Real-Life Cabin in the Woods.

As a trip that was much anticipated all summer, we have just returned from a very fun weekend at my roommate's cabin. You may imagine that it was filled with the typical cabin activities: boating, bonfires, mallow-roasting, dancing juice, etc. And that it was. A blast and a half, some may call it. And while I came away with memories that will last me a lifetime (and a red, peeling nose), the cabin has left me feeling something else: FEAR.

Hence my realization of how brilliant the small town, cabin, woodsy scenes are for horror movies.

Picture this; creepy, somewhat abandoned looking motels, dark and desolate woods, winding pitch black roads, and very little cell phone service. Eeeshk, get me outta here before someone comes along and kills us off one by one. 

Let's take a look, in no particular order, at a few movies that take advantage of this perfect setting.

Vacancy
A young couple, played by Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, stop to stay at the creepiest looking motel they could possibly find in a small, creepy town. Mistake number one - weird innkeeper shows them to what I assume to be a bedbug infested room, where they quickly realize they are trapped as victims of a potential snuff film.

There you go. You've got the small town, woodsy area where no one but absolute psychos are waiting. I bet the next time you think about taking a shortcut off the Interstate, you'll say 'nahhh.'

Cape Fear
Why don't we just start off with this (and my opinion that the title says it all):

Could Robert De Niro look any creepier? 

I debated whether or not to include this one in my list, but it takes place in yet again, a small town, and one of the most epic scenes occurs on a cabin-like boat (warning: this is a bit of a stretch).

Without giving too much away, defense attorney Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte), screwed over his guilty client, Max Cady (De Niro), fourteen years ago by hiding evidence that may have helped him win his trial. Cady becomes lean and mean in jail and gets prepared to make Bowden and his family's life a living hell. Rob man does an excellent job of scaring the poop outta me when he lurks outside the Bowden's home saying, "come out come out wherever you are...." AHH! See it now.


Cabin in the Woods
This movie is an interesting one. I don't know if I can technically call it scary, but it's got a lot of those surprising scenes that make you jump out of your seat. Even though you simply know there can't be anything good behind that trap door they're about to open, you think just maybe it won't freak you out. Think again.

Plus, and most importantly, it's got the essential aspect of two couples and an awkward fifth friend taking a trip to one of their relatives' cabins. They even stop at a run-down gas station on the way that immediately sends chills down your spine.

Also, Chris Hemsworth. Need I say more?

The Strangers 
A movie that brings me back to my best friend's basement; this one is a classic, über-jump-in-your-seat-pee-your-pants, movie. A young couple heads to an isolated home for a little vacay. But guess what, they're not alone out there. Three very scary, very determined strangers find their way into the home and set off mental, "never head to a house in the woods where there is no one around" sirens.

Here's a frightening preview.

It's these kind of movies that make you yell things at the screen like, STAY IN THE HOUSE or DON'T LEAVE HER ALONE YOU DUMBASS, whilst hiding your face in a pillow.

Funny Games
Whether or not you've caught on to it, I have a slight MEGA-LARGE fear that someone out there in the world is without a doubt, trying to get me. So to be trapped in the woods, a cabin, or creepy motel, is essentially my worst nightmare because movies over time have ingrained in me that something sinister is bound to happen.

Enter Funny Games. I think this may be the most terrifying movie my Mom and brother have made me watch (ok, they didn't make me - I love scary movies). What goes from a nice family trip up to the vacation home to enjoy some R & R quickly turns to the most twisted and psychotic chain of events. It's along the same lines as "Saw;" you're thinking, what kind of sick f*#@ has it in them to think up this stuff?!

I don't even want to get into this movie farther because it's freaking me out. But if you're in the mood for a scary one, I highly encourage you to watch this and perhaps put on a diaper.

P.S. If you're like me and enjoy most movies (aside from that Chad Michael Murray/Hilary Duff fiasco, A Cinderella Story), go ahead and catch up on all these thrillers. If you tend to be a movie snob, you might want to proceed with caution on a few of them.