Before we get into proceedings I'd like to thank the University of Sussex Horror and Sci-fi society for giving me the chance to see this film.
So I may have mentioned that the tone of the last two films that I reviewed were a bit skewed in places or perhaps just a bit inconsistent. Those two films of course being Dead Alive/Braindead (1992) and Moon (2009). However, I am happy to say that for the first time in about 3-4 movie reviews I have reviewed a film that has a consistent theme, tone and structure throughout the whole movie and only challenges this status quo within the film when the story needs it to!
I didn't think such an aspect of The cabin in the woods (Directed and written by Drew Goddard and co-written by Joss Whedon) could be such a refreshing note of point after my last two film reviews but I'll take it!
Unfortunately however, this film's main strength in the form of its excellent plot twists and comedic springs and surprises, has been somewhat ruined by the exposure it has received. Combine this with the speed at which information travels on the internet in the information and social media era and by now, many people already know the plot twists and key moments that really make the film before they've seen it. I was unlucky enough to have had this same experience but I was still pleasantly surprised by the twists that the film did take and I would also recommend you do your best to go into seeing this film blind. Believe me, the movie will be all the more enjoyable for you if you do that.
Image source: https://genkinahito.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/the-cabin-in-the-woods/
However, this does not mean that we can't speak about the best aspects of the film which I feel are both the direction and writing as well as the aforementioned . The tone of this being a horror/comedy/parody film throughout is kept nice and consistent and never strays away from this sub-genre unless the story requires it. There are a couple of dramatic moments, but these are not too heavy-handed and mainly occur towards the end of the film. Even here though, the theme of the film is still consistent. Something that must go down as being credited to Goddard's direction.
This directing perhaps isn't as strong as the subversive directing style shown in Moon but it is consistent and not just in tone but also in quality throughout most of the film. Even when some actors did not seem as talented as they could be or the film faced a dip in quality, Goddard's direction shines through by limiting the adverse aspects of these kinds of things happening. For example, Chris Hemsworth's character is kept suitably idiotic to keep in line with the stereotype of meathead jocks in horror films but he isn't so stupid that his character defies normal film and human logic. In the hands of a spoof director less skilled than Goddard, I feel that Hemsworth's performance for one would be marred less by magnifying stereotypes of a genre as a spoof film should do and instead overly rely on those same tropes and themes unironically. Something that Goddard prevents reasonably well in other areas of the film including the other characters and the use of music and camera angles.
This is in turn helped greatly by a simple but well-written, well-delivered and funny script that allows the actors on all fronts to really express their acting and comedic chops. Even the actors and actresses who don't put on as good a performance such as Kristen Connolly are still able to flourish reasonably well thanks to a stable, consistent and humorous script. In an unexpected turn, the actors are able to also flourish in regards to their acting and comedic talent thanks to the gore and blood in the film not being overtly excessive. Instead the gore is used sparingly for when it is appropriate so it is shocking when it appears. This is of course excluding the last 25-30 minutes of the film wherein the story and gore goes absolutely mental. Seriously, in the 3rd act the film goes from using gore and blood in a conservative manner to displaying as much mad carnage as an Arnold Schwarzenegger film on steroids.
Image source: http://cultspark.com/2012/04/15/review-the-cabin-in-the-woods/
The major complaint I have to pay to this film was raised by my good friend Phil when we saw this movie at the latest meeting of the University of Sussex Horror & Sci-fi society. After we saw The cabin in the woods, Phil raised the point that the film would have been a more effective critique and spoof of horror and slasher films if the film had been less slick and highly-produced. We both agreed that the film being well-made and produced was to its benefit but the extent to which this was the case worked against the idea of spoofing slasher pics itself. The famous slasher films of the 1980s and 1990s where made famous primarily because of how cheesy and cheap they were made and what they did in order to offset the downsides of being made in this way. Had the film done this at least in regards to the parts of the film where the heroes are stuck in the woods being attacked, I would think it would have been a much more effective spoof. It might've helped if the scenes in the woods and the cabin were done like this while the scenes with the secret observation team were presented in a shiny and slick manner. Perhaps this kind of contrast would have created a better basis for spoofing slasher flicks but alas we may never know.
This is really the main core criticism I have of the film and I have to thank Phil for raising it but I do have a couple more minor ones to point out before wrapping up this review. As mentioned earlier, some of the acting isn't the best and while no single actor puts in a bad performance, the clearly high level of effort put into the writing, directing and camerawork feels a tad wasted at points because of this. Another gripe I have happens towards the end of the film. In this case, a character we have never seen or heard of before in any clear or significant manner shows up and explains the basis of the plot to the main hero. Not only is this a god-awful exposition dump that is delivered with about as much grace as me eating a bag of popcorn but it also tells the audience something that has already been explained at least twice by this point in the film. There are moments like this dotted throughout the film that keep it from being a irrefutable classic of spoof movies like how Dead Alive/Braindead managed to be.
Image source: https://grizzlybomb.com/2015/10/07/lionsgate-wants-a-sequel-to-the-cabin-in-the-woods-from-drew-goddard/
To bring this to a conclusion, I think that like Moon, The cabin in the woods has a good concept, is directed and written well and has a half-decent production but is either undone by some aspects being too overt, poorly-done exposition and key points in the film that bring the narrative to a grinding halt for no discernibly good reason. This isn't to say that either of these films is bad however. Like with Moon last week, I do really like The cabin in the woods and it really shows its quality in how much effort was put into it. It really is good to see a spoof movie be an actual spoof rather than just pointing out contradictions in a genre and making stale pop-culture references. If this film interests you then I recommend viewing as little information about it before getting a DVD and having yourself a humorous old jaunt through one of the best horror films or spoof films of the last 10 years.
Cinematography/camerawork: 6.5/10
Writing: 9/10
Directing: 8/10
Acting: 6.25/10
Effects: 6/10
Overall rating: 35.75/50
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