Cabin in the Woods

There is always a stigma with horror movies that come out on Friday the 13th, which is there will be lots of blood, gore, and killing. The Cabin in the Woods has all three and plenty more than just blood and gore. It has a story. One of the most imaginative, breathlessly entertaining, and fantastical stories I've seen in years! Think Inception combined with "Lost." It was pure genius.

We've heard the setup of this story many times before: five friends going on a getaway to a secluded "cabin in the woods" (HAH!). A dumb blonde, a jock, an egghead, a pothead, and a virgin. Everything is going according to plan...until they go into the cellar. They believe they are behaving of their own free will, but someone or something is manipulating them. To say any more would ruin the story and the enjoyment value, so I'll stop there.

The acting is surprisingly great all around! The two best performances easily going to Marty (Fran Kranz) and Dana (Kristen Connolly). Playing people who are scared and actually making it believable is something not many people can do and these two were absolutely brilliant. Kranz has been in a lot of other movies, a surprising amount actually, such as Donnie Darko, Training Day, and The Village. Granted he didn't have a lead role, but I'm sure he was just as good as he was in this movie. Connolly was in the bomb of a 2008 movie The Happening, but she was a very minor person. Either way she was deserving of the role she had in this movie.

Drew Goddard, one of the most creative minds of our time, behind such movies as Cloverfield and TV shows as "Lost" and "Dollhouse," proves his genius with this movie. Absolutely incredible! Believable characters in absolutely ridiculous situations is something he is used to, having produced and written "Lost" and he does it here again. Also similar to "Lost" is the crazy mind-fucks that happen throughout the movie. So many twists and turns and exciting situations. The way Goddard wrote it and directed it pulls you into the story world and makes everything seem like it could happen.

My one qualm was that this wasn't a very scary movie. It's more of a thriller, which once I realized that I sat back and truly enjoyed everything. Easily in my top 5 movies, it may have even tied for number one or two. It's SO GOOD. One of the most original movies in years and will easily be the most original movie this year.

After seeing this a second time I can confirm my love of this movie. It was equally as good this time around and maybe even more enjoyable because I could see things coming and see foreshadowing that I had missed the first time around. Just a GREAT movie!

GO SEE IT NOW!

10/10