The Cabin in the Woods

With its generic title and abundance of slasher-film clichés, The Cabin in the Woods seems like the latest horror film off the assembly line.

That’s exactly what director Drew Goddard and writer-producer Joss Whedon want you to think. Instead, their stylish collaboration is a subversive bait-and-switch of the most pleasant variety, using genre conventions to create a film that spins formula into something completely fresh.

It’s a funny and exhilarating horror film that should send the fanboy community into a frenzy, creating an alternate reality in which the nerds are the heroes and the ending of most slasher flicks is really just the beginning.

Chris Hemsworth (Thor) heads the stereotypical quintet of college students who venture into the remote wilderness for a few days of sex, drugs and booze at a quaint lakeside cabin. The fun subsides, however, when the group hears strange noises and danger lurks outside the door, which leads them to suspect that outside influences may be to blame.

It’s not safe to reveal much else, except that several twists and turns follow as the film introduces zombies, as well as a science-fiction component, and all hell breaks loose. Oh, and there is lots and lots of blood.

As directed by newcomer Goddard (screenwriter of Cloverfield), the film is visually innovative and, as with the script, much more ambitious than it first appears.

The screenplay takes a risk by revealing its primary plot twist during the first act, for reasons that become apparent (and make more sense) later on.

There is some tricky territory being navigated here, with the film sometimes indulging in the same formulaic tendencies it tries to lampoon, and letting its self-deprecating nature sometimes spill over into self-indulgence. It also offers vague explanations for some of its second-half conceits.

The latter is especially true during an overwrought final payoff that could have been essentially dropped from the film with little narrative consequence.

However, The Cabin in the Woods is fast-paced and consistently manages to be alternately frightening and hilarious, if not suspenseful.

With Goddard and Whedon (director of the upcoming The Avengers) in sync in terms of approach and execution, the film deserves credit for trying something original and having the courage to follow through on its vision.

Rated R, 95 minutes.