Cabin Killer

When a painfully typical couple goes away for a weekend to work on the kinks in their relationship, they are confronted with an overly generic mass murderer with a pension for wiping out people in secluded forest cabins – and it’s pretty hilarious. Michael Rich’s ten-minute exercise in comedy horror forgoes a balance of its two combined genres by accentuating the birdbrained nature of quintessential character archetypes. While Cabin Killer takes no risks with its material, it easily remains engagingly silly.

When Adam (Chris Orlandi) and Sherri (Gabi van Horn) arrive at their comically small cabin, even basic amenities take on a progressively wackier nature. The attempt at reconciliation turns to hell in a handbasket when the pair hear a report of the cabin killer (Jose De Jesus Martinez) over their radio. However, they cannot seem to put their issues and denials aside to deal with the ever-present threat of death.

“…attempt at reconciliation turns to hell in a handbasket when the pair hear a report of the cabin killer…”

The joy of the film fully emanates from the chemistry between the leads, successfully energizing Rich’s screenplay and maintaining a consistent quality throughout. Dave Cortez’s cinematography is executed fairly well, and it is made all the more effective by Justin Cange’s sharply-timed editing. While taking no particular turns an audience cannot see coming, it’s enjoyable watching it go – no joke or gag overstays its welcome. It is fairly easy to see how much fun the filmmakers had while crafting the narrative, and we have fun as a result.

Cabin Killer manages to increasingly outdo its own goofiness and makes for a brisk, yet satisfying ride.

Cabin Killer (2018) Directed by Michael Rich. Written by Michael Rich. Starring Chris Orlandi, Gabi van Horn, Jose De Jesus Martinez, Mark Langston, Susan Goen.

7 out of 10