By: Nolan Collins

Horror movies have been a staple of our culture for a LONG time so there is very little that someone can do that is actually “new” when it comes to this genre.  

“The Cabin in the Woods” uses the idea that there is nothing new or original in horror movies… to make a new and original horror movie.

It would be hard to describe the plot without giving anything away, but what this film does is take every cliche horror film (the group splitting up, the jerks dying first, etc.) and shows why they happen.  The plot has to do with a company that controls everything from the outside simply to entertain their viewers.  This company will pump pheromones into the air to try and lead to a sex scene; they will even drug the kids to make them not act like themselves.  This company controls EVERYTHING which makes it nearly impossible for the kids in our group to escape the cabin alive.

Apart from all the genius statements the film makes about the horror genre, the film also entertains.  It flawlessly walks that thin line between getting its point across and entertaining the masses.  It also has a number of surprising twists that you will not see coming.  Some of them are a bit far fetched (even for a movie as crazy as this one), but they work.

Overall, the film is wonderful.  It’s scary at the right places, it’ll make you think about how we watch horror films in our society, it has some comedy sprinkled in, and the cast is great.  You will enjoy this film, but you will ADORE it if you are a fan of the horror genre because it basically explains EVERY SINGLE HORROR FILM EVER MADE, linking them all to one underlying threat… you’ll have to watch “The Cabin in the Woods” to find out what that threat is.