Review of The Cabin In The Woods

The Cabin In The Woods is a 2012 horror film directed by Drew Goddard and produced by Joss Whedon (the pair also wrote the film together). It stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchinson and Fran Kranz. The film was due to release by MGM in 2012, but was delayed due to ongoing financial difficulties at the studio. Eventually the film was bought by Paramount and the film was released on April 13th 2012.

I going to begin with the fact that the timing of this release couldn't be anymore perfect; with the release of The Avengers Assemble at the end of the month this film gives the audience a chance to sample some of Joss Whedon's work before his masterpiece comes to cinemas. We also get a chance to witness a bit more of Chris Hemsworth, who in my opinion, was perfectly cast as Thor and it is a good opportunity to raise some more interest in him before the 26th April.

Now onto the film itself, I have to admit, it was far better than I expected. I went into the cinema expecting a typical slasher mover with what appeared to be a game show type enemy organising the events. I was pleasantly surprised by what I watched. I don't want to spoil the film for people, so I'm going to keep as much as I can about the contents of the film out of this review. This is because an important part of the experience of The Cabin In The Woods is working out what is going on. It's one of those horrors that sets out to be funny, and isn't funny by accident like most horrors are (normally that is down to bad acting and hilarious kills), the whole movie acts like a criticism to its predecessors is the horror franchise. By this I mean that there is a lot in the film that is clearly a reference to an older horror movie. However these little references do not drive the film,  it doesn't make it merely a rip off of older films, they are there as a sort of test for fans of horror, as a way of sparking interest (throughout the film I was trying to pin point what came from what movie). It engages the audience in a way that most horrors do not, and that is that we actually witness plans being put into action against the main characters, we see the manipulation that normally isn't noticeable in a horror until the plot is revealed at the end. Naturally there are parts of the story that aren't revealed until the end, just like with any movie, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the ending, it is predictable yet surprising at the same time. Not anti-climatic like most horrors, which over time, have become boringly predictable.

WARNING THIS PARAGRAPH INCLUDES SPOILERS!
One bit of the film that I particularly enjoyed was the scene near the beginning when the main characters are given a little push to go down into the cellar, which turns out to be filled with old relics. This whole idea was brilliant, in that the main characters are choosing their own fates, which shows the potential of an idea like this one (it could provide endless possibilities for outcomes). They pick a certain relic, and the creatures related to that relic are released. It is a fantastic bit of writing.

Continuing with the non-spoiler section of this review. The cast was perfect for this film, Hemsworth and Williams giving the best male performances in my opinion and Connolly leading with the best female performance. The film has the typical chemistry for a horror, with particular cast members playing the typical roles (to a certain extent) and the cabin acting as the center point of events with it being out in the middle of nowhere with no help for miles in any direction (it's perfect!). The main thing that sets it apart from other horrors is the strong story behind it, it's the closest thing we've had to an original horror movie in a long time.

 It's an annoying film to review because you don't want to give much away, otherwise to surprise isn't there anymore, but overall the film is definitely worth a watch. I'm not saying that it is the perfect movie, there are definitely some parts that could have been done better, for example it could have been a bit longer, it is only an hour and a half long, which in my opinion is quite short for a feature film (it's the same complaint I have about Underworld Awakening). Overall, it is a lot of fun, not too scary but very entertaining which makes it all worthwhile. I'd give this movie a solid 9/10. It probably won't seem as good if I see it a second time, because the surprise is gone.