Review: The Cabin in the Woods
[Editor's note: I told Rod I'd rip his head off if proofreading his review spoiled the movie for me. It didn't, and he's still in one piece, so feel free to enjoy the review if you haven't seen the film yet.]
The Cabin in the Woods has to be one of the most unoriginal and unimaginative titles for a horror movie in 50 years. Do not be fooled by the title. It is neither unoriginal or unimaginative. This horror movie has the power to change your worldview of what a horror movie is and should be -- The Cabin in the Woods is a genre game-changer.
The cast of characters is reminiscent of an 80s horror film or The Breakfast Club. You have your requisite set of college-age kids: a jock, a stoner, a hot girl, a second hot girl and the new guy tag-along friend. This menagerie of John Hughes characters exists in a movie that starts with a typical horror-film plot line: Let's go to the woods, put ourselves into an altered state of mind and see what happens ... and a whole lot happens!
Our adventurers set out in a motor home, encounter the "creepy dude" that always seems to be employed at the last gas station on the road, finally arriving at their destination, a creepy, overgrown and dusty cabin in the woods. In quick order they find a basement packed to the rim with tons of creepy gizmos, trinkets and artifacts. It’s at this point that all hell breaks loose and we are thrown into a horror movie that defies explanation. Note to self: "If I am ever trapped in a basement full of arcane junk, never and I mean never, play the tape recorder."
This is where my review has to become vague. This vagary is for your safety and mine. I am duly sworn to protect the integrity of this film against all foes foreign and domestic.
First and foremost in this picture is the script. During the Q&A at this years SXSW, co-screenwriters Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon said that the script for The Cabin in the Woods was cranked out in a marathon three-day writing session. Each writer had a goal of 15 pages per day and what glorious pages these are. After you view this film, you will see how a script with such a unique hook could be cranked out in rapid fashion.
Goddard also took his seat as the director of this film. He does an admirable job of blending elements that work in horror movies. It has all the right measurements of horror, comedy and fantasy mixed together into a marvelous horror soufflé. Goddard and Whedon also assembled a wonderful cast. We have a pre Thor Chris Hemsworth, Dollhouse favorite Fran Kranz, Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins. Whitford and Jenkins provide some of my favorite moments in this film, and that is all I’ll say about that.
I highly recommend avoiding the trailer for The Cabin in the Woods. While it does not 100 percent spoil the movie, it does show some of the unique hooks that give this film its character. It is best to go into this movie blind.
During the Q&A at SXSW, we came to an agreement: At Whedon's request, the audience agreed to simply describe the movie as a "timeless classic" ... which it is. The Cabin in the Woods is 99.44 percent pure horror goodness.
Image courtesy of Mondotees (www.mondotees.com) used with permission.