The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods

Starring Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams

Directed by Drew Goddard

The Story:
Friends Dana (Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Fran Kranz) and Holden (Jesse Williams) decide to take some time off and visit Curt's cousin's cabin in the woods.  Along the way they stop for gas where a mysterious man warns them of impending doom, but they shrug it off as the ramblings of a crazy man.  Once they arrive at the cabin, they uncover a basement filled with old secrets, and when one of those secrets is let loose, the friends find themselves in the fight for their lives against a family of zombies.

The Synopsis:
Abbott and Costello.  Sonny and Cher.  Tom and Jerry.  Batman and Robin.  Just some of the numerous famous duos in entertainment history that has brought joy and happiness to audiences all across the world. You can also add Whedon and Goddard to that list, because it's from the marvelous brains of these two men (Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard) that has gifted us with "The Cabin in the Woods," a meta-horror film that is much, much, much more than meets the eye.

When I reviewed the story above, that's just the cake without the icing to the story that you'll witness when you see this one-of-a-kind film, and you'll love the icing that's scraped across the top of the cake and want to engorge yourself on the whole cake in one sitting, but it needs to be savored slowly, repeatedly, to be fully appreciated.  As a lifetime horror fan, I was very impressed with the way that Whedon and Goddard (in his first directorial job) took the story.  It wasn't just a hard left turn, it was a full-fledged stop, left turn, then several more turns until you don't know where you ended up, but you're happy you got there.

So what is it about this film that's so amazing?  Honestly, I can't tell you, because I try to shy away from spoilers (except for truly horrible films like "Wish Upon," in which I don't mind spoiling every single second to spare you the precious time you would've wasted seeing it).  Suffice it to say, it's a film you wouldn't see coming, yet it also gives a different glimpse into the seemingly typical world of horror movies in general.

This typical world comes with the five teenagers who are thrust front and center.  Each character represents an age-old archetype of horror characters: the virgin (Kristen Connolly's Dana), the jock (Chris Hemsworth's Curt), the loose girl (Anna Hutchison's Jules), the stoner (Fran Kranz's Marty), and the intellectual (Jesse Williams's Holden).  Typically, I would assault a film that so blatantly adhered to these tried-and-true tropes, but here Whedon and Goddard turned it on its head, showing the viewer why there's always these typical stock characters in horror movies.  And it...is...glorious.

There's not a whole lot more I can say, other than this is definitely a film worth checking out, even if you're not a typical horror fan.  Whedon's mixture of horror and comedy is truly evident here (after all, he did create one of the best television shows in history, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer").  Drew Goddard doesn't skimp on the comedy or the gore, as there's enough blood-soaked walls to re-decorate the world's biggest mansions, while enough laughs to keep you in stitches.  There's even some decent jump scares, since they never forgot they're filming a horror movie.

The Summary:
Creating a unique meta-horror film, Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's combined efforts gifted us with a unique horror-comedy that defies the rules even as they hold a strict adherence to them.

The Score: A+