WHO’S DOWN HERE?: Curt (Chris Hemsworth, center) accompanied by Marty (Fran Kranz, left rear) and Jules (Anna Hutchinson) are investigating a strange noise that is emanating from the basement of the isolated cottage they are staying in during their weekend break from college.

At first glance, The Cabin in the Woods appears to be a run-of-the-mill slasher film. After all, it’s about unsuspecting teenagers who are alone in a secluded setting and who find themselves stalked by a homicidal maniac. At the picture’s point of departure, we’re introduced to five naïve college kids setting off on a weekend getaway to a lakefront cottage that has no cell phone reception and even can’t be tracked by GPS.

Such a break off the grid from school is just what the overstressed quintet of college students assembled by Curt (Chris Hemsworth) need. It turns out that he’s been given free use of a cabin that is owned by his long-lost cousin. Each of Curt’s classmates who were invited to join him for the trip is a typical horror film archetype. There’s Jules the blonde (Anna Hutchinson); Marty the wasted stoner (Fran Kranz); Dana the innocent virgin (Kristen Connelly); and Holden the straight-A student (Jesse Williams).

En route, they blithely dismiss the ominous warning to avoid the place that is given by a creepy local resident (Tim De Zarn) who is familiar with the grisly history of their destination. Of course it isn’t long after their arrival that the evil forces at the haunted house start picking them off one-by-one.

That is where the similarity to the stock scary movie plot begins to unravel in this film which is the directorial debut of Drew Goddard. Our heroes have no idea that their ensuing struggle for survival is a high-tech ordeal orchestrated from an underground bunker by a couple of government bureaucrats (Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford) who are assisted by an army of techno-wizards.

It’s impossible to discuss the storyline further without spoiling the many surprising supernatural developments. Suffice it to say that there is a host of bloodthirsty ghouls and goblins who can kill in creative ways. Overall, this hair-raising movie keeps you on edge for the length of the picture, although its frustrating game often feels unfairly rigged in favor of the sadistic manipulators.

This horror film definitely deserves its R rating given the incessant gore. Nevertheless, it remains highly recommended for fright fans interested in a more cerebral brand of bloodletting.

Excellent (****). Rated R for profanity, drug use, sexuality, nudity, and graphic violence. Running time: 95 minutes. Distributor: Lionsgate Films.