How many of these cabin in the woods flicks exist? Five kids from suburban USA are up against a mutated monster in the middle of a forest and wouldn’t you guess, there’s no escape, no one to help and no phone signal. Don’t people plan in advance anymore?
In this plain and predictable drama horror, a bunch of schoolfriends find themselves discussing the technicalities of survival and fight to stay alive from a man-eating predator which doesn’t simply hunt with instinct but threatens to display some apparent intelligence. Sadly not like this film, which suffers from hardly an abundance of ideas or talent and lacks the muscle to be interesting or satisfying.
The guys are okay; Keke Palmer and her cute smile is a forgiving piece of eye candy, Paul Iacono tries to perform a cringeworthy comic act while Elizabeth Gillies seems more interested in flashing their cleavage than doing any acting. Perhaps it’s strongest point is the somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere conjured by the tight lighting setup: its average sound design its deterred with a below average soundtrack however, and a curious need to use the zombie stock effect from Doom whenever the creature is encountered.
By only a third to halfway into the show, it becomes obvious that the characters aren’t going to develop, the special effects are minimal, the gore is restricted to fleeting moments of brief violence, and it’s gonna take years to see them eventually get chewed up. The effort put into the writing is especially poor; even the scenes where the survivors are trying to make sense of their situation seem artificial, made to please, and were probably ripped right out of The Walking Dead or similar.
This is far from great and pretty basic stuff which could have used a good dose of inspiration and imagination. If you’re looking for something sticks to the beaten path and follows the orders barked at it, you’re in for a treat. For those that want a meatier meal on their plate, don’t stop here.
3/10
Possession Media 