The anti-spoiler talk around "The Cabin in the Woods" has almost reached self-parody at this point. Twitter user @williambgoss summed it up perfectly when he wrote "You guys probably shouldn't see The Cabin in the Woods this weekend. It's FULL of Cabin in the Woods spoilers."
But all this talk of spoilers is there for a reason. Rarely has the effect of a film relied so heavily on discovering its secrets as the writers intended. Joss Whedon and director Drew Goddard pieced together a brilliantly twisted story that deserves the level of secrecy it has.
So if you're looking to avoid spoilers before checking out "The Cabin in the Woods" this weekend, we've put together a helpful guide.
Avoid negative reviews
A few writers, including Devin Faraci over at Badass Digest, have pointed out that not only do most of the negative reviews of "Cabin in the Woods" spoil the movie's best surprise, some even get facts wrong. (Rex Reed's completely misses the ball, in particular.) Strangely enough, it's predominantly the negative reviews that spoil all the fun. Also, they're totally wrong.
Avoid any reviews
It's in the nature of a film review to reveal enough about the movie to give you an idea of what the movie is about. Unfortunately, "I can't tell you anything" doesn't help reach a minimum word count or sufficiently describe the film for outsiders. An ideal movie review of "The Cabin in the Woods" would read, "It's awesome. See it, and we'll talk afterward." Depending on how averse you are to finding things out beforehand, that's your safest bet.
The trailer doesn't help
Usually moviegoers can look to a film's trailer for an accurate representation of what a movie will be like. The trailers for "Cabin in the Woods" do their best, but this is a movie that thrives off a 90-minute run time. If the trailer shows the college kids in the cabin, that's a fraction of the whole picture and totally misses out on the point.
Twitter is not your friend
On that note, neither is the internet. This is a movie people will want to talk about, and nothing is going to stop them from pasting everything over Twitter and Facebook. If keeping the secrets secret means something to you, it's probably best to media fast until you see it.
Just see the thing
This is the point that should be stressed more than anything. See "The Cabin in the Woods." It is one of the most original and genuinely creative films to hit mainstream theaters in years. If you love movies, horror specifically, and you're looking for a fun time at the movies, it is just the movie that you need to see.
Are you going to see "The Cabin in the Woods" this weekend? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!