Studio: Lionsgate

Reviewed by: Jordan C.

I have so many things to say about this movie, I don’t know where to start. Well, maybe I should mention that I’m not much of a horror fan myself. I, of course, watched the requisite horror of my childhood (Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, etc.) and classics (The Exorcist, Poltergeist, etc.) but I never got off on the scare or shock factor. However, when I heard that this film was going to be Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s love letter to ‘80s and ‘90s horror; that piqued my interest. With Whedon’s name basically setting fire to the internet right now, this film is sure to get a boost. I sure hope to hell so, because if The Avengers makes me laugh and jump out of my seat as much as Cabin In the Woods, I will be very surprised. Yes, it is that good!

I feel if I say really anything about the plot it will ruin it, so I will tiptoe around it. Let’s just say that Goddard and Whedon write great dialogue that is full of tongue-in-cheek commentary about how horror movies of the past couple decades tended to be formulaic, gratuitous, and not too concerned bout the suspension of disbelief. Of course, that’s what they loved about them and you can feel that they genuinely care about the genre. Another thing I will say is that I really dug how pro pot the movie was. The coffee mug that telescoped into a three foot-long bong was priceless!

The acting here is easy to take for granted because you’re so focused on the jokes and visuals, but kudos to the cast. If the five main actors didn’t nail the subtle variations in their characters throughout the movie, it really wouldn’t have worked and could easily have been cheesy.

Now, I enjoyed Cabin In the Woods so much that I hate to hatch this theory here, but I think any modern movie is just the sum of three other film (or novel / graphic novel) concepts from the past. Case in point, this movie is equal parts Battle Royale, Cube, and Runaways. I’m not saying that it wasn’t original, but I am saying that a lot of ideas are out there already and the best of media today seems to be a blending of divergent elements. That being said, this is the best example of horror comedy I have seen since Army of Darkness. I am telling you, go tonight, even if you don’t like horror movies.