Cabin In The Woods may very well be the most difficult movie I've had to review on this blog. Beyond the typical, "see it, skip it" recommendation or my usual run-down of what works and what doesn't, it's next to impossible to properly critique or analyze this movie without giving away nearly every plot detail, twist, and aspect. And let me make this clear... the less you know about this one, the better! So I'm going to do my absolute best to try and give you a review that's as spoiler-free as possible. I'll say this much, I won't reveal any of the major twists or anything that's not revealed by the trailer. Though, if you're looking for my verdict on whether you should see Cabin In The Woods, the answer is a huge resounding YES!!! If you're not a fan of gory violence or horror movies, than you might want to approach this with caution, but for anyone else, this is a movie that you should have seen yesterday!
The plot behind Cabin In The Woods is one of the most creative ideas I've seen in a while. It's a horror/comedy that both celebrates and pokes fun at the cliches of horror movies while satirizing the people who make them and the audiences who watch them. It uses an overtold horror movie scenario, this one involving a group of teens a particular genre-archetype. There's the nice virgin, the blonde nympho, the jock, the nerd, and the comic relief stoner. For spring break, the group goes on a retreat to an isolated cabin in the woods far away from civilization. This cabin, however, has a dark secret. It is being monitored by a shady organization who seem to have their sights set on the unfortunate teens. No suddenly the weekend retreat turns into a terrifying mystery and fight for survival. I know that sounds like nothing more than a generic dime-a-dozen teen slasher flick, but I'm really caught between a rock and a hard place with this plot description. If I reveal any more, I'll probably end up spoiling too much, and I refuse to spoil any more about this movie than I already have. Trust me when I say this, but Cabin In The Woods takes it's cliche elements and uses them to create one of the most witty and interesting satires about the horror genre.
Now you might be thinking to yourself, "Hey Chris! This sounds an awful lot like Scream." To that I say... yes, they have similarities, but these are two very different genre satires. Mainly because Scream is an overrated horror flick with only occasional moments of cleverness, while Cabin In The Woods is a near perfect blend of thrills, laughs, and satire that paints both a loving and critical depiction of the genre. While Scream managed to make a few insightful comments on the cliches of the horror genre, none of it's satire was particularly enlightening. Plus, it never really managed to deliver the requisite thrills that you would expect in a horror movie. Cabin In The Woods, on the other hand, gives you all that and then some. This movie is scary, thrilling, and funny... usually all at the same time. Eeesh... this is difficult. I know exactly why this movie is so good, but I just don't know how to explain it without revealing anything. That's just the problem, the story has different twists and turns at every corner, that revealing even one bit might give away some crucial surprises. I guess I'll give my rundown of the cast.
Overall, everybody does a good job. It's pretty clear that every actor (or at least the teens) is playing a generic archetype, but for the most part, the do a good job. Jesse Williams was the nerdy character, and looks wise, he didn't really pass off as much of a nerd. The same could go for Kristen Connolly, who was supposed to be the virgin, again not really buying that. I guess that might have been part of the joke, as teen horror actors often look too pretty for the real world and not particularly realistic. So for that, I guess I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Some of the supporting cast is pretty fun, including Billy Madison's Bradley Whitford and a cameo from the great Sigourney Weaver. Now, here's something I can get into. If you go into this movie wanting nothing more the straightforward horror movie thrills... you'll be leaving very happy. The first two thirds are about what you would expect.
There's the requisite slasher violence that fans of Friday The 13th can't get enough of. You know, isolated cabin, teens, and the crazy psychopaths tormenting them. Nothing hugely special but it does the job. The third act, however, that's another story. Here's a movie that goes where many filmmakers would be afraid to go. Just when you think the movie is about to end, it turns the suspense dial to eleven and goes nuts! Blood, guts, mayhem, it's all there! For horror fans, it's about as good as it gets.I think that will do for now. I know this isn't the most detailed review I've written, but like I said, the less you know, the better. Cabin in the Woods come highly recommended, and it's one I'll be buying on Blu Ray the day it comes out.
My Score: 4.5 out of 5!
