Just got back from Cabin in the Woods–which I just discovered was actually finished in 2009, but released only now due to the MGM bankruptcy–and what an interesting film.
I knew almost nothing about it going in, which turns out to not have mattered terribly much as what would have been the “twist” in a more conventional film was revealed right from the start. This then allows the movie to turn horror movie cliches on themselves, then those back on themselves again, resulting in something that’s quite unlike any other horror movie I’ve seen.
The movie has a pretty good sense of humor, even though it really is still a horror film at its core, even with full knowledge of the film’s conceit, which is impressive. It’s not terribly scary, but there are a few startles throughout, if the audience’s reaction was anything to go by.
I think my favorite part was when…
…the two survivors took the elevator and saw the other “horrors” along the way. I actually wish we had gotten to see more of them! I also quite liked the Japanese sub-plot.
Although I enjoyed the movie throughout, I was letdown by…
…the ending. I’m not sure what kind of ultimate explanation I would have liked, but I wasn’t sold on the “appeasing the old gods” bit to prevent world destruction. Like I said, I don’t know what I would have done, but it felt unsatisfactory.
Anyone else see it yet? What did you think?
ETA: There is one more thing I wish the movie had more of…
The reviews are very favorable, and I love Joss Whedon, and I managed to avoid all spoilers other than the trailer. So I was expecting this film to kick ass.
But it didn’t. The concept was very cool. And it had a lot of fun or clever bits. But it put to much effort in being commentary about other films and not enough being its own films.
Its horror scenes weren’t scary, its comedic bits were clever but not hilarious, and its sexy bits weren’t quite titillating enough.
There wasn’t enough tension, either dramatic or comedic or otherwise, to create a real impact.
But it was fun and clever. Amusing and passably entertaining. It just tried too hard at being meta that it forgot to add substance to what it was commenting on. And it tried being a mashup of too many things without giving depth to any of the elements it was mixing together.
I can tell I loved it because I keep finding myself thinking about it, especially the last thirty minutes or so which were just completely nuts but somehow still kinda scary and funny. It’s a line that I haven’t seen walked so well before,and it has been tried. Evil Dead 2 is really this movie’s only real competitor on that level I think.
That said, it’s not quite the genre defining film it was being touted as. I didn’t think it really challenged or illuminated traditional horror conventions so much as just give as a more sober way to enjoy the same old thrills. It’s totally Joss though and I love that. it feels like he’s been waiting a long time to tackle full on horror and it shows.
I enjoyed the ever-loving heck out of the movie. It is totally Joss and it is done in a way only he could do it. I could tell he had fun making the movie. It really was a good time. Now I can’t wait for The Avengers.
About a 6 out of 10 for me. Worthwhile, but not great. I find myself agreeing with jackdavinci’s comments. There were a few good comedic moments, as you would expect from Joss Whedon, but overall the film was a bit of a let-down.
I did enjoy the elevator scene, and the meltdown when everything was unleashed. You just knew the merman was going to make an appearance.
I went to the Thursday midnight screening not as an obsessed Whedon fan, I went simply as a man who appreciates an ultra-concentrated gathering of hot geek girls.
I really liked it. It felt like a lost episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I loved the meta commentary on horror films and the climax was just bonkers!
Wow, they really should’ve marketed this movie differently/better. I had no idea Joss was involved in it until seeing this topic, and the commercials make it look like a crapfest in the vein of the first Resident Evil adaptation. I still probably won’t go see it, but I might be more interested in catching it on video now that I know it’s a Joss Whedon joint.
I saw this at a matinee last night after work and had a blast! I went in knowing nothing at all. I hadn’t seen read a review or even a synopsis, I hadn’t seen a trailer or a clip or even a still from the movie. I’d heard something vague that Joss Whedon was involved but I’ve never seen an episode of Buffy so I didn’t go because of him. I loved Chris Hemsworth in Thor but I didn’t know he was in this until the opening credits. I went because I’d read something on Twitter to the effect of “Go, and the less you know going in the better” so I actively kept away from everything.
I haven’t seen a lot of outright horror movies (no Friday the 13ths, no Nightmare on Elm Streets, no Saws or Hostels or whatever series that guy with the saw blades in his head is from) so I only recognized a few of the horrors (loved Ringu in Japan and the outcome). Still, it was delightfully scary and fun. And how great is Richard Jenkins and that other guy? The betting part was a riot at the time, but even funnier when I found out what they were betting on.
It immediately goes on my well-loved genre shelf alongside Kick-Ass, Super, Attack The Block, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Scott Pilgrim and so many others.
“Am I on speakerphone?”
I thought it was exceptional, though I say that as a Whedon fanboy and someone who is apathetic at best towards horror. That said, I saw it with two friends that love horror and hate Joss, and they both enjoyed it as well.
The only thing I didn’t really like were the computer’s and the Director’s expository speeches. They felt forced, and I bet that was at least partially the intent, but they still took me out of the movie momentarily.
It may have been the Director over the PA system, but it was when the two survivors first make it to the control center. They were told they were being sacrificed for the greater good, and that they should suck it up and let them do their jobs. The actual monologue at the end was basically a continuation, though it also filled in the details.
I haven’t seen the movie (and don’t plan to), so I don’t know what’s a “mild” spoiler and what’s a major spoiler, but someone reported Ephemera’s post as involving the latter.
the execution techniques used by either
the Pinhead-esque Saw Faced Guy with the Golden Orb
or
the little ballerina girl with the concentric mouths of shark teeth?
Upon further reflection, the film The Cabin in the Woods is bloody brilliant. It’s even more meta than I originally thought.
I mean, the film itself is crap, at least on the surface. But that has got to be intentional.
It’s basically Fridge Moment: The Movie.
It turns the camera one hundred eighty degrees back around at the audience and says “tell me what you really want to see, and tell me why you want to see it.”
It makes you question the allure of the haunted house. Why do we ask for fantasy violence while at the same time wanting to protect ourselves from real life violence?
I suppose the answer for me is, to experience and conquer fear itself, without having to encounter physically the things which are the object of my fears.