Quaint abandoned property... sold.
Rating: 8/10
Running Time: 95 minutes
US Certificate: R UK Certificate: 15
On DVD
Look past the generic horror-slasher title and you’ll find a unique modern twist that makes The Cabin in the Woods a very satisfying watch indeed. This is especially important in the days when the ‘some twenty-somethings get lost in a forest and find assorted nutjobs/supernatural nasties that want to gruesomely maim them’ movies are being churned out by the dozen. Go to any film festival and you’ll find at least ten of them – probably because all you need is a camera and a few pretty people that can cry well.
So, the five people that go to the said creepy looking cabin in the woods are the jock (Hemsworth), the slutty girl (Connolly), the intelligent guy (Williams), the stoner (Kranz) and the kooky girl who’s a lot more attactive than she’s made out to be (Hutchinson). The group start acting strangely and then split up and some go wandering off into the woods. All formulaic so far. This is until we find out that a shadowy hi-tech organisation is behind things – but why?
As well as being a bit different, Drew Goddard has not been afraid to mix action, horror staples and dark comedy. It really is quite amusing at times with its satircal swipe at the modern horror movie, and the scenes including Sitterson (Jenkins) and Hadley (Whitford), the two shady scientists having fun with the group, easily stand out. The way the storyline spirals out of control into ridiculousness is also surprisingly pleasing and in doing so gets rid of the ‘happy ending/sad ending?’ dilemma.
I suppose, the downside is that you don’t really care enough about any of the characters to see if they live or die past the first twenty minutes but this isn’t really about them anyway. It’s also a film that best if you know nothing about it beforehand. Sorry.
It's Got: Good satire, two very funny characters (the scientists), a nice twist on the genre
It Needs: No prior knowledge
DVD Extras A fast and furious Goddard/Weddon commentary, a couple standard making of featurettes, a trailer and a Q and A session with the makers - not a bad little package DVD Extras Rating: 7/10
Summary
A satirical take on the modern horror film that will save this from the bargain and make you laugh.