Directed by Drew Goddard and produced by Joss Whedon, The Cabin in the Woods takes the audience on a ridiculous journey through an absurd premise. While horror movies are notoriously ineffective at successfully marrying comedy and horror, this film manages that high-wire act effortlessly. It offers a simple choice: accept the absurdity and have fun, or exit at the next station.
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Cabin in the Woods Cast of Caricatures
Cabin in the Woods is not a serious character study. Each of the characters is an exaggerated stereotype, most of which are entirely too common in horror. At first glance it seems gratuitous, but over time they bring the audience in on the joke. Cabin in the Woods is not just an exposition of horror stereotypes, it is a meta analysis of the entire genre. The strong cast carries the day and the tongue in cheek approach adds a heaping helping of charm to the inside joke.
Kristen Connolly takes the role of Dana Polk. Dana is simple girl that hasn’t found the right guy yet. She’s a virgin, or so she says. Anna Hutchison plays Jules Louden. It becomes clear early on that Jules gave up her virginity a long time ago and continues to exercise the routine on a regular basis.
Chris Hemsworth plays Curt Vaughn, the testosterone fueled jock not unlink his hammer wielding counterpart, Thor. Jesse Williams plays the role of Holden McCrea, the studious book worm. Finally, Fran Kranz play the role of resident stoner Marty Mikalaski channeling the types of vibes that stumble out of the Mystery Machine in a cloud of sticky-icky.
These sacrificial lambs, each chose by design, take a weekend trip to the proverbial cabin in the woods while simultaneously making carefully crafted statement about the current state of horror movies.
All Hail the Secret Society
Cabin in the Woods leaves little to the imagination. Right out of the gate, a secret society is revealed that controls everything at the cabin. These guys are equipped with NSA level tools and intelligence, maintaining eyes and ears on that cabin at all times. Their purpose is not immediately clear, but there is no doubt that this group of friends have been sucked into something bigger than they could have imagined.
The control bunker is run by Gary Sitterson and Steve Hadley. Steve is played by Bradley Whitford, who among other projects would later play a critical role as Dean Armitage in 2017’s Get Out. The ever brilliant Richard Jenkins plays Gary. Neither role could be better cast.
Cabin in the Woods – Plot Summary
As the party bus navigates through the mountain pass, they cross into a closed system. The bunker manages and manipulates everything on the other side of the pass. When the travelers arrive, they immediately find strange features including a one-way mirror between bedrooms.
The conspiracy began before they even left. Agents added chemical agents to Jules’ hair dye. Lookouts were perched on the roof of Dana’s home. Even the old man at the gas station, the Crazy Ralph, participates in the plot. The goal of the agents is to simply get the group into the cellar. In the cellar they will be confronted with a bazaar of cursed items, each when chosen select an ancient evil that spells their doom.
In the cellar, Dana opens a diary written by Patience Buckner, daughter of the original owner of the cabin. Upon finding a phrase in Latin, Dana reads the passage and inadvertently unlocks the agent of their doom. Just to be clear reading Latin phrases from a scary book found in the cellar of an abandoned cabin is not high on the list of horror movie survival skills. The Buckners, rise from the dead and the terror begins.
Sigourney Weaver makes a late appearance as ‘The Director’ to explain that these youth have been chosen to participate in a ritual.
Cabin in the Woods, there is a lot to like
Catering directly to the young adult market, Cabin in the Woods pieces together a highly entertaining horror film. It does a superb job stitching together light hearted comedy with over the top gore and violence. Just when the audience thinks they have a grip, Whedon and Goddard smash the accelerator pedal. Ridiculous yes — but by diving in head-first so early, the audience is fully bought in by the time the payout arrives.
The Secret Society is the Key
The decision to dive headlong into the inner working of the bunker allows full exposure to some of juiciest comic relief in the film. From the menagerie of mythical horrors to the agents booking bets as to which path to doom the group will choose, much of the entertainment comes from the bunker. For example, the great scene with the agents partying down to REO Speedwagon as Dana fights for her life in what they think is the final step of the ritual.
Much like the 1997 Canadian franchise, there is an underground bunker that managed the circumstances of those imprisoned in the cube. This metaphor is more appropriate than imagined. While Dana and Marty try to save themselves, they discover a strange elevator complex. The agents use the elevator to put the appropriate horrors in play. These ‘cubes’ move around like — cubes in The Cube.
Cabin in the Woods – The Wrap
Cabin in the Woods set out with a clear mission. It achieves what it intends to do. It takes tropes from common horror movies that we all know and love and puts them into entirely new circumstances. Historically, this film came out at a time when directors seemed to have only one tool in the toolbox, shock and awe and torture porn.
Its easy to imagine a band of friends leaving this film and laughing through the parking lot. Most horror movies these days lack that level of panache. The ending falls a bit flat but overall it is extremely refreshing.
Cabin in the Woods (2012) - An Innovative Good Time - Malevolentdark
Director: Drew Goddard
Date Created: 1970-01-01 00:33
3.5