When you have good performers and a decent story on hand, you would think to make it better by working on the screenplay in order to present the story in a better way. Cabin Girl, Jon D. Wagner’s latest directorial venture, is technically a thriller, but there are scary moments in the film that might put full-fledged horror films to shame. Yet, I still believe that it is a potential wasted or at least not fully realized. The problem with the film is its tonal shifts. At one point, it borrows from the ‘found footage’ subgenre and then proceeds to get inspired by the ‘cabin in the woods’ subgenre of horror films, ultimately ending up in a Shutter Island meets The Shining concoction, which does not necessarily work to give the film its satisfying ending.

The plot revolves around vlogging sensation Ava, who becomes famous after starting her channel...