Today’s quick review: The Cabin in the Woods. For five college students (Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Jesse Williams, and Fran Kranz), a weekend in the woods turns into a nightmare when they accidentally resurrect a family of zombie cultists. But there’s more to their struggle than they realize. From within an underground control room, a team of technicians manipulates the environment to ensure the campers’ deaths.
The Cabin in the Woods is a horror movie with comedy elements. The movie turns the horror genre on its head by positing an architect for the usual string of grisly murders: a group of white-collar workers who use advanced technology to make sure the killings are a success. The addition of the technicians introduces a surreal element to the movie, allows it to explicitly toy with genre conventions, and gives it a steady source of black humor.
That extra layer of comedy and self-awareness makes The Cabin in the Woods a unique watch. The characters are deliberately stereotypical, but written well enough to stand on their own. The scares are genuine. Some of them are offset by the film’s dark comedy, but there’s enough in the way of actual horror to ground out the meta elements of the plot. The story itself serves as a fascinating peek behind the scenes of a familiar genre.
The downside is that The Cabin in the Woods ends up being something of a chimera. The meta elements push the movie in the direction of a sci-fi comedy, but the campers’ struggles pull it back to its roots as a horror film. The two sides to the movie undercut each other constantly, producing the film’s best moments but keeping either side from reaching its full potential. The result is an odd film that’s more intellectually than emotionally satisfying.
The Cabin in the Woods is a solid pick for anyone interested in something more than the typical horror movie. Due to its hybrid nature, the ideal viewer must both appreciate the horror genre and not be attached to it too deeply. Those watching for the meta elements have to be able to stomach some gore, while those watching for the horror have to be flexible enough to roll with the movie’s jabs. Sensitive viewers and horror purists should steer clear.
For a more family-friendly take on the genre, try Scooby-Doo. For a similarly meta take on the whodunit genre, try Murder by Death. For a pure comedy that explores similar ideas, try The Truman Show.
7.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it the same for clever ideas and solid execution, hurt somewhat by its fusion of genres.