*Spoiler Free review*

I know, right? How can I cover this movie and keep away from spoiling it? It's going to be a tough one, but I am doing this with the simple reason that going into this movie cold makes for one incredible experience. Something that comes along so rarely in the horror and comedy genre. Critics and audiences alike have been raving about this for the past few weeks now, and I can say right now, they are indeed correct.

The opening third of the movie follows your classic horror layout, five teenagers set out to spend a vacation at a lonely cabin in the countryside, and include the usual stereotypes such as the Jock, they slutty girl, the geek, and the stoner. Their journey contains some foreboding of the house they'll be staying at, but once they arrive, they get straight to the partying and usual frolicking. The cabin however, isn't all it first appears to be, and is holding some dark secrets that aren't made clear initially. We see the usual jump-scares, nudity, boozing, and casual chatter that all horror flicks incorporate into their storylines.

But outside of this, we see.... another storyline, which is where I cannot diverse on because it holds all the spoilers. What I will say is it holds a mystery to the entire film, and draws the two plots together. Both run side-by-side, and we're taken down a path that you will never in your wildest dreams, have imaged a horror film to take you upon. That really is as far as I can go, and sadly it does in no way do justice to The Cabin in the Woods. However, I can go into a few of the other details and give you a better representation of the film as a whole.

The two movies this relates to quite strongly are Scream, and Shaun of the Dead. The first because it is very self-aware of the horror references it makes and the movie that it is, but unlike Scream, really digs deep into their meaning. You not only see them, but are also see them in a whole new light. And like Shaun of the Dead, it's a comedic horror, balancing the humour perfectly alongside the core story. In keeping with the self-references, the wit is pin-sharp and a joy to listen to for any horror fan. Even the typical cheesy dialogue is written so well here, it never comes across like your usual tale, but instead it's like the gold core of everything that makes horror such fun to watch.

The movie has quite a professional look to it too, the sweeping camera shots, positions for the jump-scares, the effects and lighting, are all extremely well polished and executed.  And the contrast between to two interlocked storylines works great too, mostly because it's something you didn't expect, but yet clicks together with no seams or edges.  The cast which includes Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, and a guest appearance near the end, are all very enjoyable. They play their parts exactly as you'd expect, and bring a lot of energy to their performances.  It really is a shame that I cannot go any further than this, because it's very easy to give away the big reveal when hearing pretty much anything about this film could hurt your experience in seeing it. But, consider it an accumulation of all the great horror tropes you know and love, along with an extremely well written script, excellent cast, and that second story which expands on everything in such a masterful way.

You need to see it to believe it, because I have not been so drawn in by a horror movie since Rec and Shaun of the Dead. It will change your entire perspective on the genre and leave you.... just in total awe by the end. Movies of this calibre come around very rarely, and when they do, they raise the bar for every other director to work by. It is innovative, exciting, tense, pretty much everything that modern horror has been lacking in as of late.

I'm giving this a very High Full Price, I simply cannot wait to see it once again, and it is undoubtedly right up there in my favourite films' list. If you are planning on seeing this, skip the trailers and go into it blind, you’ll wonder afterwards how you ever watched horror before seeing this absolute gem.

Thanks for reading! ^__^

---nkWhiteStar---