


*Whedon also wrote The Avengers movie and Goddard wrote the Robopocalypse [!!] screenplay.