FILM REVIEW The Cabin in the Woods

FILM REVIEW

The Cabin in the Woods

Director: Drew Goddard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison
Rating: 15
Review by Dan Berlinka / @DanBerlinka

5 college students on a weekend break unleash a horror scenario with a twist …

Gleeful remixing of genre clichés, that’s almost impossible to talk about without straying into spoilers. The less you know in advance the better, most likely, though the ballooning hype may make it increasingly difficult to keep yourself in the dark. Does it live up to the claims being made for it? For me, not quite – it’s smart, but maybe not quite as smart as it thinks it is, and the knowingness on occasion creates a certain indifference to the fates of the characters, despite good performances all round – particularly Richard Jenkins’ and Bradley Whitford’s back room boys. It’s all very well done of course, and things do get more interesting in the later stages, (including one image that stands out as truly nightmarish and spectacular), but it’s more fan boy fun than bone chilling terror. It’s certainly worth a look if you like this kind of thing, or are a fan of co-writer Joss Whedon, but overall it feels a little like a stretched out short story and never quite gets round its essential unbelievability.
7/10