The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods has had more praise heaped upon it by mainstream critics than pretty much any horror film in the new millennium. Yet most of that praise is earned in the final twenty minutes of the movie - which is likely the best final twenty minutes of any post-modern horror film in history. What comes before is a whole lotta set-up and genre clichés designed to be upended by Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and Drew Goddard’s clever script. They’re necessary, but a bit of a slog to sit through. However in this case, patience is its own reward.

Headed to an isolated cabin for a weekend of beer, sex and debauchery, four college students unwittingly awaken a family of zombies who proceed to do what zombies do best. If you want to go into Cabin “spoiler-free” then stop reading right now. (pause). Ok, for everyone else, we quickly realize that our victims are being “controlled” by a small army of government workers prodding these sacrifices towards their predetermined fate. Everything is going swimmingly until the veil is lifted and two survivors begin to suspect that they’ve been manipulated. That’s when all hell break loose, literally.

Cabin is the sort of movie you can only be “surprised” by once. But it actually becomes more enjoyable upon repeat viewings as you pick up on details missed the first time around. That and getting a second chance to appreciate the brilliantly underplayed performances of Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford as the jaded control jockeys who’ve become immune to the terror playing out on their video screens. And therein lies the secret to Cabin’s success: it operates as both a classic creature feature and an ingenious critique at the same time. The Blu-ray includes a DVD, digital copy plus commentary and several featurettes.