Amy Acker

CHICAGO – “Why do these bad things keep happening to these blonde girls?,” Joss Whedon. The producer/co-writer of “The Cabin in the Woods” admits that his great horror movie, recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, came about from that question which he and director Drew Goddard had explored on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for years.

CHICAGO – Drew Goddard’s “The Cabin in the Woods” is a brilliant dissection of not just the clichés of the horror film genre but how they have played a role in the darkest corners of our society for centuries. It’s also a damn blast, as fun a time as you’ll have in a movie theater this season (and probably next).

CHICAGO – Despite a star-powered supporting cast, an intriguing concept, and a set-up that seems right at home on the network that launched “Twin Peaks,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “Lost,” the new mystery/drama “Happy Town” never comes together.

CHICAGO – For its entire first season, “Dollhouse” fluctuated wildly in tone and style, never quite figuring itself out as a weekly series and remaining inconsistent in terms of quality.