Stream & Scream: A Look at “The Cabin in the Woods” (WARNING - review contains spoilers)
I initially planned on starting my annual Halloween review series with the first edition of October. But, since I really love the spooky season so much, I wanted to work on a review for this edition and for the Sept. 30 edition before I go full steam ahead with the series. Make sure to keep on checking my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook to see what I have planned for this series. I already have some things already planned and will include a few selections from the Dietrich Theater’s upcoming Spooky Fest once the line-up is available!
So, to get things started for this series, I took a look at the 2012 horror movie “The Cabin in the Woods.” And, just in case you missed it in the headline, this review will contain spoilers!
When five college friends arrive at a remote forest cabin for a little vacation, little do they expect the horrors that await them. One by one, the youths fall victim to backwoods zombies, but there is another factor at play.
Two technicians are manipulating the ghoulish goings-on, but even as the body count rises, there is yet more at work than meets the eye.
The 2012 movie “The Cabin in the Woods” definitely divided audiences when it was finally released after being delayed for a few years. While some audiences didn’t really enjoy it, I always have a great time every time I watch this movie. Everything in this horror movie is both fun and scary, especially with how the movie actually pokes fun at the common cliches - like the “let’s split up” mentality, the stereotypical character stereotypes (the athlete, the stoner, etc.) and why horror victims always make terrible decisions.
One of my favorite things about this movie is how it shows why these typical horror tropes exist by framing them as mandatory steps in an underground ritual to appease “the ancient ones.” There’s also a dual perspective - the terrified college friends with the nonchalant facility technicians (played by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford - some of their banter can be really humorous) making office bets for pretty much everything -
which also adds a layer of workplace comedy to the horror.
The third act of “The Cabin in the Woods” is probably the best part of this entire movie. During the final act, we see a couple of the characters find a way into the underground facility that the previously mentioned technicians are at. There’s an insane moment where one of them releases every captured horror creature imaginable (including someone that looks like they just came out of “Hellraiser”) all at once and delivers a very chaotic sequence.
“The Cabin in the Woods” also delivers some very stand-out moments, such as the motorcycle invisible forcefield (where Curt tries to jump across a canyon and slams into the forcefield - showing the others how trapped they actually are), the hilarious meta moment where someone is about the read a Latin phrase from a book they found in a creepy cellar and that prompts a character to say “Do not read the Latin” (never a good thing), and, of course, the entire final act.
This 2012 horror movie received highly positive critical acclaim and commercial success upon its release, ultimately becoming a modern cult classic. “The Cabin in the Woods” is widely celebrated for its meta-commentary, sharp humor and clever subversion of traditional horror movie tropes.
MPA: Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity (runtime 95 minutes)
Initial release date: April 13, 2012
Streaming: HBO Max/various PVOD platforms (as of working on this review)
The thermal coffee mug/bong was a fully functional mug and bong as portrayed in the film, the prototype of which cost $5000 to make.
Much of Drew Goddard's inspiration for this movie came from his own upbringing in Los Alamos, New Mexico, a place filled with scientists and co-workers all going about their business and living seemingly routine and ordinary lives even though they were building nuclear weapons that could potentially destroy the entire world. He talks about this in DVD special features interviews and commentary.
During production, MGM saw the dailies of a scene where Chris Hemsworth instructs his friends. On the basis of his performance, they signed him on for Red Dawn (2012). Two days later, Hemsworth was also chosen to play the lead in Thor (2011). Both Red Dawn and The Cabin in the Woods would eventually be delayed for several years when MGM went bankrupt, and were finally released a year after Thor.
Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard wrote the script in just 3 days.
One of the Buckner characters tilts his head to the side, much like how Michael Myers tilts his head in every Halloween movie.
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