Hello Geeks, FamousMonster here. So, how many movies have you seen this year? I’ve spent the past couple of hours cataloging every film I’ve seen released in 2012, and the magic number is 60. That’s 60 movies in seven months, which means out of the 228 days of the year so far – I’ve spent five entire days watching new movies.

With four and a half months left in 2012, I think it might be a good time to figure out what my favorite movies of the year are so far. Soon we’ll be transitioning from summer’s popcorn blockbusters to fall’s dramatic, heavy-hitting films vying for Oscars and Golden Globes. There’s been a lot of fantastic films this year, some of which were huge successes with wide releases and record-breaking box office returns, while others were limited-release independent films that deserve your attention.

It’s my hope that this list of ten films balances obvious, geek-approved genre flicks with new, interesting titles that you’ll seek out and enjoy. Of course, there are still plenty of highly-anticipated films on the way – The Master, Lincoln, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and Django Unchained – but until then, this list should keep you busy. OK, enough talking, let’s get on with the show. Without further adieu, here’s my list of the 10 best films of 2012 so far…

The Cabin In The Woods: The Visual Companion Guide
Screenplay by Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard
Foreward by Drew Goddard
Afterword by Joss Whedon
Interviews by Abbie Bernstein
Titan Books
Release date: April 17, 2012
Paperback

The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Movie Novelization
By Tim Lebbon
Titan Books
Release date: April 17, 2012
Paperback | Kindle

If you haven’t seen The Cabin In The Woods, the new film co-written by Joss Whedon and director Drew Goddard, then definitely head to the theater to see it, as it’s a great film and a wonderful addition to the horror genre. The buzz on the Internet is to go into this movie knowing as little about it as possible, so I’ll direct you to our spoiler-free movie review for now. But The Cabin In The Woods is the kind of movie where once you’ve seen it, you want to know more about it. So, to go along with the movie, Titan Books has released two tie-ins: The Cabin In The Woods: The Visual Companion Guide, as well as the Official Movie Novelization.

The Cabin in the Woods
Directed by Drew Goddard
Written by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon
Starring Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, and Amy Acker
Lionsgate
Release Date: April 13, 2012

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: a group of college kids visit a remote cabin in the woods to partake in irresponsible activities such as (but not limited to) alcohol, illicit drugs, and premarital sex.

One by one, these nubile teenagers are hacked to pieces by an axe-wielding maniac in the woods (or God-forsaken summer camp).

Sound familiar? It should. You’ve seen this genre convention in horror films like The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, Cabin Fever, Sleepaway Camp, The Burning, and Tucker & Dale Vs Evil. The Old Dark House has become The Cabin in the Woods, a subversive, spirited deconstruction of the genre. Even the film’s title is a reference to the archetypes it celebrates and simultaneously dissects.

Though the movie was finished filming in 2009 and originally slated for release in 2010, The Cabin in the Woods is just now giving us a first official trailer.

The movie, which is written and produced by Joss Whedon and written and directed by Drew Goddard, fell victim to MGM’s major financial woes, and like many others it found itself stashed away in the attic, left to gather dust.

But thankfully for all of us, Lionsgate eventually showed up to save the day and set a new release date of April 13, 2012.

You can check out the first trailer for The Cabin in the Woods by continuing on below.

Fans of horror movies and the work of Joss Whedon alike have been wondering for a long, long time now just what in the hell was going on with The Cabin in the Woods, the horror movie he co–wrote with Drew Goddard (Cloverfield) a couple of years back now. The movie originally had a 2009 release date, but the many complications recently faced by MGM kept it locked away in limbo.

Those desperately excited to see the movie have been waiting for its savior since that time, even going so far as to make a Facebook page asking for the release of the movie in hopes that fan support would speed things along.

It took a lot of waiting, but Lionsgate has now officially acquired the worldwide distribution rights for the movie, and they have also set the final (we hope) release date for The Cabin in the Woods. Fans will finally be able to check it out on April 13, 2012, unless of course the studio decides there’s a better date between now and then and changes it again.