The Cabin in the Woods

Directed by: Drew Goddard

Starring: Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Brian White & Amy Acker

Rating: ★★★

Co-written by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon and director Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods is, quite simply, a deconstruction of all horror movies, and could really only be enjoyed by geeky horror movie buffs (such as myself). And as you can see from my rating, I thought it was good: I enjoyed it, and appreciated the fact that they tried to do something different, but overall felt that the intricately detailed explanation and overall ‘twist’ in the tale left something to be desired.

It’s hard to really give a fair analysis of this movie without giving the plot ‘twist’ away, even though the viewer is ‘in on it’ and aware of some of it from the very first scene. But I won’t, since I don’t like ruining films by telling people spoilers, and this is the type of movie when knowing less about it would probably be a good thing, as it would have more of an impact.

The main thrust of the film is about a group of teenagers who partake in a weekend vacation in the aforementioned cabin, only to get horribly mutilated by a group of torturous zombies. But that essentially isn’t really what the movie is about at all, as the overarching ‘lead’ storyline writhes within the teenagers’ escapades, overshadowing the primary ‘horror’ elements by both lovingly and mockingly deconstructing what, essentially, a horror movie really is. 

Whatever you do, don't go into the basement...

There are many different ‘twists’ in the tail, the penultimate one coming in the form of a very special cameo performance, the final one shaping the whole film into a long and gory version of a Goosebumps book (since the particularly jarring twist is, to me, very reminiscent of how Goosebumps books used to end). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but, much like certain Goosebumps twists themselves, it is pretty divisive, and I think would split the viewers into two groups: those who would love it, finding it clever and satirical; and those who would hate it and find it stupid and hammy. Since I correctly read the foreshadowing, and so saw it coming and expected it, I wouldn’t say I was disappointed or annoyed with it, but it did seem, for a film that is trying its hardest to be witty and intelligent, rather clunky. But it definitely took the film to the next level, going where most movies, let alone horror movies, would never dare to tread, which I really respected and enjoyed.

The first hour, which revolves mainly around the five innocent teenagers’ predictable character building and various sexual exploits, as well as their frenzied escape, is fairly standard and bland, although watchable and slightly tense. The comedy aspect generally fails to connect, since the ‘sparky’ dialogue, clearly reminiscent of Whedon’s glory days in the 90s, is stilted and out of date. The jokes aren’t very funny (except for a few moments, one involving a frog is the best), and I personally feel that the writers are trying so hard to be amusing that they just aren’t.  The humour reminded me of the person that you meet at a party who wants so desperately to be liked and loved for his jokes and so reels them off, interrupting everyone else just to get a laugh, but no matter how hard he tries, they all fall flat because he just isn’t funny and everyone around him is embarrassed for him, because he’s trying too hard. Seems harsh, but, in this case, it’s true. 

Marty (Fran Kranz) should be worried..

On the plus side, it is in the last half hour where the film really comes to life. As soon as they ‘escape’ the cabin and the woods, the subversive genre deconstruction is fully realised, and the film is stuffed full of every horror fans’ best nightmare. It is crazy to watch, and even though you can’t quite believe that it is happening: it is, and it is a free for all explosion of violence, gore, horror and brilliance, which fans will absolutely adore. I’m not sure what people who are not geeky film fans would think of it, but I can’t imagine that they would ‘get’ it, or its awesomeness. As I mentioned before, it’s the kind of moment that you will either fall in love with or leave the cinema in mortification. But I thought that this, and the ending, was brilliant. I just settled into the madness and hyperactivity of the whole thing and watched in awe and reverence.

As far as the performances are concerned (since the film is based more around trying to pull off and ‘idea’ than anything else), Connolly, in the lead ‘final girl’ role, was a poor choice. Sure, she’s nice to look at, but her ‘acting’ ability leaves a lot to be desired. Franz, playing a comic relief character, is the real star of the show, chewing the scenery and stealing the spotlight from the rest of the cast, and he gets all the best lines and the best moments. The shocktastic cameo star is also great fun, and the rest of the cast are fairly good in their respective roles. 

She might be nice to look at, but Kristen Connolly is not a very strong performer.

All in all, if you want to watch an insanely devious and challenging horror movie that pokes fun at genre conventions and gives the fans what they want, then The Cabin In The Woods is for you. This film is not, however, accessible to those who aren’t: a) horror fans, b) movie geeks and/or c) Joss Whedon lovers. It’s nice to see moviemakers taking risks, and making original movies, especially in the horror genre, but unfortunately, overall, it just isn’t strong or funny enough to be considered a horror masterpiece. The fantastic final third is sufficient to make up for the first part’s inadequacies, but I’m not sure that other viewers will be so forgiving.

And by the way: the merman was awesome.