The perfect deconstruction of Horror... hilarious, tense, unpredictable, and entertaining!

Rating: Null/10 (15 April 2012)

I had been anticipating The Cabin in the Woods for more than a month. Why? Well, I only heard about it last month, and thank god I wasn't waiting for it for months or even a year like many others. I read the script as well, so I did know what I was going into. But I had to know the joy of watching this on the big screen. Boy, did it live up to my extremely high expectations.
The film's opening immediately reminds me of a recent, but equally magnificent horror/comedy, and that is Drag Me To Hell. But whereas that film derived it's comedy from more gags and cartoonish moments, this one starts off with brilliantly written dialogue. From the start we see two guys dealing with some sort of task, and they must accomplish this task or else... well, I'll stop there. I do want to say that although this film is very funny, it also is pretty tense. The cinematography and the music especially drive the scarier scenes well, and they both do a great job of maintaining it's witty but also seriously-driven tone. People have said that this film makes fun of these types of films. In a way yes, but it's important to note that both Goddard and Whedon were able to come up with this because they love horror so much. Their love for the genre is apparent in all of the turns the story takes, but it's not a spoof. This film is meant to be taken seriously as a horror film. It isn't just here to "make fun" of the genre as much as it is here to reinvent the genre and to make it that much more exciting. It's a blast to see this much love for the genre oozing through the screen.
Since everyone has already talked endlessly about the satire and about the expectations the film toys with, I want to talk about the characters. When looking at what happens, it's surprising to see just how much we do care for them. Not just the main 5, but also the ones behind the "experiment". Bradley Whitford in particular stands out, with many different traits that make him the most likable of the bunch. His comedic timing, as well as his sense of regret and sadness at times, is brilliant. When it comes to the doomed 5, they all stand out in their own ways. Kristen Connoly is beautiful, with the sort of angelic face that stems from a more pure form of Uma Thurman. All of the deaths here are well done and quite brutal. The character that surprisingly has stayed with me the most was the first that got the axe, and I think that the first attack/death is quite effective in it's execution. You aren't just watching how "cool" the deaths look, but in this case especially, it makes you desperately sad for that character. The acting from this actor in his/her first death is quite effective and haunting, and quite sad.
The ending is spectacular, and as a whole was able to have a balance between witty and funny but also serious. The cameo is brilliant, and the final scene with the discussion is fantastic. People shouldn't be ready for a twist, because what the film does very well is hint at several clues throughout the film. There's never any real "revelation" or twist, but instead the viewer is strapped to more and more information about what is really going on. The final minutes are again, rather sad. I was surprised by how much emotion the film allows the viewer to have, and in these final moments of the film is when that is more evident. Again, the film works perfectly for what it's trying to be, but despite that it still works on "feelings" and to me that's what was most surprising coming out of it. I had read the script, but what I hadn't counted on was the amount of care and thought put into these characters and situations, despite how ludicrous and how extreme they were.
All in all, definitely what I was hoping for really. I have not stopped thinking about the film, and to me it's pretty much the perfect horror film. I'm sure it'll remain among my favorites of the year, just like that little Sam Raimi flick in 2009 did. I never had any anticipation for The Avengers, but hey, bring it on!