George Pennacchio reviews 'The Cabin in the Woods'

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Since it's Friday the 13th, I thought I should review the weekend's new scary movie, "The Cabin in the Woods."

"The Cabin in the Woods" starts off in familiar horror territory: Five college students, including Chris Hemsworth, hit the road for a little weekend getaway. They get to the cabin, but will they ever get to leave?

In typical horror-film style, things turn deadly and bloody -- very bloody, in fact. But there is relief from all the terror. One of the plot surprises here gets laughs. So do some of the characters' lines, but I'm not sure that's always on purpose.

From the characters to the situations, "The Cabin in the Woods" purposely shows you one horror film cliché after another. True fans will get it and appreciate it, but novice horror fans may not, so the experience may vary.

"The Cabin in the Woods" is violently vicious but it's not as scary as it looks. It gets a lot of points, though, for its twisted creativity, thanks to Joss Whedon and director Drew Goddard, who co-wrote the movie.

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