Whenever I saw previews for The Cabin in the Woods, I would shudder in a tiny bit of fear AKA I needed to go see this movie ASAP. It looked like a fairly typical horror film (which I love), but boy was I wrong. This movie was far from typical.
Five friends — Dana (Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Fran Kranz), and Holden (Jesse Williams) — take a trip to a cabin… in the woods (surprised, right?). It doesn’t take too long for the fivesome’s mini vacation to be rudely, and might I add violently, interrupted. By who (and/or what)? Why? You most definitely need to find out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.
I loved The Cabin in the Woods. It was so different from anything I’ve ever seen. I thought it was the perfect mix of horror and comedy. Yup, that’s right… it was funny (and not in a this-acting-is-so-bad kind of way). The movie subtly pokes fun at the corniness you find in some most horror films (not to the point of a spoof like Scary Movie though) and I thought it was hilarious. There would be intermittent jabs at the right moments when you’d normally be thinking to yourself: “Oh, how typical…” Nothing normal or typical about this movie though (and I mean that in the best way possible). While I’m emphasizing the movie’s humor, I don’t want to desensitize its horrifying moments (because believe me, there were quite a handful). I was very much on the edge of my seat at times, wanting to watch the movie through my fingers (I didn’t though).
I don’t want to say too much about the storyline, but I was completely thrown for a loop (from the very beginning to the absolute end). The trailers certainly don’t give any hints as to what’s really behind this movie, which I absolutely love. I mean, the movie was directed by Drew Goddard, the writer for Cloverfield (another great movie), so I shouldn’t have expected anything less. Keep ‘em coming, Goddard (apparently I’m a fan).
Acting-wise, I think everyone did great a job. Everyone played their stereotypical horror film roles to a T, whether it was the jock, the dumb blond, the virgin, the pothead, etc. The actors did well when it came time to fear for their lives, but they also did well when they needed to poke fun at their own characters in funny, not corny way. I think my favorite character was Marty, who played the stoner. He certainly provided plenty (sometimes much-needed) comic relief with his drugged up, philosophical rants.
Overall, I give The Cabin in the Woods… I’m gonna do it… 5/5 stars. This movie kept me engaged the entire time (whether it was through fear and/or laughing) and I couldn’t stop raving about it after I left the theater. This will definitely be a movie I’ll be adding to my DVD collection.
