For more than two years now, horror movie fans and loyal followers of Joss Whedon have spoken of the legendary horror film, The Cabin in the Woods. Well, to be honest it was legendary without ever seeing the light of day, and unfortunately for the Whedon geeks out there it didn't look like we'd find out what all the fuss was about. Why were people throwing out phrases like "game changer" and calling it the next Scream? For once the clamor was dead on right. The Cabin the Woods is the new standard bearer for the horror movie genre. Period.
That's not hyperbole. Joss Whedon and director Drew Goddard have taken every one of the cliches we've come to expect from horror and given them enough unique twist, all the while winking and rubbing our expectations right in our faces. There are so many surprises that are both hilarious flat out bonkers that it's crucial not to spoil anything, and it goes far beyond the simple mystery of whoever the antagonist is like in Wes Craven's Scream films. In fact, we know right from the start who is beyond all of the mayhem. The big mystery is why, and the answer comes at the end of one of the craziest final acts you'll ever see. There's a unicorn involved. That's all that can, and should be, said about it.
Even the simplicity of the title serves to lower your defenses. In the beginning we're introduced to the archetypes we've come to look for: there's the slutty blond bombshell, Julie(Anna Hutchinson); the paranoid stoner, Marty(Fran Kranz); the brainiac, Holden(Jesse Williams); the "virgin", Dana(Kristin Connolly); and an unknown Chris Hemsworth as Curt, the token jock. The plot is hilariously familiar, with the boozing, horny friends heading off to a cabin in the thick of the woods near a corn pone mountain town. Recipe for disaster? Of course it is, and it isn't long before strange family heirlooms are disturbed, ominous journals are read, and things start going bump in the night.Yet that's just a small piece of the puzzle, as we learn early on that somebody else is pulling the strings, namely a shadowy government organization led by two fairly average joes played by veteran character actors, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. That's not spoiling anything major, so don't fret. This portion of the film is played up mostly for comedic effect, as they run some sort of game orchestrating every terrible thing that befalls the clueless youngsters. The vibe feels like an extended episode of Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with laughter used to lighten the genuine life and death stakes.
Goddard and Whedon's script keeps you completely off balance, a rarity for any genre but horror movies in particular. It's so smart and cleverly aimed at our own perceived notions of where the story should go, that it's easy to overlook that some of the performances are actually quite good. The banter between Jenkins and Whitford, including a running gag involving the latter's love of a particular classic movie monster, make up the bulk of the movie's biggest laughs.
Analyzing horror films has become old hat now, with that little sub-genre falling into self parody. Scream 4 is a prime example of what happens when the satire fails to evolve. Whedon is too smart to let that happen here, so hopefully we won't be seeing any The Cabin the Woods sequels. Don't let anybody spoil your experience, so get your tickets to the film early before the biggest shocks(including one awesome cameo!) get ruined!
