Cabin in the Woods
Drew Goddard
Lionsgate
When people watch a movie trailer, they generally get the idea what the genre is and what the movie is trying to sell you about the plot. From first glance, Cabin in the Woods looks like a redundant horror film with a small twist. There really isn’t much to draw you in but looks can be deceiving. Much like the movie, the trailer has subtle nuances of a deeper and more intriguing premise and story. Joss Whedon had a part to play so you can expect as much.
I cannot say anything about why you should go see the movie because it ruins the craftiness of the film. All I can really tell you is that it’s a horror film that makes fun of horror films and also pays homage to them. If you don’t like horror, or you aren’t really sold yet, then do not be deterred, because it is only one part of the movie. There’s humour, thrills, mystery, and all sorts of genres mashed into one. One of my favourite aspects of the film is how the heroism in the surviving character (or characters) turns deliciously pessimistic and almost nihilistic. Best of all, it mixes all the genres together without ever losing sight of why it is doing it.
And that’s generally why Cabin in the Woods is such a pleasure to watch.
Normally, clichés would be boring and laughable; stereotypes drawn-out and overused; gore and sex played out. However, the movie always knows WHY it does these things. It’s trying to get something across to the audience. Those who get it will laugh and come out knowing they watched a refreshing movie; others will come out saying it was “predictable” or hate it because they didn’t get it.
I know that sounds pretentious but it’s the truth. This movie has so much going for it that I didn’t see half of it until I went home and saw what everyone else thought. I don’t like watching movies more than once, and can’t name very many that I would watch twice, but this is definitely one of them.
It doesn’t hurt that it also has a giant bloodbath of epic proportions and probably the coolest bong you will ever see.