Monday, May 7, 2012

Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods


Like many moviegoers, I went to the theatre yesterday in hopes of seeing The Avengers.  But once we got to the theatre, most of the shows were sold out, so we went to this movie instead.  My friend and I had planned on seeing it, but timing hadn’t been working out for us.  I may see The Avengers sometime this week, but we shall see.

The premise for The Cabin in the Woods follows two storylines: the main story of five friends going on holiday and the second those that are planning surprises for said holiday.  In the dual story, the kids have no idea what is being planned for them, but it is clear to the audience that something other than normal is occurring.

The five friends set out on a vacation trip to a cabin in the middle of nowhere.  As they arrive, weird things begin to occur, but as with any horror movie, no one reacts to the danger until it is too late.  Under the cabin, a network of offices, an entire company, exists.  In it, there are people who are forcing the people above into situations that make them decide their own fate.  The friends find a cellar beneath the cabin and find a series of artefacts within.  Each person is drawn to a different item, but the paranoid pothead points out that they should stop touching everything, but they don’t.  In that moment, one of the characters calls, unknowingly, a pack of zombies to attack them.

The company below continues to escalate the situation, forcing two of the group to split up and head into the forest.  Once outside, they are attacked by the zombies and one is killed.  The strange situations continue and the friends regroup in the cabin, but end up locked in their rooms.  The separation is prompted by an intervention from the company below, and as the first friend dies, a stone carving fills with blood.  There is one for each person in the cabin.

As the horror escalates, the friends die one-by-one until there is one left, the virgin, even though she is not a virgin.  Unfortunately, the zombies did not kill the paranoid pothead and he comes to her aid.  They make their way into the company through a maintenance lift and break in.  While this is occurring, the company is breaking into utter chaos as the US installation of the project is the only one near success.  A very amusing side-story in Tokyo shows a room full of 9 year olds turning a raging ghost into a frog.

The secondary story merges with the main story towards the middle part of the movie, and it is revealed that the company is forced to provide sacrifices to the older Gods.  The movie then takes a turn for the hilarious as the two friends still alive make their way through the compound and release the evil forces onto those in the company.  While the horror portion of the story can’t be highlighted, as one would expect from Joss Whedon (and a healthy dose of Whedon alums), great characters and dialogue make this wacky story come to life.

My final comment about this movie is simple – if you liked the movie Drag Me to Hell – then you will like this movie.  If that wasn’t your cup of tea, you’d best pass on this movie.  I thought it was clever and interesting and kept me guessing, though not utterly surprised when the end finally came.  I expect great things from Joss Whedon and this did not disappoint.

2 comments:

  1. Drag Me to Hell-quite good for me,but I doubt to go for this,lol :)

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  2. This is a hell of a fun movie that features twists that got better and better as the film went on. It’s crazy that horror films can be this fun and entertaining just by smart and witty writing. However, it won’t last for too long so we might as well enjoy it while Whedon and Goodard are around. Good review Hina.

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