"The Cabin in the Woods" is the definitive horror/comedy of the past decade, and one of the finest since "Evil Dead II"...

Rating: 9/10 (16 April 2012)

Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon deliver unto us "The Cabin in the Woods", a thrilling and hilarious love-and-hate letter to the horror genre, and one of the finest horror-comedies I've seen in many, many years. The film is expertly crafted to both utilize and satirize conventions of horror and its various sub-genres, all while delivering a tale that works on its own level as a fairly serious horror film. It's expertly crafted and fine- tuned to deliver a story that will make you laugh uproariously, then scream in fear, then laugh again. God, I love this movie!
Starring Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth and Fran Kranz, the film follows a group of five friends who are headed to a cabin deep within the wooded mountains for a few nights of fun and poor moral-decisions. Little do they know that the cabin is one of several worldwide centers watched over by bizarre scientific compound underground, that make sure the ritualistic sacrifice of a group of youths is made annually to appease the "Ancients", which are essentially demi-gods who must be appeased by blood sacrifices. These sacrifices are to be carried out by any one of a number of evil beings (from vengeful ghosts, zombies and Jason-Voorhees esque serial killers, to supernatural threats, to mythical creatures like werewolves and Cenobite-like creatures straight out of Clive Barker's "Hellraiser"). The killers of choice are determined by which one of many artifacts, talismans or magical incantations the youths choose first by accident. In this case, accidentally reading a Latin inscription in a diary raises from the dead a maniacal clan of pain-worshiping zombies to kill the kids, and we get to witness as they try and survive at any cost, all while solving the mystery of just what's going on.
At the same time, we follow a more comedic storyline revolving around a few of the workers in the compound, as they watch over the events and try to influence the outcome by various means, including erecting an invisible forcefield to help prevent the escape of the victims, releasing pheromones into the air to increase their libido and decrease their decision-making powers, destroying any paths for escape, etc. All the while, the workers place bets on which of the killers will be chosen, drool over the gorgeous college girls, etc. It's quite funny to see the behind-the-scenes of a pseudo-scientific cult.
The acting is all extremely strong. Connolly is fantastic and believable as Dana, the likable lead character in the story. Hemsworth is a lot of fun as the jockish Curt, and proves post-"Thor" that he is a very capable actor and not at all a one-trick pony. Franz is hilarious as paranoid stoner Marty. And all other roles are played fabulously.
The visual direction by Goddard is unusually strong, and the film has a fantastic energy to it. Goddard is able to sell not only the scares, but the abundant laughs. And his script (co-written with "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon) is a great piece of work, both satirizing and glorifying the horror genre at the same time. It's very tight, composed and thought-out, and is an absolute blast.
Everything about the production is strong and competently made. The score is incredible. Production and costume design is top notch. The few CG effects are generally well-realized. The gore effects are awesome, and for the most part old school, which I loved. (I generally don't like CGI gore, as it just doesn't look right) I really can't think of a single negative thing to say about this film.
Another thing I feel I should address is the dichotomy of the film, in that it is both a loving homage, and a declaration of hate of the horror genre as it stands. It obviously has a lot of affection for horror, in how it playfully references many of the clichés and conventions of it. Yet at the same time, it's also clearly damning the lows that studio horror have sunk to. (Such as brutally making fun of stupid characters, the over-abundance of torture, etc) It's a very interesting film in that it makes light of horror in a way that both glorifies and damns it at the same time, and I hope the message comes across and people start to re-evaluate horror and its potential as genre, rather than continuing the dumbing-down that studios have encouraged.
All-in-all, "The Cabin in the Woods" in an incredible entry into the horror-comedy subgenre. I'd argue it's possibly the best entry since Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead II" (although for me "Shaun of the Dead" is also a high contender), and is an absolute joy to watch. I give it a 9 out of 10! If you are a horror fan, you owe it to yourself to see this, especially if you too are becoming weary of the genre and how its been ravaged.