"Ok, I'm drawing a line in the fucking sand. Do NOT read the Latin!"
A couple of reviews ago, I mentioned 21 Jump Street being a smart and
refreshing take on the tried and true clichés of both high school and cop
movies. It was refreshing because those movies always seem to be the same. Now
horror movies are completely different. They go through phases in popularity
and have several sub-genres (slasher, psychological, zombie, torture-porn
a.k.a. the Saw franchise, etc.) each
coming in waves, dying off, and then being resurrected years later.
Remember when The Ring came out in 2002, scared everyone, and made Japan the go-to place for US remakes because Japan was the king of horror? Then a couple years later no one was scared anymore and all of a sudden we had remakes of “classic” horror movies rebooted so kids with cell phones could comprehend how terrifying Michael Meyers was. Remember when Saw and Hostel came out and made people sick with how twisted they were? Remember that resurgence of zombie films like 28 Days Later and the Dawn of the Dead remake leading up to The Walking Dead TV show that no one finds interesting anymore? How about Paranormal Activity and the other “found footage” documentary style horror films?
The point is, horror films seem to follow in waves, flood the market into not finding them scary any more, and then followed by another sub-genre. Repeat ad nauseam. If you can’t tell by this paragraph, I’m not a fan of horror films. I’ve seen plenty and I can safely say horror is my least favorite film genre. Movies like the Scream franchise briefly hold my attention with their lambasting of horror troupes, but overall they still fall into the same rhythm of that which they are making fun of. Why bring all of this up? Just so you believe me when I say that The Cabin in the Woods is easily the best horror film ever made and more importantly a phenomenal film in its own right.
The Cabin in the Woods follows five college students as they head out to the aforementioned cabin in the aforementioned woods for a weekend that takes a dark turn. What sounds like a routine horror movie quickly turns into something more, but revealing anything more robs the viewer of the rich experience this film creates. From the masterminds of Drew Goddard (2008’s Cloverfield, several episodes of LOST, Buffy, Alias, and Angel) and Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, 2005’s Serenity, 2008’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and the upcoming blockbuster The Avengers), The Cabin in the Woods reinvents the genre as a whole. Yes, like Scream, Cabin takes on the basic conventions of horror movies and derides them. But Cabin offers more. As the world-building continues throughout the film, we’re given this grand, sci-fi backstory that’s positively enthralling. Most importantly though is once you take a step back and look at the bigger picture Cabin paints, you realize that its backstory is able to make other horror movies relevant. How many other films can honestly say that they make other, unrelated movies more interesting and purposeful? I can’t say too much more without spoiling anything, but suffice to say, Cabin is a game changer.
The acting is top notch from everyone. Audience favorite, Fran Kranz is absolutely hilarious along with the mysterious duo Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. Whedon and Goddard wrote a fantastic script with wit and charm and the shot composition and editing are great as well with nothing feeling superfluous or distracting. David Julyan’s (composer for Memento and The Prestige) soundtrack is John Carpenter-esque but with a modern feel.
The one weakness I discovered was on my second viewing of the film. Everything was better, except for the actual horror scenes. Things that made me jump the first time, didn’t elicit much of a reaction at all the second time. It could be that very few movies genuinely scare me or maybe the movie is too smart for it’s own good. But no matter, either way The Cabin in the Woods is a must see, and unlike anything you’ve witnessed before. And I’ll go ahead and say this: The Cabin in the Woods is the best film of the year so far.
Remember when The Ring came out in 2002, scared everyone, and made Japan the go-to place for US remakes because Japan was the king of horror? Then a couple years later no one was scared anymore and all of a sudden we had remakes of “classic” horror movies rebooted so kids with cell phones could comprehend how terrifying Michael Meyers was. Remember when Saw and Hostel came out and made people sick with how twisted they were? Remember that resurgence of zombie films like 28 Days Later and the Dawn of the Dead remake leading up to The Walking Dead TV show that no one finds interesting anymore? How about Paranormal Activity and the other “found footage” documentary style horror films?
The point is, horror films seem to follow in waves, flood the market into not finding them scary any more, and then followed by another sub-genre. Repeat ad nauseam. If you can’t tell by this paragraph, I’m not a fan of horror films. I’ve seen plenty and I can safely say horror is my least favorite film genre. Movies like the Scream franchise briefly hold my attention with their lambasting of horror troupes, but overall they still fall into the same rhythm of that which they are making fun of. Why bring all of this up? Just so you believe me when I say that The Cabin in the Woods is easily the best horror film ever made and more importantly a phenomenal film in its own right.
The Cabin in the Woods follows five college students as they head out to the aforementioned cabin in the aforementioned woods for a weekend that takes a dark turn. What sounds like a routine horror movie quickly turns into something more, but revealing anything more robs the viewer of the rich experience this film creates. From the masterminds of Drew Goddard (2008’s Cloverfield, several episodes of LOST, Buffy, Alias, and Angel) and Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, 2005’s Serenity, 2008’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and the upcoming blockbuster The Avengers), The Cabin in the Woods reinvents the genre as a whole. Yes, like Scream, Cabin takes on the basic conventions of horror movies and derides them. But Cabin offers more. As the world-building continues throughout the film, we’re given this grand, sci-fi backstory that’s positively enthralling. Most importantly though is once you take a step back and look at the bigger picture Cabin paints, you realize that its backstory is able to make other horror movies relevant. How many other films can honestly say that they make other, unrelated movies more interesting and purposeful? I can’t say too much more without spoiling anything, but suffice to say, Cabin is a game changer.
The acting is top notch from everyone. Audience favorite, Fran Kranz is absolutely hilarious along with the mysterious duo Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. Whedon and Goddard wrote a fantastic script with wit and charm and the shot composition and editing are great as well with nothing feeling superfluous or distracting. David Julyan’s (composer for Memento and The Prestige) soundtrack is John Carpenter-esque but with a modern feel.
The one weakness I discovered was on my second viewing of the film. Everything was better, except for the actual horror scenes. Things that made me jump the first time, didn’t elicit much of a reaction at all the second time. It could be that very few movies genuinely scare me or maybe the movie is too smart for it’s own good. But no matter, either way The Cabin in the Woods is a must see, and unlike anything you’ve witnessed before. And I’ll go ahead and say this: The Cabin in the Woods is the best film of the year so far.
This is a hell of a fun movie that features twists that got better and better as the film went on. It’s crazy that horror films can be this fun and entertaining just by smart and witty writing. However, it won’t last for too long so we might as well enjoy it while Whedon and Goodard are around. Good review.
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