In a similar way to Manhunt and No One Lives, Cub is a film that takes a lot of themes and ideas from the classic slashers of the ‘80s but adds a little something extra to stop from being overly formulaic. And despite director Jonas Govaerts’ claims that Cub has more “psychological depth” than the landmark slashers of yesteryear, it really doesn’t.
But that isn’t to say it’s not enjoyable because Cub does have some wonderful gory effects that come from the traps that have been set in the woods, and it is also a beautifully shot film that makes excellent use of the woodland setting and campfire lighting to keep up the atmosphere of terror, and the current trend of including a John Carpenter-esque synth score shows no sign of abating; well, if you’re trying to recreate the 1980s then it’s the obvious thing to do.
