Writer: Naseem Randhawa

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Watch this if you liked: “The Evil Dead”, “Friday The 13th”, “Cabin Fever” & “Drag Me To Hell”

What do you get when you put five college kids in a cabin in the woods? Now, take whatever slasher flick stereotype that comes to mind and completely reverse it.

"The Cabin In The Woods" starts its narrative with two parallel storylines. First, we meet two corporate types; Richard (Richard Jenkins of "Eat, Pray, Love") and Steve Hadley (Bradley Whitford of "Billy Madison") who seem to be in a unknown yet well organised facility preparing for an operation. Next, the scene cuts to five college buddies; Curt the good looking athlete (Chris Hemsworth of "Thor"), his sleazy girlfriend Jules (new actress Anna Hutchison), their timid friend Dana (new actress Kristen Connolly), her blind date Holden (Jesse Williams of "The Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants 2") and stoner Marty (Franz Kranz of "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules"), who head to a secluded cabin in the woods for a vacation. As the narratives then continue to switch back and forth between the two, they reveal that there's a much bigger plan at work.

Written by "Buffy The Vampire Slayer's" Joss Whedon whose upcoming guaranteed blockbuster "Marvel's The Avengers" also drops this month along with Drew Goddard of TV's "Lost" who directs this film; prove to be a decent duo in creating this jack-in-the-box kind of movie, which is truly best enjoyed the less you know about it before going in. The movie has an interesting mix of comedy, mystery and horror; for which the latter purposely makes use of stereotypes in a witty way for a satirical take on the genre.

As for where the cast is concerned, while the two technicians played by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford constantly inject some sarcastic humour which is fun to watch, so does Franz Kranz whose constantly sedated character and his nonsensical philosophies make him the joker of the cabin bunch. The rest of the cabin cast rely heavily on their looks including Chris Hemsworth too, which is surprising, as it seems that the role is something he would experiment with before he took on big roles in "Thor" and "Avengers", and not after.

Honestly, to let audiences enjoy the film unprepared, the less the reviewer says about the film is better. Just know that horror movies will not be the same after this and for the love of everything good in this world, of all places never pick a cabin in the woods for a vacation!

Cinema Online, 22 April 2012