The Cabin in the Woods: A Newfound Classic That Shreds the Classics

Let me start off by talking about Joss Whedon’s sheer talent as a writer/director. He made Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Serenity, he helped to write the screenplay for Toy Story, he was involved in the Alien quadrilogy, and he wrote and directed The Avengers. So many of my favorite things (Angel I could’ve done without). The Cabin in the Woods is another example of a movie that he worked on that’s awesome. However, whether or not you’re a big fan of Joss, The Cabin in the Woods rules, and I’ll tell you why.

First, it’s hilarious. I’m a huge fan of horror-comedy: Drag Me to Hell, Slither, Army of Darkness, stuff like that. So The Cabin in the Woods was right up my alley: it takes all the “cabin in the woods”- type movies (think Evil Dead) and amasses the stereotypes into one story in a creatively smart way. Horror fans will get a kick out of seeing all the usual parts of a story involving a cabin in the woods: the weird guy at the decrepit gas station, the relative you never see who owns a creepy cabin in a remote part of the woods for no reason, and a bunch of odd crap in the basement that everybody touches even though it’s giving off a weird vibe. It’s clever and very well done.

Second, the cast is fantastic. You know a movie will be great when Chris Hemsworth, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, AND Sigourney Weaver are all in one place. And their characters are great: a lot of the characters, especially the ones who head to the cabin in the woods, are bits of stereotypes with clever twists and smart personality traits thrown in. Marty (Fran Kanz) is my personal favorite, but they’re all great.

Finally, the twists! This isn’t your average cabin in the woods movie: it’s got a great story behind it with some surprises that make for some great left turns. It’s an original storyline and one of the best horror movies I’ve seen recently. I can’t say enough good things about this movie (obviously).  It takes everything we horror fans love about our cabin in the woods movies and amplifies them to volume eleven. If you haven’t seen this movie, I strongly recommend that you remedy that right now and watch it immediately. And if you have, break it out for your Halloween horror movie month-long marathon. It’s worth more than one watch.