The Swedish chiller "The Cabin"is the debut feature of Johan Bodell. The film stars Caitlin Crommett, Christopher Lee Page, and Erik Kammerland. "The Cabin" offers a stripped down, straightforward cat-and-mouse thriller with slasher tendencies.
Young American couple, Rose and Harry are on their way to visit Harrys family cabin. Both as a nostalgic vacation and as a way to rekindle their relationship. But they’re not the only one that decided to visit the cabin this weekend... The vacation is quickly turned into a living nightmare for Rose and Harry as they meet a vicious sociopath, who invites them into a involuntary cat and mouse game.
"The Cabin" uses an all too familiar premise, that at first glance seems "been there -seen that". And in a lot of ways it is just that, however Bodell is masterful in his, seemingly easy, ability to make the simple premise work. Plus the dichotomy of protagonists already in personal crisis against a motivation-less, mindless psychopath brings a freshness to the story.
The cast are well above average in both portrayal and talent. The characters feel authentic and their consistency on screen is captivating and compelling. I should note though that, opening scene aside, the first 20 felt a bit drawn out. Still, quality writing and great chemistry made it forgivable.
The special effects were spot on - minus a couple of scenes where CGI blood splatter, in already bloody scenes were unnecessary, and tacky. Other than that the horror elements stayed simple, practical and properly executed. I liked the mix of both minimal visceral gore, with more classic horror use of off-screen suggestive choices.
Overall "The Cabin" is a nice, unexpectedly good contemporary classic. Minus a few technical flaws that hit every movie during production, just things like holding a shot too long, the movie is worth checking out. The premise may cause you to wanna turn away from this one, fight that instinct and watch "The Cabin". (3.5/5)
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