Cabin in the Woods

Joss Whedon's horror film...and that word is used loosely as the balance of horror and comedy blend not unlike a Buffy episode. In fact it feels like Season 4 of Buffy compressed into a movie. I kept waiting for Reily to make an appearance. Several familiar faces to the Whedonverse do, most fittingly a couple from DollHouse, which this movies bears the conspiracy tinged influence of. Obviously as a confirmed Whedonite, I can't do much more than praise this film. It could have used a few more scares, but you know zombies just don't scare me, even bear trap wielding ones. Whedon can take the cliche and give it his own spin and he does so here masterfully. Like Buffy it takes liberal jabs at conventional horror, though not as heavy handed as scream there are several homages , the most blatant being to Sam Rami .

The underlying message of the movie seem to be very pro-stoner, smoke weed to you can see through the web they are weaving. While I no longer partake of the wacky tobacky, Whedon obviously does which explains certain slants of his humor. The movie adheres to my golden rule of horror, which I uttered on this blog before so at the risk of spoilers dare not repeat it. One thing I am most proud of is how Whedon digs into the monster manual and deviates from the zombie / were-wolf/ vampire love triangle, and brings things like a mer-man and unicorn into the fray.I'm always saying there are so many other species of monsters that need screen time and Whedon gives a wink to many of these.

This is going to be the movie to beat this year, funny enough because it has sat on the shelf until Whedon became attached to the Avengers. It's encouraging because in show biz the more money you are making the studio the more free-reign you have. Whedon is establishing himself as the creative genius he is , and after seeing this movie you will agree he should be given the keys to the kingdom.

The Woman in Black

Daniel Radcliffe, uses this horror vehicle to shake off the Hogwarts blues. The movie stays in a similar tone to Hammer's other haunted fare. While I preferred Wakewood to this film, Hammer is redeeming themselves for doing the re-make of "Let the right one in" and it makes me curious enough to want to check out " the Resident" which appears more thriller than horror. Radcliffe plays a much older role than Potter and is rather blank in an almost Keanu Reeves manner. The setting is the star of the film and lends the most ominous element to the proceedings. The creepiness is where the movie excels, having a command of the acting isn't this directors strong suit, but an eye for scenes. The ghosts are almost Grudge -like in nature and their are the creepy kids fading in and out. The pacing slows in the last fifteen minutes but the end adhere's to my golden rule of horror, so that was pleasing. Younger fans of modern horror, more than likely won't get the film's homage to Hammer classics, having grown up with a more in your face cgi'ed style. The gore is non-existent and I'm assuming this film was rated pg, so it appeals to a very specific horror demographic. While it didn't scare me I enjoyed the atmosphere and so far this year you have to take what you can get when it comes to horror.