An unpredictable comedy of horror tropes

Rating: 8/10 (1 March 2013)

It has become something of a habit in Hollywood to point at horror movies and say, "isn't this silly?" The horror parody Scary Movie has four sequels, the Scream series is constantly one-upping the amount of meta-jokes and zombies are getting married with characters in 19th century literary classics. The storytelling tropes used in slasher films are well-known and largely discredited. Against this background, The Cabin in the Woods offers little we haven't seen. It is yet another parody on horror movies, pointing out their silliness while also showing the genre's effectiveness.
Yet somehow The Cabin in the Woods still manages to feel fresh. It has a very unpredictable story, meandering in many different directions, and its characters, while nodding to typical horror stereotypes, are sympathetic, easy to relate to, fun to watch and occasionally even believable. The film has unforgettable scenes and dialogue and some striking visuals. The end is slightly flat, though, and the horror itself is rarely scary (though there is one scene that will make you grind your teeth as the shadow in the background moves closer...)