MOVIE REVIEW: 'The Cabin in the Woods' performs excellent comedic autopsy on horror genre
Many people going to see ‘The Cabin in the Woods" will probably be expecting a rather generic horror movie where a group of teenagers meet their untimely demise while staying at a secluded cabin.
While that expectation is somewhat correct, it won’t take audiences long to realize ‘The Cabin in the Woods" is anything but generic.
"The Cabin in the Woods" isn’t really concerned with giving audiences genuine scares. There are a couple times throughout the film that will probably make viewers jump, but that’s about it. The main purpose of the movie is to offer audiences a clever, often hilarious look behind the scenes of corny teen horror films.
There are two separate stories progressing parallel to one another throughout the film.
One story follows a group of five teenagers as they head off to a cabin in the woods for a little vacation. Their vacation goes horribly wrong once they unknowingly summon evil forces that begin to take out the teenagers one-by-one.
The other story is what makes "The Cabin in the Woods" so unique. It follows Sitterson, played by Richard Jenkins, and Hadley, played by Bradley Whitford, as they go through what seems like a normal day at the office. This story is a source for much of the humor throughout the film.
Sitterson and Hadley work at a high-tech facility for a mysterious company. Early on in the film, it is revealed that their work has a direct connection to the events involving the teenagers at the cabin.
Revealing exactly how the two stories are intertwined would be doing a huge disservice to the film; people need to experience it for themselves.
The two parallel stories in "The Cabin in the Woods" allow audiences to see behind the curtain and find out why so many teen horror movies are so similar.
Ever wonder why there’s so much fog in slasher films, why people are usually killed one at a time or why people always make the awful decision to split up?
"The Cabin in the Woods" has an explanation for all of those questions and many more.
Fans of the genre will have a great time seeing all of the generic characteristics of teen horror dissected and explained. People who aren’t huge fans of horror may feel a little lost when it comes to some of the references, but they’ll be along for an insane and fun ride nonetheless.
"The Cabin in the Woods" does something most horror movies are incapable of, giving viewers a refreshing and funny perspective of a teenage vacation gone awry.
Film: The Cabin in the Woods Genre: Horror, Comedy Rating: R Score: 5 out of 5
