The Last Cabin

This movie was truly incredible, and my goodness did the actors portray their parts incredibly. The beginning of the movie brought back a similar scene from The Girl In Cabin 13 which was pretty awesome! Not only did the film really bring the fear to me, but I was able to catch a laugh or two from some of the scenes. That's the one thing about DBS Films that never lacks. Towards the end, I caught myself feeling an emotional attachment to Hope while she was making a video for her parents. I couldn't imagine doing something like that right before feeling like you're going to die. Another amazing film in the books!

This was a film that I got the chance to see thanks to Shirly from Entertainment Squad who sent over the screener. This movie was picked up by the Horror Collective. Both of these groups tend to put out things that I enjoy so I was intrigued to check this out. What I figured coming in was that this was going to be a low budget horror film to help my end of year 2025 list. What I didn't realize until this started was that I've heard members of the production crew, DBS films, on my friend's podcast - The Night Club. Also, I recognized one of our stars' names in a Discord chat group.

Synopsis: trapped in a remote cabin, a film crew finds themselves stalked by three masked people who know the isolated woods and their every move.

We start with seeing a couple in the middle of the woods at night. This is filmed in the style of found footage. There is a third with them holding the camera. We see Amanda (Kyree Cook) and Dale (Austin J. Rhodes). They are looking for their campsite and when they can't find it, they're trying to find the road. Instead, they're attacked by a trio of people in creepy clown masks.

It then shifts over to the group we're following. They are behind the scenes crew members. Hope (Isabella Bobadilla) is a location scout. She works with Ben (Brendan Goshay) and they're with Shawn (Tanner Kongdara) who is filming. Hope is stressed as she can't seem to find a cabin that fits what they're looking for. She lashes out at Shawn, telling him that she doesn't think the production team wants him filming this and he's following what he was told to the letter. They continue searching as the stress mounts.

This leads them to a cabin that is in the woods. It seems like the exact fit. They go to check the door and find a padlock. It is here that they hear screaming so they go inside to make sure no one is hurt. It turns out to be a movie. They also upset the property manager, played by John Fantasia. He wants them gone. Hope sways him by telling him what they're looking for and offering him the budget she's been allotted to rent the place. He declines at first, but they do come to an agreement.

With the location secured, Hope reaches out to the producer. He is a guy named Kevin (Benjamin L. Newmark). He is heading out there to check the place. In the meantime, our team starts to run cables to prepare lighting. It is by doing this in the surrounding woods, they find a masked man watching them. This is terrifying so they lock themselves inside the cabin. Kevin arrives, mocking their fears. That is until he's attacked. It then becomes a fight for survival as they try to get away before it is too late.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is by commending this movie. It knew what it had to work with and didn't waste any time setting the stage, then getting us over to the group that we're following. There are issues that I have with things the later we go, but on the whole, this was a solid, low budget effort.

Now that I have that set up, let's delve more into what we're getting here. This is a combination of slasher and home invasion. Our trio that goes out to this cabin doesn't know it as well as the people that are stalking them. What makes it even scarier is that they don't know who they can trust either. This has the vibes of The Strangers with them being trapped inside and our killers surround them. Building on that idea as well, Hope discovers something in one of the rooms where this cabin isn't as secured as she thought. That plays with this idea of they've created this safe place, but there are holes where the killers can still get in. This keeps the tension rising and prevents slipping into a lull.

There is a slight negative that I need to discuss. I think it's great that this film keeps building from the opening shot to our group being stalked. My problem is that even though this runs for about 70 minutes, my interest wanes when they flee into the woods to survive. It is the next logical step, especially since there isn't safety inside the house. My problem is that it is so dark in the woods, we're filming this with handheld cameras that it was difficult to follow what was happening. I'm a big fan of found footage. If you can make it believable when they continue to film, I don't nitpick. This does that, but I just got lost at times while in their woods. It doesn't ruin it, but it didn't fully work for me.

I'm going to then shift gears to talk about the acting performances. I've seen similar films where the acting wasn't as solid as what we get here. I like our main trio. Bobadilla seems like this woman who so badly wants to work in the industry. She doesn't want to ruin this chance and it puts stress on her. It is from there that she takes blame as they're attacked. Where her character ends up makes sense. Goshay and Kongdara were solid as the two guys who are trapped with her. I like Newmark and Cashmere Moniqué as others who end up here. That helps provide more bodies. Dylan DeVane, Tagen Crossley and Kellan Rudnicki all work as the people under the masks. The acting brings the characters to life for a movie like this for sure.

All that is left then should fall into filmmaking aspects. I've already said that I have my issues with this being found footage. It doesn't ruin it though. I actually like making a slasher/home invasion film as it feels like we're with them. It just didn't work for me as well when they went into the woods. The framing and the shakiness of the camera made it difficult to follow. What impressed me though were the effects. I loved the clown masks, those are terrifying. They don't show a lot of blood and gore, but what we do looks good. This is where the cinematography comes back as a positive for me. They hid the seams well. Other than that, they are solid things done with the sound design to add tension and build the needed atmosphere.

In conclusion, this is one where most of what they did worked. This team has a limited budget, but they used it well. I like filming a slasher/home invasion film in the style of found footage. That puts us right there with our characters as they try to survive the night. The acting is solid in bringing the characters to life. They're also distinct enough. I also thought that the practical effects were also good. My only issue is when they flee into the woods. It was just hard to follow and to see things. Other than that, I'd recommend it if you like lower budget films like this.

My Rating: 6 out of 10.

This was a short, well paced thriller, that kept you engaged. The small cast kept the action going and the story progressed with no downtime. A couple of stand-out performances and some impressive gore. The characters interacted well with each other and good chemistry helped build their relationships that gave you by in to the danger that they were facing. The isolation felt real, and the villains presence was just enough to create the atmosphere. It has a familiar storyline that puts you in the crazy situation. The main characters find themselves in. This is a nice Indie horror film, showcasing the next generation of horror movie makers.

People take found footage movies too seriously, and I say this as a huge fan of the genre.

What this Director/cast and crew consistently get right is a humorous tone that works for these types of movies, that helps set off the dark stuff going on. People giving this a 1 have never seen found footage moves or low budget before. People giving this 10 are being realllllly nice lol.

Look, its low budget, like all of this director's films. But it's well done in terms of found footage, there's a lot worse out there, and it manages to stay entertaining. Also, the acting is pretty good, especially for a found footage movie. It's worth watching for fans of the genre.

Again, I CANNOT stress it enough, this is A LOT better than other found footage movies. Rudnicki is one of several found footage directors working today, and I would say he's one of the most consistent ones.

This movie flies by with its quick pace, heightened story progression and wild deaths. There is a heavy inspiration from many classic horror, thriller and slasher films to feel nostalgic while also maintaining a sense of freshness.

Despite being a found footage film, "The Last Cabin" is not shot with shaky, epilepsy inducing camera work; instead, this film is shot with excellent cinematography and logical editing.

The best part of this found footage cabin in the woods movie is how it makes sense and allows itself to develop while maintaining a frantic pace.

Edge of your seat for 88 minutes and the guy with blonde hair was the bomb in "Forest of Death" and "A Cold Grave"