The Cabin in the Woods (Drew Goddard, 2012) Review

And now it's finally Halloween. Thank God. The pressure of getting reviews out this month with major internet issues sure was a wild ride but it's all over now. Anyway, for Halloween I decided to take a look at my new Halloween tradition and what I see as a the latest classic for the holiday: The Cabin in the Woods. Seems fitting after looking at The Evil Dead but how this film celebrate Halloween so well? Let's find out!

As you might expect, five teenagers go to a secluded cabin in the woods for vacation. While chilling out, they discover that the basement is filled to the brim with ancient artifacts and they begin to mess around with them. One of them finds and reads out the book of the dead, making an undead family rise and attack them one by one. It's not a typical horror film as we switch between the cabin and a group of scientists who appear to be monitoring the whole event from afar for a dark purpose. The cabin group have to fend off the dead and figure out just what the hell is going on.

The Cabin in the Woods is a love letter to the entire horror genre. It's actually very hard to talk about this film without giving things away. There is a lot to this film and there are many twists that turn the whole genre on its head. The main strengths derive from just how much it is apparent that the writers care about the genre. Poking fun at the flat and cliche characters by bringing the more developed characters down to that level once they enter the cabin (one of my biggest gripes with The Evil Dead ironically) as well as just being a gargantuan mash up of all the great horror tropes. It's really hard to say why without giving it away but, trust me, it's filled with them. It's almost a game of guessing what thing comes from which film.

Looking at this film in a technical sense is also great. The actors do a great job of portraying the cliche characters that we saw in the likes of The Evil Dead while also giving them a bit more depth in a way that it's obvious that they have been affected by the cabin. It's interesting and the cast are wonderful. Chris Hemsworth needs no introduction since he's the jock...bascially Thor but the rest are not to be ignored. Fran Kranz and Kristen Connolly are probably the best of the cabin group but the real acting strengths come from Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford who portray the main overseers of the cabin. They are a fantastic duo and bring most of the best moments of the film. They easily play the best characters in the film.

If you're looking for the ultimate good time and Halloweeny fun fest, then look no further than The Cabin in the Woods. This film celebrates and yet still mocks what is so ingrained about the horror movie genre. It has a good sense of humour yet still has its fair share of horrific moments. The cast is great and do a good job of mimicking the tired and dull characters of the genre. The climax an absolute blast. Do yourself a favour and watch it  ASAP. Now that the month is over, I can finally review all the flashy new films I saw over the month! CATCH UP TIME!

Verdict:
9/10
A genius celebration of the horror movie genre. Sure to be a Halloween classic!