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 Discovering
there was a horror movie in the works written by Joss Whedon, creator of
the excellent Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series was cause for great
anticipation. This thrill was tampered more than a little by the
revelation that the writer of one of my all-time, most loathed films was
chosen to co-write and direct it. Drew Goddard the writer who helped
revive cries of “Die Yuppie Scum” with the release of his sci-fi
monstrosity. Cloverfield, collaborated on The Cabin in the Woods with
Whedon, one of the most esteemed names in sci-fi and fantasy pop culture
today.
As has
been the set up for horror movies since their late seventies and early
eighties salad days, The Cabin in the Woods begins with a gathering of
nubile college kids piling into a camper and getting away for the
weekend to the titular destination. We have a couple in PDA-filled love
and their boyfriendless pal, who they plan to hook up with a handsome
hunk along for the ride, as well as a goofy stoner chum tagging along.
Right from the start, the trip is laced with eerie tidings as a stop at
a gas station uncovers an attendant with the worst customer service
skills of all time, whose insults and portents of doom put a definite
taint on the journey. The cabin itself isn’t much more hospitable; a
ramshackle abode in the middle of nowhere with only one road leading to
or from the property. As the cabin has a long history, the discovery of
a very modern one-way mirror between two rooms only seems a mild
curiosity to the band of merrymakers. It’s certainly not enough to stop
their partying, which includes free-flowing intoxicants and campout
games like truth or dare. One such dare reveals yet another oddity; a
basement full of items from the previous owners, including the diary of
a member of one of the most murderous families since those Texas
Chainsaw Massacre folks. Reading the journal out loud seems to be a
very bad idea as strange happenings begin to occur around our happy
little group; starting with the amorous couple’s attempted commune with
nature interrupted by a former occupant of the cabin. From then, all
hell breaks loose and the friends try to flee the creepy house, but no
matter what they do, it always seems like there’s something holding them
back. As if some unseen force is purposely pushing obstacles in their
path to safety and manipulating the odds against them. Surely, that
couldn’t be.
I
don’t remember the last time I saw a horror movie as ingenious, fresh
and downright fun as The Cabin in the Woods. It’s terribly difficult to
discuss the details of the film without giving away secrets, which
absolutely must be kept to fully enjoy the movie. It’s so off the wall
that there’s no way to predict all the surprises, and the surprises are
constant. It’s an incredibly novel and clever approach to the old
totems of horror films that turns those tropes on their heads while
still showing a healthy respect for the genre. The homages to horror
films through the ages that pop up here are fabulous and one could
probably watch Cabin multiple times (which one would most definitely
want to do) and not get them all. There is also the looming figure
of Joss Whedon and his “Whedonverse.” Allusions to the writer’s
collection of past projects and characters must be included to satisfy
his cadre of devoted fans and those references are interlaced throughout
the film, most obviously by some familiar casting. The healthy dose of
comedy and gallows wit that imbues The Cabin in the Woods is also a
trademark of Whedon’s work. Cabin is meant first to be a horror film,
so there is definitely gore, but it’s often of the ‘I shouldn’t laugh,
but I can’t help it’ variety. The humour and ingenuity of the script
nicely balances the slasher content without making it seem like a
compromise. As evidenced at my viewing of the film, there are plenty of
opportunities for people in the audience to yell advice to the
endangered characters onscreen. Chris Hemsworth, who shot to notice as
Thor from that character’s own Marvel live-action film, as well the
upcoming Whedon-directed Avengers, plays the group’s alpha male. Yet,
for all Hemsworth’s well-defined muscle, it is Fran Kranz as the stoner,
Marty, who steals the picture. Marty’s cannabis-inspired wisdom is
immediately dismissed, but later seems to bear the wisdom of a Shaman as
his paranoia pays off. Every horror movie featuring nubile young people
in crisis must have a Jamie Lee Curtis-type in its ranks and that part
is handily played by Kristen Connolly as the shy girl whose (relative)
purity might actually be an asset. Supporting roles by Richard Jenkins
and Bradley Whitford are hilarious and deserving of their own spinoff
film, which is all I can say without giving away major plot twists. All
aspects of the film are very well done and unlike the director’s last
creative effort, while there were chills, I was able to watch the whole
movie without popping one Pepto-Bismol. Drew Goddard, you are (mostly)
forgiven.
Utterly novel and audacious, The Cabin in the Woods completely rewrites
the scary movie as we know it. It’s intelligent, imaginative and too
much fun; exactly what one would expect from the mind of Joss Whedon.
The Cabin in the Woods redefines and sets a new standard for the horror
movies that will come after it.
~ The
Lady Miz Diva
April
13th, 2012
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