JOIN USThe Cabin in the Woods
English (A)
Cast: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford
Director: Drew Goddard
With a generic title that suggests horror or adventure, The Cabin in the Woods adds some neat twists to a few cliches that have been identified with the horror genre.
Here’s the plot: Five friends head to a remote cabin by the lakeside for a weekend of fun.
Have we not seen a dozen films, in which each character meets a horrible death, as we play the guessing game as to who dies next? No, Cabin in the Woods is not a remake of the cult-classics Evil Dead or Friday the 13th.
The flick pays tribute to some of the best horror films of the last three decades, and the five characters are also archetypes, exactly the same as in the Scooby Doo animated series. You guessed it: There’s a hunk (Hemsworth), a prude (Connolly), a nerd (Williams), a whore (Hutchison) and a fool (Kranz). The fivesome meet a gas station attendent, who directs them to a cabin. Turns out there are several artefacts in the cabin, however remote it is, is under watch. Think Vacancy.
By manipulating the odours and environment of the cabin, two lab technicians, Richard (Jenkins) and Steve (Whitford) study their potential victims from an underground facility. From here, the film explores the reasons behind the cliches. Sample these: Why do our characters head to unknown getaways, where mobile phones don’t work? Why is the worst locale and moment chosen to make love? What makes them split up when they need to stay together?
The film borrows heavily from The Evil Dead, the unforgettable Hellraiser, and a family of redneck zombies from The Living Dead, sprinkled with homages to Far East horror.
The last 15 minutes is a bloodbath as well as eye candy for horror buffs as they get to see a gallery of creatures from previous horror films. The Cabin in the Woods might not be the best horror film. On a ‘scareometer’, I would give it 2 of 5 — there’s some gore, and a few surprises, but it’s the superbly crafted screenplay and a reboot that makes it worth a watch.