Superficially, The Cabin In The Woods appears to be one of the many off-season horror films that pop up throughout the year, destined for obscurity in the bargain section of some big box store. Delve a little deeper, however, and this unassuming little film proves almost custom made for cult status, albeit in the bargain section of said big box store.
The first indication that this simplistically titled flick might be something more comes during the opening scene. The classic curmudgeon character actors Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford casually converse over monitors and surveillance equipment in a sterile office about some vague event involving five unsuspecting college kids taking a trip to a, well, you get the picture. The five fun-seekers (including Thor’s Chris Hemsworth and Dollhouse alum Fran Kranz) purposely fit the formula of Jock, Slut, Nerd, Stoner and Final Girl (Virgin). On their way to the, let’s say, cottage in the forest, they encounter equally contrived cliches such as the crazy backwoods gas station attendant and the ominous tunnel which provides the only entrance or exit from their destination. What keeps these seemingly boilerplate situations and cliched, though witty and intelligent, characters from feeling stale, however, is the question behind who is pulling the strings and why.
Writers Joss Whedon (a cult hero in his own right) and first-time director Drew Goddard (a former TV writer for Lost and Buffy) balance the Truman Show style plot-within-a-plot of the kids at the creepy cabin and their puppet masters with deft hands. Like Scream, the characters are funny, likable and self-aware, but unlike Scream (and its increasingly formulaic sequels) The Cabin In The Woods has an actual explanation for the inevitable fatal lapses in judgement, rather than seemingly smart characters inexplicably reverting to formulaic stupidity just to keep the plot rolling.
Whedon and Goddard keep this high-concept meta-horror surprisingly down to earth, and more importantly, they keep it fun. The Cabin In The Woods is a horror movie for anyone who has ever been annoyed by the predictable trappings of the genre, and for those who love them. But by the end, after all hell breaks loose, The Cabin In The Woods proves anything but formulaic.
