Review: The Cabin In The Woods (2011)

Cast: Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Chris Hemsworth
Director: Drew Goddard
Country: USA
Genre: Horror | Thriller
Official Trailer: Here

Editor’s Notes: For another perspective on Drew Goddard’s The Cabin In The Woods read horror critic Craig Stewart’s review.

It’s almost not fair. While I’m not alone in this, it’s not everyday a hardcore film lover can say they’ve been waiting, literally, three years for a movie to see the light of day with a straight face. It’s not every day you can tell a fellow flick-stick or even just a regular movie viewer that the reason for such a long delay IS NOT due to horrible screen tests or “unfinished special effects”.

The Cabin In The Wood is the product of a dying company’s last efforts. MGM had enough bank to produce & finish the movie…just not enough to release it properly. So it sat, waiting. Collecting dust. After excuses ran too thin (including a horrible one about a 3D post conversion), Lionsgate saved it from purgatory and it will be released nationwide, with proper marketing, in a mere day. It’s almost not fair that I had a chance to see it so early. What is fair, however, is what my brain felt after the closing credits came to its red-titled end.

The Cabin In The Wood is the product of a dying company’s last efforts. MGM had enough bank to produce & finish the movie…just not enough to release it properly. So it sat, waiting. Collecting dust.

The saying “the less you know, the better” seems to be tailor-fitted to this flick. The apparent story features a group of friends who travel to a cabin out in the middle of nowhere for a fun weekend. We’ve got Curt the jock (a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth), his girlfriend Jules (Anna Hutchison), Curt’s new brainy friend Holden (Jesse Williams), Jules’ shy pal Dana (Kristen Connolly) and her stoner friend Marty (Fran Kanz). Oh, and it also starts Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. I won’t even dare say who they play, or what they do. In fact, plot time is over folks.

If so much of the movie can’t be talked about, what could possibly be its selling point then? Rewind three years, when already-loved tv/film/geek pioneer Joss Whedon announced he was teaming up Drew Goddard (fresh off of writing Cloverfield) to make, and I quote, “the horror film to end all horror films.” When a man that has a fantastic hold on movie geek power makes an announcement that bold, you pay attention. Attention that turns out to be more than well deserved.

What Whedon & Goddard have done is beyond momentous. They took the horror genre, and instead of injecting ‘new life’ into it or whatever other phrases are used to describe something fresh, they looked at it and gave it…meaning.

What Whedon & Goddard have done is beyond momentous. They took the horror genre, and instead of injecting ‘new life’ into it or whatever other phrases are used to describe something fresh, they looked at it and gave it…meaning. They gave it a purpose; a reason why we have to be afraid of the dark or lakes or the woods or chainsaws. Then they squeezed it, patted it down to make sure it didn’t have another original idea or two up it’s sleeve. The horror genre was a monster on a cold wooden slab, and Dr. Frankenstein was a two-headed mad scientist, giving it life. Giving it purpose.

Major points are scored for having a cast of true go-getters, who provide the theatricals that move the story along in a delightfully brisk pace. Even among the worst situations, there’s humor to be found, pitch perfect and certainly resembling the kind of pronouncements that would make Whedon smile. His vibe is felt throughout, but the fact that the script was written by both (Goddard directed) made it feel leveled. Because of its sturdiness, it’s able to play into the clichés that horror fiends have grown to know & (at most times) love; yet also playing against them at the same time.

The madness balloons throughout the first two acts, and then we come to the third. The reveal. Screw balloons at this point. The script, the actors, the structure, everything this movie is made up of, leans down and just jumps in the air. It holds ever so briefly, and then it lands. The metaphorical floor’s material goes from tile to a gigantic puddle, filled with absolutely nothing but blood. The last act splashes the father of chaos onto our faces, and makes us witness the brass of what the genre is really truly made of. Literally. There are screams, struggles, fights and moments that make our inner fear pray for a quick death. I love the horror genre to death, and it brought a tear to my eye. Admittedly the final minutes of this bombast (the twist within a twist if you will) does lean a bit on the outrageous side, but the previous hour-plus is just so brilliant that the best of you will smile and say to yourself, “freaking awesome”.

An aspect I’m predicting, hoping that I’m wrong, is that when people do see this, it’ll fly over their heads, and we’ll have another on of those “ahead of its time” situations. Not that there’s nothing wrong with that; some of best movies that have ever graced our lives weren’t given it’s proper praise until much later. But this movie has already waited long enough.  I’m trying to keep the fingers contained on the keyboard as I type this, but after the delays and the rescheduling and the shelving and the resurrection, Whedon and Goddard made good on their promise.

Jaime Burchardt

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My head's been consumed the art of movies & its creation ever since I was old enough to know what the word 'consumed' meant. The only way to reduce the pressure buildup is to write, edit, and direct. Chocolate milk also helps.

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