The Cabin in the Woods.

Joss Whedon: One of the most underrated writers/directors. This man was responsible for Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly(both series and the movie), Angel, and the recent comic book movie blockbuster, The Avengers. His writing credits include, Toy Story, Alien Resurrection, and the Avengers among others. With The Avengers, Joss Whedon proved he could handle huge movies almost better than anyone else. There was a little film that was supposed to be released last year, but was shuffled around by movie studios until LionsGate picked it up: The Cabin in The Woods. Co-written and directed by Drew Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods is one of the most unique horror films to date.

The Cabin in the Woods opens on a group of teenagers as they hop in an RV and head off to the mountains for the weekend. As soon as they hit the mountains, they encounter a strange and bitter old man at a run-down gas station. Then they find a lone cabin in the middle of the forest. As soon as they settle in, strange things begin to happen and they find themselves under attack by zombies. I won't say anymore about the plot, because it would give away too much. Let's just say, that the film really takes a left turn to "WTF"-ville. Most movies that try a bizarre twist, end up failing because they either don't go far enough, or they don't know where to take it, but in the hands of Whedon and Goddard, Cabin in the Woods takes your average horror movie cliches and turns them on their head. For example: the group of teenagers includes, The Jock(Chris Hemsworth), The Whore(Anna Hutchinson, The Fool/Pothead(Fran Kranz), The Geek(Jesse Williams) and The Virgin(Kristen Connelly). Pretty average group of people for a horror movie right? In fact, the first half of the film plays out exactly like your average horror movie, but it's done will with an interesting twist. Where it gets really interesting is the second half of the film. I won't say anymore, but suffice it to say, you don't see it coming.

The effects in this film are really fantastic. There's a great deal of practical effects, but when the film really veers off into left field, CGI definitely comes into play, but unlike most horror movies that employ CGI, Cabin in the Woods, combines both practical effects and CGI. And this movie gets really bloody and gory, so it will satisfy gore-hounds. But this being a Joss Whedon film, it doesn't really take itself seriously. In fact, the film is pretty damned funny at times. Sure, it's gory and intense, but there is a twisted sense of humor throughout the whole film, that makes it better. The performances are solid across the board, but the one that really stands out is Fran Kranz as The Fool, Marty. He gets some of the best lines in the movie and he delivers it in such a way that it's hilarious. The story is actually quite unique and interesting.

The Cabin in the Woods was intended to be released last year, but due to movie studios shifting things around, this one got lost in the shuffle, which was a shame, because it deserved more pomp-and-circumstance than it got. LionsGate Studios eventually picked it up and the film finally saw release this year. The Cabin in the Woods is one of the smartest and most unique horror movies I've experienced in the past decade. It's twisted, it's funny and it's a hell of a lot of fun. But it's also a movie that likes to keep things interesting. So overall, I'm giving The Cabin in the Woods a perfect 10/10.