A rare and unpredictable horror film

Rating: 7/10 (24 September 2012)

¨They have to choose what happens in the cellar. Yeah, we write the game as much as we have to but in the end, if they don't transgress they can't be punished. ¨ I'm not big on horror films since I generally consider them to be very predictable and cliché. I can't remember what the last horror slasher movie I enjoyed was since the few I do enjoy have to do more with psychological scares. All these movies are the same, but to my surprise it wasn't the case with Cabin in the Woods. I had no idea what direction this movie was moving towards and despite not being a fan of the genre I was able to appreciate Cabin in the Woods thanks to the unpredictability of it and some interesting performances. The less you know about this film before watching it the better. Like the tagline of the movie suggests, this film works as sort of a satire of all the slasher films we've grown up with. ¨If something is chasing yousplit up, ¨ is one of the taglines that is so cliché about these movies and it's addressed in this film as well. There are several elements that are sort of dissected in this movie and analyzed through satire and that's what I enjoyed the most about Cabin in the Woods. I didn't care for the scares (which aren't here) or the gore, what I really liked was that this film was making fun of the genre while at the same time paying homage to it so that fanboys would also enjoy it. It works almost in the same way that Scream did in the late 90's by making fun of the stereotypes of the genre. This film has an ending every fanboy will enjoy. It was a little too much for me since I'm not a big fan of the genre, but I still have to admit I was really surprised by this film. It is definitely one of the best horror movies I've seen in a very long time.
Despite the fact that the trailers give away a lot of the movie I will only give away the basic part. You have the five typical teenagers you see in most horror films decide to go spend a weekend at an old and mysterious cabin in the woods: the jock, Curt (Chris Hemsworth), the slut, Jules (Anna Hutchison), the stoner, Marty (Fran Kranz), the nerd, Holden (Jesse Williams), and the virgin, Dana (Kristen Connolly). The five play characters we are all familiar with in this genre. On their way to the woods they even run into an old gas station with a weird owner named Mordecai (Tim de Zarn) who really only lacks a sign in front of his forehead saying ¨Do not go into the woods if you want to live.¨ Once the teens arrive at the beautiful place they begin to party as they usually do, but later strange things begin to happen and they realize that they might not be alone in that place. You probably have seen this scenario a million times before in these films, but it takes a totally different turn and if you're a fan of the genre you will be in for a treat. Character actors Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford also give some strong secondary performances as they usually do.
Cabin in the Woods combines a lot of gore with laughs. I can't say scares because there is hardly any. I like the way the film poked fun of its usual stereotypes and played with them while at the same time paying homage to several classic horror films. This was Drew Goddard's first film as a director and he really delivers. He had the credentials necessary considering he wrote and produced several Buffy, Angel, and Lost episodes as well as Cloverfield. He also co-wrote this brilliant and bizarre script with Joss Whedon, one of the best screenwriters in Hollywood (The Avengers, Toy Story, and Serenity). The script is smart although I must say that it was bizarre as well, but in a good way. Fans will have a terrific time with this movie, and those of us who criticize most slasher films for their predictability will be surprised by the twists taken here. It is a very original film which isn't afraid of taking risks or making fun of itself. The highlight of the film for me was Fran Kranz's performance. Most of the characters in this movie were really likable, as opposed to most horror films where they are hateful and forgettable. Cabin in the Woods is a very interesting and unique film.
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