The Cabin in the Woods is a great bit of genre challenging, meta-critical, horror comedy. Cabin smartly dissects contemporary horror films and its consumers–all within a quirky Joss Whedon world.
Cabin is somewhat difficult to discuss because the twists are pretty critical to the film. I will do my best to avoid spoilers of any kind, but be forewarned that I will unpack the film some to provide my perspective. Nonetheless, all efforts will be made to salvage the experience for those who have yet to consume it.
Cabin is a deceptively simple story of a group of five friends heading off to an old cabin. What is in store for the crew is both infinitely predictable and original.
In some ways, Hor-Com is one of the more interesting sub-genres of film. It takes a true artistic eye to balance humor and fear. But, when the two are well-intermingled the result is rather entertaining. As anyone who has had the pleasure of hearing me squeal into laughter on anything even remotely bordering on a thrill ride will know; I think the two go hand in hand.
Cabin fits within the sub-sub-genre of self-critical Hor-Com (now that is meta). While not my favorite (see Dead Alive) Cabin is really successful at getting you from squeal to laughter. Cabin is somewhat unique because rather than eviscerating only a certain genre (Scream – Slashers or Shaun of the Dead – Zombies) it takes on the entirety of contemporary horror.
Too much ink has been spilled attacking (or defending) the re-emergence of torture porn and other forms of extreme horror that it is unnecessary to engage in that exercise. Using celluloid as the instrument is far more effective at illustrating both the banality of its ubiquity and its redundant themes and tropes. Cabin takes on the task and succeeds.
Cabin reduces contemporary horror to its base elements and illustrates the interchangeability of the figures. Take your five traditional character types, add in nightmarish creature(s), establish eerie location and mood, a healthy dose of inexplicably sadistic torture for tortures sake, and mix gently. Cabin slices and dices these elements and lays bare the inner workings of the genre.
But more than simply highlighting the elements in a clever manner, Cabin also bashes the viewers who demand it. These elements become necessary to appease viewers who are only interested in ratcheting up the gore and living through revenge fantasies.
The point is that horror films can be more. They can be potent political instruments (see Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Night of the Living Dead). Horror can also be entirely psychological and more subtly explore the human condition. Some original Twilight Zone episodes are supremely haunting and contain no gore whatsoever.
Cabin also attacks the stupidity of most victims in horror films. The justification for such bad moves as splitting up or having sex out in the woods is pretty ripe.
Some of the best stuff in Cabin is actually in the interactions between office workers Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford). Their dialogue is sharp and they riff off of one another perfectly. All the office humor intermingled with the horror of the situation is pretty poetic. Especially funny was their Mordecai (Tim De Zarn) speaker phone gag; the timing was perfect.
The collaboration between Whedon and Drew Goddard worked well. They did a great job of constructing this alternative reality. Whedon fans will see his touch in almost every scene. The film retains the campy acting that often dominates Whedon products like Buffy. His touch is most evident in Marty (Fran Kranz), an over the top pot head.
Cabin is a gem of a film. Yes, it is campy. Yes, it is loaded with Whedon references. But it is also smart, a great critique, witty, scary enough, and interesting. I have an overactive imagination, so I often take horror films home with me; in the rush to get in the house and lock the door kind of way. I took Cabin home with me too, but more to mull it over. To think about all the inside jokes and place them. To ponder its various critiques. It also left me fascinated with the history and development of horror films. Cabin made me as engrossed in the genre as when I was first taught to appreciate it.
PARSI VERDICT: A killer film that is a cut above.
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