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What it's about:
Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.
What we thought:
A bunch of kids go to a cabin in a secluded woodland area for a weekend of fun and end up getting a lot more than they bargained for. That's the concept for The Cabin in The Woods and it's one used so often in horror films that we have cause to wonder why anyone would even consider going for a quick weekend getaway given the inevitable nature of these things.
But Cabin's story has a lot more to its "kids in an isolated locale" through-line than is usually shown. That is about as much as I am willing to say about the story as saying any more risks venturing into dangerous spoiler territory.
But that is part of the fun that Cabin has with the horror genre. Like Scream, it's a film that assumes its audience is comfortably savvy with the tropes and clichés of the genre. Unlike Scream, it doesn't merely mimic those tropes with a sly wink at the audience, eventually becoming precisely what it was meant to parody.
Instead, Cabin (which was written by The Avengers director Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, and directed by Goddard) is a film that playfully subverts the aforementioned tropes, taking its much recognised concept and spinning it to marvelously inventive ends.
Anyone who is a fan of Whedon's earlier work will identify parallels with his earlier works such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and perhaps even Dollhouse. And given that Goddard worked on TV series Lost, the film's over-arching concept might even be seen as that show’s premise filtered through a gory prism.
But the film's references extend beyond its creators own works and it is filled with sneaky (and sometimes not-so-sneaky) winks that allude to other films in the genre. The initial premise is clearly a take on Sam Raimi’s classic The Evil Dead, but after that, the references really do start to pile up. Keen eyed viewers and horror aficionados will spot allusions to Japanese horror, the torture porn sub-genre, zombie films, et al. The list goes on and on and on.
All of which makes The Cabin In The Woods sound like a real workout for your average movie goer. It isn't. Cabin is a hugely fun film and even if you don't get the references, you'll still have a bloody good time with it. It's also a film that finds such imaginative ways to play with and subvert its concept that half the fun comes from not knowing what the film is next about to throw at you.
Much of the film's enjoyment comes from its dialogue, which shouldn't be surprising for anyone familiar with the work of Mr Whedon. His trademark snark is in full swing and is ably used to draw the audience in with some well placed gags.
The cast also do a great job. Horror films often employ actors that are merely used as fodder for their gory set-pieces, but with this film, the kids are alright. More than alright, actually. Whedon and Goddard have done a great job of assembling a talented cast of actors for their film.
Amongst its cast, Cabin counts Fran Kranz (who worked on Whedon's Dollhouse) and a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth, and as a whole, the performances are appealing and fun to watch. Of the bunch of them, it’s Kranz's paranoid stoner, Marty, who gets the best lines and the most laughs. Kristin Connolly is a charmingly sweet ingénue and Hemsworth has fun playing the stereotypical jock.
The film also scores a double-winner in casting Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford, whose characters are, by turns, hilarious, menacing and disturbingly blasé. Their presence is proof of what great actors can bring to a film and their work helps to elevate an already enjoyable film.
If one criticism could be made of Cabin it’s that, for a horror film, it isn't particularly scary. Yes, there is a generous helping of gore, a fair amount of creepiness and bits that will make you jump, but anyone who has made it through a few episodes of Buffy or Supernatural should have no trouble with this film. Perhaps this is due to its parodic nature but the tone here is one that largely favours fun over frightening. Still, it won't detract from your enjoyment of the film and it really is a minor criticism.
The Cabin In The Woods is the sort of film that mainstream Hollywood so rarely produces anymore; one that shows real imagination and invention.
Whedon and Goddard have made a film that manages to show smarts even as it entertains its audience. It's a damn good time at the movies, even for casual moviegoers, but especially for movie fans and lovers of the horror genre.
Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.
What we thought:
A bunch of kids go to a cabin in a secluded woodland area for a weekend of fun and end up getting a lot more than they bargained for. That's the concept for The Cabin in The Woods and it's one used so often in horror films that we have cause to wonder why anyone would even consider going for a quick weekend getaway given the inevitable nature of these things.
But Cabin's story has a lot more to its "kids in an isolated locale" through-line than is usually shown. That is about as much as I am willing to say about the story as saying any more risks venturing into dangerous spoiler territory.
But that is part of the fun that Cabin has with the horror genre. Like Scream, it's a film that assumes its audience is comfortably savvy with the tropes and clichés of the genre. Unlike Scream, it doesn't merely mimic those tropes with a sly wink at the audience, eventually becoming precisely what it was meant to parody.
Instead, Cabin (which was written by The Avengers director Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, and directed by Goddard) is a film that playfully subverts the aforementioned tropes, taking its much recognised concept and spinning it to marvelously inventive ends.
Anyone who is a fan of Whedon's earlier work will identify parallels with his earlier works such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and perhaps even Dollhouse. And given that Goddard worked on TV series Lost, the film's over-arching concept might even be seen as that show’s premise filtered through a gory prism.
But the film's references extend beyond its creators own works and it is filled with sneaky (and sometimes not-so-sneaky) winks that allude to other films in the genre. The initial premise is clearly a take on Sam Raimi’s classic The Evil Dead, but after that, the references really do start to pile up. Keen eyed viewers and horror aficionados will spot allusions to Japanese horror, the torture porn sub-genre, zombie films, et al. The list goes on and on and on.
All of which makes The Cabin In The Woods sound like a real workout for your average movie goer. It isn't. Cabin is a hugely fun film and even if you don't get the references, you'll still have a bloody good time with it. It's also a film that finds such imaginative ways to play with and subvert its concept that half the fun comes from not knowing what the film is next about to throw at you.
Much of the film's enjoyment comes from its dialogue, which shouldn't be surprising for anyone familiar with the work of Mr Whedon. His trademark snark is in full swing and is ably used to draw the audience in with some well placed gags.
The cast also do a great job. Horror films often employ actors that are merely used as fodder for their gory set-pieces, but with this film, the kids are alright. More than alright, actually. Whedon and Goddard have done a great job of assembling a talented cast of actors for their film.
Amongst its cast, Cabin counts Fran Kranz (who worked on Whedon's Dollhouse) and a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth, and as a whole, the performances are appealing and fun to watch. Of the bunch of them, it’s Kranz's paranoid stoner, Marty, who gets the best lines and the most laughs. Kristin Connolly is a charmingly sweet ingénue and Hemsworth has fun playing the stereotypical jock.
The film also scores a double-winner in casting Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford, whose characters are, by turns, hilarious, menacing and disturbingly blasé. Their presence is proof of what great actors can bring to a film and their work helps to elevate an already enjoyable film.
If one criticism could be made of Cabin it’s that, for a horror film, it isn't particularly scary. Yes, there is a generous helping of gore, a fair amount of creepiness and bits that will make you jump, but anyone who has made it through a few episodes of Buffy or Supernatural should have no trouble with this film. Perhaps this is due to its parodic nature but the tone here is one that largely favours fun over frightening. Still, it won't detract from your enjoyment of the film and it really is a minor criticism.
The Cabin In The Woods is the sort of film that mainstream Hollywood so rarely produces anymore; one that shows real imagination and invention.
Whedon and Goddard have made a film that manages to show smarts even as it entertains its audience. It's a damn good time at the movies, even for casual moviegoers, but especially for movie fans and lovers of the horror genre.
