Entertaining romp with smart twists and incisive genre commentary

Rating: 7/10 (13 August 2014)

Just watched The Cabin in the Woods last night. I meant to see it when it came out, but circumstances conspired against me, so I'm just now getting around to it. For better or worse, I had some preconceived notions going in, but I wish I could have had a clean viewing. I do think my expectations affected the experience somewhat.
That being said, the movie is a lot of fun. Right from the opener with Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford, we get a slightly different tone than usual. How many horror movies lead off with amusing banter amid the tedium of a (somewhat scientific-looking) corporate day-job? And really, for me, this tonal idiosyncrasy is what defined the movie.
Unfortunately, it also limits the film somewhat, but not tremendously so. Without spoiling anything (because I wouldn't want to pass on those preconceived notions I mentioned) the movie is excellently written, the cast performs gamely, and the dialogue is sharp and enjoyable throughout. Classic horror tropes are toyed with, turned about, and molded anew. This is all great fun, but it's also relatively standard for horror satire.
Where the film almost succeeds masterfully is with genuine horror-- actually generating scares. As with Shaun of the Dead, weaving real fear into the absurdity often proves a struggle, though both films give a noble effort. I'll also point out that this is where that initial tone and my preconceived notions may have colluded with the movie's mounting silliness to hold me back as a viewer (I can't stop thinking of one particularly drawn out scene where a large number of people are enjoying drinks while another person is horribly beaten in the background--it's hilarious, but not remotely frightening).
In any event, it's an entertaining romp with a few smart twists that serves as an incisive commentary on the genre at large, particularly the more recent convention of introducing a cast full of unlikable characters as fodder for the primary antagonist(s).
It also strikes me as the kind of movie that improves under the microscope of repeat viewings, as you catch more jokes and collect additional Easter Eggs.
This one's a solid 7.