The Cabin in the Woods

So, a Jock, a Dumb Blonde, a Brain, a Virgin and a Stoner check into a creepy cabin in the woods and … wait, you’ve heard this one before? Of course you have, what with the archetypes being the default setting of horror, and the old dark house/cabin being its own subgenre. But what if those archetypes didn’t leave home being so dumb or smart or virgin-y or douchebaggy or baked? Add a shady Umbrella Corporation aspect and layer every moment with nods and homages to pretty much every horror flick that makes a horror movie buff’s eyes light up, and The Cabin in the Woods joins the ranks of such cult items as Shaun of the Dead and The Return of the Living Dead as a rare horror flick that’s able to pull off that very, very difficult balance of humor and horror. Of course, we have Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) producing a script co-written with Lost and Cloverfield scribe Drew Goddard (who also directs), so this deconstruction of ’80s horror is very clever and consistently entertaining. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated R.