Rent The Cabin in the Woods on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard
Directed by: Drew Goddard
Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Brian White, Amy Acker
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Two unseen scientists manipulate the gory goings-on at a backwoods cabin inhabited by a group of unsuspecting college friends,
Verdict
A unique premise gives this a huge boost. What if every horror movie trope could be explained? Maybe the characters aren't as dumb as they seem. This movie devours tropes while putting a new spin on them. While it loses the thread in trying to find a satisfactory conclusion, it's still a fun and inventive ride that provides commentary on the horror genre.
Watch It.
Review
This was filmed before Chris Hemsworth's breakout role as Thor (2011), though it released after due to this movie's studio's financial struggles.
This starts with Gary (Richard Jenkins) and Steve (Bradley Whitford) in an office discussing preparations for some kind of ritual. Then we transition to five coeds in an RV heading to a cabin to party. This quickly invokes several horror movie tropes. We've got five teens ready to have fun, a run down gas station, and a grizzled attendant with ominous warnings. It's cheesy, but the situation is ridiculous. What sets this apart from typical horror movie filler is that the dialog is good.
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| Jesse Williams, Fran Kranz, Anna Hutchison, Chris Hemsworth play Holden, Marty, Jules, Curt |
Of course it's a creepy house full of odd decorations and memorabilia. Not only that, Gary and Steve observe every room. They admit they spiked the blondes hair dye to slow down cognition. Apparently, there's something to the dumb blonde trope in horror movies. These scientists are pulling the strings, but why? From their control room they are even monitoring each teens vitals. They can manipulate the environment and influence behavior. So many horror movies rely on stupid protagonists, and this movie provides a reason for that. The protagonists are coerced, prodded, and drugged.
The teens start playing truth or dare because this movie is on a quest to hit every horror movie trope. That leads to Dana (Kristen Connolly) heading into the dark and creepy basement. She finds a journal that details horrific abuse, mentioning "a husband's bulge." This embraces every trope, but it's used for comedy instead of plot filler.
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| Fran Kranz, Kristen Connolly play Dana, Marty |
The monsters the control room unleashes on the teens are as effective as expected. We never quite know what the control room's goal is. It's not just entertainment as it seems to be linked to a blood sacrifice.
When this starts to tip is when the movie grasps at answers. The explanation isn't as satisfying as the setup. These horror movie scenarios are an act of sacrifice to the old gods as a way to keep the world in balance and devastation at bay. As Gary and Steve think they've completed the sacrifice, they're confronted with evidence that it isn't done. Dana and Marty (Fran Kranz) survive. What follows is a bizarre assault as control dispatches armed operatives to take them out and complete the ritual as the duo try to defend themselves by opening the cages of various horror movie monsters that control houses.
This is stocked full of references and call outs, so many you'd need a guide to catch them all. The old gods demand sacrifices, not all that dissimilar from horror movie audiences. Many people crave sadistic deaths in this genre, and that connection adds a nice bit of depth to the conclusion.
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| Title Card |
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