The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Five friends head into the woods for another mindless slasher film.. or do they? Anyone remember Westworld (1973)? Its not often I say a movie is a must see, but this is one of them if you are a fan of the genre. (Joss Whedon fans probably already own 17 Japanese bootlegs) One of the first things you will notice is how many things remind you of other horror/slasher movies. Is that the cabin from Evil Dead minus the porch swing? Sure looks that way.. And that round puzzle box is that a nod to Hellraiser? (shh.. he didn't want to pay royalties to use the square likeness). Aside from a couple 'gotcha' shots there is nothing scary at all, in fact its cliched to the point of being funny and then there are the funny parts. All the players do very respectable work, in fact they are almost too refined for this type of movie.. if of course it actually was this kind of movie. Anyway back to the Westworld comparison, it basically follows it right along.. couple small glitches then things go to shit and everyone dies.. but Whedon just couldn't leave it at that. Recommended.