1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- The Cabin in the Woods

#1147- The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison
Directed by: Drew Goddard


Plot Summary: Five friends take a weekend vacation to a deserted cabin in the woods. When they get there, a few of the teenagers begin to notice that some of the behavioral traits of their friends are changing and that the cabin has some sketchy qualities, including a really creepy cellar that is full of mysterious objects and artifacts. After returning from the cellar, the teenagers are stalked and attacked by the Buckners, a redneck family of zombies ready to torture whoever is in their way. Their horror only begins with the Buckners, as they slowly become aware that someone else is watching and planning all that is happening to them.


It's that time of the year again, my favorite time of the year. That's right, it's October: the one month of the year where I can watch as many horror films as I'd like and no one can judge me. October and horror movies also play a significant role in the blog, since it was the introduction of my new review format one year ago (WOW!). Last year, I tried to keep things in chronological order, but this year I thought I would scatter the decades, eras, and genres around the month to offer more of a variety of horror. To start, let's look at a modern satire of horror: The Cabin in the Woods. Let's list the qualities that made me want to see this film. 1. It stars Thor. 2. It stars a former Power Ranger. 3. It is written by the man that brought us The Avengers, Firefly, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. SIGN. ME. UP. On top of that, the film plays out as a satire of the genre and looks at the stereotypical characters of a horror film (think of it as a horror version of The Breakfast Club). With all those elements on the table, let's see why so many people have considered The Cabin in the Woods a modern horror classic.

Like most horror films (that's the point of the joke), the film follows five teenagers on a weekend vacation to a cabin in the woods. Our main heroine is Dana, played by Kristen Connolly. Dana, the "virgin" (in air quotes for more than one reason), isn't too much of a gripping main character, but she does play the horror movie victim role well, and she's a harmless character who maintains the same traits throughout the film, so she has consistency. The most enjoyable character to follow is Marty, played by Fran Kranz. Marty is the "fool," thanks to his quirky behavior and multiple discussions and uses of marijuana. Ironically, his stash of marijuana actually gives him a sound mind in all of the strange behavior in the cabin, and his one-liners are absolutely hilarious.

The other teenagers actually start off as fully functional and mature characters, and fall into their stereotypes once they get to the cabin. Holden, played by Jesse Williams, is a well-rounded, intelligent, good looking piece of eye-candy to take Dana's mind off of her failed relationship with a professor (GROSS). He's defined as the "scholar," which is basically a nice way of saying "geek," but I never got that impression with Holden if it wasn't for the fact that he wore glasses. If anything, Marty, the POT SMOKER, seemed to be a bigger voice of logic and reason than Holden was. Jules, played by Anna Hutchison (whom I know as the yellow ranger on Power Rangers Jungle Fury) is characterized as the "whore," but again, only becomes one when she gets to the cabin. Pre-cabin trip, Jules is very intelligent and a good friend to Dana, but when she loses her inhibitions at the cabin, it's her time to go (the "whore" must go first apparently). Finally, there's Curt, played by Chris Hemsworth (THOR WOO-HOO!!!!). Curt, the "athlete," is actually one of the most intelligent members in the group, including a scene where he gives Dana insightful advice on a textbook to read, but he quickly becomes a meat-headed jock. Still, it's cool to see Thor outside of Asgard for a change and he hooks up with a Power Ranger (make whatever fan fiction out of that that you'd like).

Without giving away a MAJOR plot detail, some of my favorite scenes in the film come from the characters of Gary and Steve, played by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. These guys operate as the eyes and ears of what happens at the cabin and it is fairly entertaining to see the amount of fun and enjoyment they have at the expense of the teenagers. From discussing their personal lives while all of this is going on, to taking bets on what will happen, to shouting obscenities at little Asian schoolgirls (gotta love Gary), these two guys who technically count as "bad guys" are really funny and enjoyable characters that almost steal the show.

The Cabin in the Woods joins Scream as a modern satire of the classic horror movie stereotypes we have come to know and love. The film is so self-aware of itself, that it's actually enjoyable when those stereotypes take place. Thanks to the plot, they cleverly throw the clichés at us in rapid succession with meta comedy and an ending that is REALLY OUT THERE. By the time you get to the last 30 minutes, the film has changed into something completely different and the filmmakers know it and are having tons of fun with it. There's so much of the plot that I don't dare spoil for you because it's so ridiculous and over the top that I'll let you watch it on your own to enjoy. With the exception of the jump scares and some of the creature designs, I wouldn't label the film "scary," but I will say it is a lot of fun.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In an industry where so many horror films are similar, there's The Cabin in the Woods, a film that takes what is so similar to all other horror films and makes something completely different and memorable out of it. I strongly encourage all fans of horror and Joss Whedon (even if he's "just the writer") to add this one to their collection.

The Cabin in the Woods and movie images are copyrighted by Lionsgate