Film Review #3

This horror film offers more than meets the eye

               The Cabin in the Woods left me amused and surprised.  Based on random hearsay from my friends I was expecting a horror movie that was so incredibly bad it unintentionally earns the label comedy. Thankfully that didn’t happen. Although I’m not quite sure what genre this movie belongs in. Fantasy-thriller, perhaps? The film was directed by acclaimed screenwriter Drew Goddard. The key actors are Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth , Fran Kranz, Anna Hutchison, and Jesse Williams.

                The plot of the film starts off like any run of the mill horror movie would but quickly transforms into something much better. Five close friends decide to holiday at a relative’s cabin that’s situated in the isolated woods. Unbeknownst to them, their every move is being followed and manipulated by a collection of highly sophisticated ‘technicians’.  After an hour into the film the manipulation backfires big time! Two of the survivors manage to infiltrate the facility that the technicians are working in. Through pure happenstance the survivors find out that they are a part of a ‘ritual’ that is meant to placate the Ancient Ones and prevent an armageddon. In the end, one of the characters has to decide whether to kill himself or wait to die as the world will surely be destroyed.

                Every actor played their role as best they could. The horror genre doesn’t generally allow time for the victims to convey their exterior or interior lives. Usually the murdering psychopath, demon, ghost, etc. gets the majority of the attention. With that said, the zombie family living in the cabin during 1902 had more backstory than the main actors. Moreover, each character was meant to portray a certain archetype: the whore, the athlete, the scholar, the fool, and the virgin. Going into the roles the actors knew they were going to be portraying stereotypes. Were my expectations fulfilled? I’d vote yes.

Archetype Central

                During the cabin scenes the director definitely used the absence of light to create an intense atmosphere. A lot of classic camera techniques were also used. From looking in my Master Shots textbook I see very similar techniques that were used in the film. Some of them are out of the shadows, the unseen, steps to suspense, fearing a place, shielding the attacker, and window of fear (C. Kenworthy, 2009). The music was crucial during certain scenes as well. Those quick slasher and surprise movements are not as effective without music- not to mention the right tone. To be honest, there was never a truly startling moment. Half the time the characters were making jokes. The ending of the film is great example.

Personally, I would recommend this film to people. My selling point would be that it goes beyond the horror genre. The film offers more than just fear, screaming, and running. It has comedy, countless monsters, mild drama, and an interesting plot (at least once the victims leave the woods). As well, I thought it was very cool how the film ‘tipped its hat’ to a variety of horror movies from the past. The director doesn’t copy any certain style but he certainly finds a way incorporate countless monsters- and in quick fashion too!

7.5 out of 10