Cabin in the Woods is one of those movies that you want to tell your friends about but can’t for fear of giving away too much. In cases like this I usually say, “Trust me. Just go see it.” But that really doesn’t make for a good movie review.

So, let me try this. Cabin in the Woods is similar to Scream in that both are horror movies and both walk the fine line between homage to, and satire of, the genre. However, there are differences: The characters in Scream are in on the joke. They explicitly list the rules of horror movies (never say, “I’ll be right back”) and then, of course, break the rules and the expected consequences come to pass. Scream works. It follows well-trod horror movie tropes, but because the characters called attention to the tropes, it makes the movie fresh.

On the other hand, the characters in Cabin in the Woods do not know they are in a horror movie. Well, some don’t know. And Cabin doesn’t contain gratuitous gore. Well, actually there is some gore. And finally, unlike Scream, where the horror comes from gruesome death and humans being the hunted, the true horror of Cabin comes from…well, trust me. Just come down to Ponyride this Friday or Saturday and see for yourselves.

The movie starts and 8pm, and as usual we’ll have popcorn and beverages. See you then!