Review of The Cabin in the Woods (2012) by Jonathon R — 24 May 2016

When it comes to quality, the horror genre is a bit of a mixed bag of treats, and most of the time the treats are poisonous and the bag is on fire. The Cabin in the Woods, directed by Drew Goddard and written by Goddard and Joss Whedon, is a horror comedy film that came out in 2012. You may remember 2012 as the event horizon of lo-fi found-footage horror movies, where you could quite happily pay fifteen dollars to see the same movie during Halloween that you had seen for the last three years in a row. Horror was not in a good way. The Cabin in the Woods drew attention to this, and was one of the greatest films in years.

The film begins with a typical horror setting; a group of typical college students are vacationing in a secluded cabin in the woods and are promptly disturbed by supernatural beings. The film quickly becomes self aware, though, and exaggerates many ridiculous horror movie tropes. It also appears as though there is something larger going on, as if somebody is watching the teens be terrorised for some sort of sick pleasure.

The horror and comedy balance out nicely, as the script dances between the two themes, serving them both well. The film moves quickly and never becomes too bogged down in being too serious, but is still engaging and forces the plot onwards. Further into the movie more layers of satire begin to unfold that look at how horror movies are not only made, but how and why they are watched, too. A lot of the satire comes from how formulaic and uninspired horror movies have become over the years, and yet The Cabin in the Woods is so unique in its approach to horror.

The Cabin in the Woods holds a mirror against the horror genre and makes fun of a lot of its shortcomings. It is quite fantastic that a film essentially mocking the poor quality of recent horror movies can be such an improvement over those films, and is a sharp and expertly crafted film in its own right.