The Cabin in the Woods

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
The Cabin in the Woods
Released April 13, 2012. Now in theaters

I usually like a horror movie release around Christmas because I love the irony. However, being a fan of the genre, I’ll take them when I can get them. I went into this movie with high hopes since Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire fame is a producer on the film. He knows how to mesh horror and comedy flawlessly. But, since he’s not the director (honor to Drew Goddard), at the same time,  I wasn’t sure what to expect. The most notable actor in the movie is Chris Hemsworth (the Odinson himself). Bradley Whitford also has a supporting role for fans of The West Wing.

For fear of giving away the punch line, there isn’t a lot I can tell you about the plot. I can say that five college friends take a trip to a cabin in the woods for sex, drugs, and other recreation. The cabin supposedly belongs to a cousin of one the college students (Hemsworth). They get a little lost on their way and meet the obligatory old creepy guy that all but warns them away. Their first night at the cabin, during a rousing game of Truth or Dare where one of the girls frenches the mounted head of a wolf, the floor gate to the basement mysteriously opens. Exploring the basement, they find many odd, unrelated things like a music box, a conk shell, a portrait of creepy girl, and a diary among others. Of course since this is a horror movie, one of them has to chant a spell written in the diary. And, of course, the spell raises a family of the undead. Seems the cabin used to be theirs in the early 1900s. The five students spend the evening evading death by zombie, not all successfully. But is this Night of the Living Dead or part of a higher, nefarious ritual the victims are goaded into starting?

What I have described sounds like standard horror fare. While it is to a degree, it is also something you haven’t seen before. The punch line I mentioned earlier is the difference. Even though you know what this surprise is from the beginning, it is captivating to watch it play out. Much of the comic relief is provided by Bradley Whitford and his partner, Richard Jenkins. They play a huge role in what happens to the kids at the cabin. There is one spectacular death on a motorcycle. This movie can’t be pigeonholed to one subset of the horror film genre. It’s a slasher/zombie/monster movie combined into one. Most horror movies have one or two survivors of the carnage. While I will say there are survivors, they are not the type of heroic survivors you usually see. Survivors do what is necessary to, well, survive, even if this means turning on each other. And how long they survive after the night’s ordeal is up in the air. I said the most notable actor in the movie is Chris Hemsworth. There is a cameo by an academy award nominated actress in the last 10 minutes of the film. You can say she’s doing the wrong thing for right reason as are most of cast who are not the five victims.

I recommend this movie even if you are not a huge horror fan. There is a deeper story than what is on the surface. It takes old horror clichés to different levels. This is one of the better horror films in a long while and should not be missed.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***1/4 stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.