The Cabin in the Woods
It's a sad thing that over time certain genres fall into a clichéd predictable state. Obviously with the amount of movies produced yearly, it is hard to steer away from the comfort zone and appease many a fan with a winning formula. For example, with romantic comedies you can pretty much predict that the odd couple who have argued and bickered throughout the movie will end up happily ever after and bonking like rabbits by the end; there may even be a rain scene. Horror is not so much horror or thrillers anymore but instead is "teenagers-go-somewhere-abandoned-get-drunk-have-sex-and-die" films and therefore cinema going has become a yawnful tedious activity. Every so often a movie comes along which changes your whole perspective on a genre. It flips it upside down into an enjoyable romp that has you chomping at the bit to get some more. The Cabin in the Woods is that film.
The storyline begins quite stereotypically: five teenagers go to an isolated Cabin in the woods for a weekend of letting loose only for one of them to do something ridiculously stupid and naive that evil and terror reign upon them. It's so clichéd that even the characters are seemingly cut-outs of past outings. There's Curt the Jock, Jules the Whore, Marty the Stoner, Heddon the Intellect/cutie and Dana the Virgin. But behind this premise are Richard Stitterson and Steve Hadley, two technicians working for an unknown project that involves our five friends.
As much as I would like to give you more than that, I can't. The Cabin in the Woods is such a twisting rollercoaster of a ride that to give you more would ruin the whole film for you and you have to watch this movie. The extremely well scripted film is such a brilliant watch. Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, the writers, have moulded in essence such a perfect take on the horror genre. From the, albeit a little convoluted, story to the remarkable and witty dialogue; there is not one minute of this movie that has you reaching for your phone to check your texts. Instantly, you are hooked into a juicy film that has you sinking your teeth in, trying to figure out the puzzles as pieces slide in and out of place. Combining truly terrifying moments with laugh out loud humour, The Cabin in the Woods is an edge of your seat film that grabs you in and refuses to let go until the end.
It's not just the stellar writing that is wonderful within this movie; each actor, however small, does superbly in the role. Kristen Connolly as Dana fills our main protagonist "last girl" role perfectly and Chris Hemsworth makes the jock role perfect. But neither of them overplays the archetype. Of the teenagers, Fran Kanz as the freaked out stoner Marty is a highlight role surprisingly being the voice of reason and philosophical voice throughout the movie as well as bringing the genuine moments of hilarity. The outstanding actors within this film come from Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford, who play our two technicians. The chemistry between the pair is begging for another movie where we can see them feed and bounce off one another.
When a film like Cabin in the Woods comes about, it’s hard to fight the curve and not sing praises (because everyone sings praises for this.) Yet it is really hard to find fault with it. Of course, the film is not going to be everyone's cup of tea and some may find the twists, turns and even premise a bit weird for their liking. But although it is a lot to swallow, The Cabin in the Woods gives you enough to wash it down. It is a fantastic film that is thorough to its core. Every ounce of screen time is edited, crafted and designed to give you a brilliant movie. Whedon and Goddard may poke fun at the horror fare but they also re-work and tribute it. This is a cult classic that should be praised in mainstream because without gushing too much, this film is damn near a horror masterpiece.
TTFN
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