The Cabin In The Woods (2012) review

(9/10)

This new twist on the classic horror set-up is a horror fanatic's blast into sharp humor, satire for the horror world, and clever ideas played for campy fun. However, this movie piles on more campy humor than it does scares.

PLOT:Five friends, including innocent Dana (Kristen Connolly), always-blazed Marty (Fran Kranz), flirty Jules (Anna Hutchison), athletic Curt (Chris Hemsworth), and intellectual Holden (Jesse Williams), go out to party at a remote cabin in the woods. As expected in a horror film, bad things happen involving zombies, rituals, and partying gone wrong. However, the story isn't what you expect it to be. The horror in this situation is controlled by a greater force involving two scientists known as Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford). For fear of giving too much away, I stop here. It's a great plot executed brilliantly.


ACTING:The acting in here is pretty good. Kristen Connolly and Fran Kranz would have to be the best in their performances as Dana and Marty, as well as the two scientists Sitterson and Hadley, played very well by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. There really wasn't a bad performance in here, not counting the zombies. The other shiners would have to be Chris Hemsworth as Curt, Anna Hutchison as Jules, Jesse Williams as Holden, Brian J. White as Truman, Amy Acker as Lin, and Tim De Zarn as Mordecai.

SCORE:The score is mainly generic horror score and a few indie tracks, but it balanced out well with the spirit of the movie.

EFFECTS:The effects were actually pretty cool. These had to have been some of the coolest digital effects I've seen. The make-up and blood effects were standard horror quality (but not bad), but the CG and other make-up effects for when you see the other monsters is really cool and does a fairly good job at putting out the scares and spreading the blood.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie was a very clever treat for horror fans. The new twist this added to the classic horror plot was not only sharp-witted, but pokes fun at the horror genre in such a satirical way that it pokes fun at even itself. The obvious and cleverly-placed allusions to other horror classics (Hellraiser, The Evil Dead, etc.) were a big treat for me as I'm sure they were for other horror fans out there. This comedy horror only had one flaw to me. The movie added all of these cool, intense moments near the end, but up until then, the movie isn't scary. The movie almost turns itself into a straight-up comedy parodying only itself. The question to me still remains: Was this made mainly for horror purposes or comedic purposes? I also appreciated how this horror movie came extremely close to breaking the fourth wall, with references to The Director and quotes such as, "We're not the only audience here." The fact that the characters in this movie have become self-aware is one of the best feelings I've ever had about a horror movie. This horror movie was definitely a treat for me that I won't forget too soon.

OVERALL,an awesome comedy horror with a brilliantly-done plot, pretty good acting, generic horror score, pretty cool CG and make-up effects, sharp wit, satirical treatment of the horror genre, a good and intense ending, and a shaking of the fourth wall, but up until the end, the movie isn't scary in any way.