Wow. This one's going to be short, because I don't want to give too much away, but just...wow. I love horror movies, and I love Joss Whedon. The creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spinoff Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse can do no wrong in my eyes. OK, Dollhouse maybe, but even that had its moments. So when I read he was co-writing and producing what looked like a generic "college kids in an isolated place who end up getting picked off one by one" flick, I wondered what he could do with it. 

Oh, me of little faith. Co-written with Drew Goddard (Cloverfield), who also directs, they have put together one of the most original horror movies I've ever seen. 

I'll give away as much as I can in good conscience. We begin with the proverbial college friends headed off for a fun weekend at a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Of course it's not long before one of them is stupid and wakes up some evil. I should add here, I'm sure the multiple homages to Evil Dead are deliberate. But if you've seen the trailer, you know something's amiss. Besides, of course, the college kids being picked off one by one. You've seen the control room and the energy fields. There's a reason this is going on, and although you see about halfway through what those reasons are, the ride is fantastic and you can't wait to see where it goes. Suffice it to say that when the kids who are left find those responsible for their troubles, it's game on.

The acting is not bad. Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Star Trek) plays the alpha male of the group of friends, and fans of Angel will be happy to see Amy Acker (Fred) in a small role. 

If you love horror movies, you'll love this one. It's so refreshing to see something new in the genre, but if you're going wanting another ho-hum slasher movie, you'll be sorely disappointed.