Five twenty-something couples go to a cabin in the woods for a 21st birthday celebration. But it seems someone is lurking about, hoping to mess up the festivities, as the guests are picked off one-by-one.
This horror film from writer-director Chris Stokes proves that a modern horror film with African-American leads can indeed be made. Next time someone ought to prove they can make one that is actually worth watching.
The film’s opener is brief but effective, using pitch-black quite well, proving that darkness can be very effective if employed properly. Unfortunately, it’s way too brief and what follows is a chore, though the cinematographer deserves credit for knowing how to use darkness, light, and fog. And when we get to the torture porn section of the film, he thankfully doesn’t give us the snot and urine look. Hooray for individual thought!
But seriously, was this film edited by an ice addict? The opening credits hadn’t finished and the overly indulgent style of both the editor and director was giving me a massive headache. Credit where it’s due, though, Stokes seems to have a handle on the horror scenes, making them as suspenseful as he possibly can under the plagiaristic circumstances of his own script.
By casting modern R&B stars (Houston and Grandberry, who appeared in the director’s “You Got Served”, which I’ve heard is pretty a’ight) as the two leads the film plays kinda weird. It’s as if Stokes has taken two African-Americans and placed them in what would normally be the basis for a horror film with Caucasian characters. I do believe that African-Americans would take a trip to a cabin in the woods just as much as white people would, too. There’s plenty of upper-class and middle-class African-Americans out there, I’m sure. Some of ‘em are in the White House, for starters.
But these specific African-Americans? Uh-uh, I do not believe that for a second these particular folks belong in this movie plot. These urbanites just don’t look like the cabin type, and they sure don’t sound like it. Heavily tattooed, Houston, fine physical presence he is here, just doesn’t look or sound right for this character. When he’s around his homies, he’s all inarticulate and ‘hippity hop’ speak. But when ‘whitey’ is around, he talks more in line with Bill Cosby (Is he playing ‘Uncle Tom’?). Why, if you have the gift of articulate speech, would you choose to sound like an ill-educated fool half the time? Maybe I’m just not jiggy wit’ it.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Nice try, Mr. Stokes, but this just doesn’t cut the mustard. It’s a setting and a look in search of…everything else. Fans of African-American or so-called ‘urban’ horror might get a little more out of this than I did.
