The Cabin in the Woods is an intense psychological thriller. It can also be categorized as a gory horror movie, a mystery movie, and even a bit of a comedy. It is so unique in its premise and the way it is written and it's setup is perfect. The audience will be thrilled with pretty much everything about the film. It is truly one of a kind.
So, the plot revolves around five friends: Dana (Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Fran Kranz), and Holden (Jesse Williams) who are all going on vacation to Curt's cousin's isolated cabin out in the woods. In the beginning of the film, we are also introduced to Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford), two men that appear to be leaders of some organization conducting some sort of experiment or ritual on other people that are selected by machine. We as the audience don't know what they're doing or why they're doing it and I'm not giving that away, but the organization is full of a lot of people that are in on this experiment/ritual. Unfortunately for the five friends, they have been selected to be a part of this. Unaware that the cabin they're going to is in a computer generated area, they go there and weird crap starts to happen after Dana finds a diary in the cellar and zombies attack them. Sitterson and Hadley manipulate the environment to see to it that the experiment/ritual is carried out correctly. That is all I will say. Oh, other countries participate in this too.
The movie was very well-written; the plot is full of mystery, intrigue, suspense, and surprises at every turn. For the first half of the film, we flash back between what's going on with the five friends at the cabin, and what Sitterson and Hadley are doing to manipulate the environment. During this time period, the audience is drawn in because of the mystery. Why are they doing this to the five friends? What will happen to them? It just gets so weird. The people at the organization even bet on what type of monster gets unleashed by the five friends. But why? What the hell is the point of all this? That's why it's so good! Plus, being attacked by zombies creates a lot of thrill to keep the audience drawn in. Two of the characters are attacked in the woods, and another one is pulled from his room through the window. These and additional zombie attack scenes were just so damn exhilarating! So it's suspenseful and it raises so many questions. Now, i know what you're thinking: zombies are so cliche. I too was asking myself, how could they possibly make this plot especially unique to the point where I am just shocked beyond belief? I got what I wished for. Eventually, the two surviving characters take an elevator down into the heart of the organization and we are introduced to a slew of creepy ass disgusting, horrifying, and disturbing creatures and monsters. Remember how I said the five friends were able to pick which monsters get released to go after them? Well these are all the possible choices they had! The story is so twisted and so unique by the end that I was beyond satisfied.
The special effects were amazing! I gotta be honest, the lighting was a bit off during some of the zombie attack scenes so it was hard to see what was happening, but the blood and gore was there. The best part of the movie for special effects is when "army of nightmares" (all the different monsters) are released and it just becomes a freaking bloodbath. I'm not saying how or why they get released though! So, there is certainly enough blood spattering and limb tearing to satisfy any horror buff thirsty for this type of stuff. In addition, the different creatures were designed beautifully! The ideas for some of the specific creatures were quite original! Of course you have your unoriginal ones like the werewolf, but then you have new ones like the Merman (Male mermaid). You will see why I like the merman so much later in the movie; there is an especially funny scene with this creature. But really, I am so fascinated by all the different monsters that were thought up of and created. Fantastic job!
The setting was very well-done. It is very creepy and unsettling. A dark cabin isolated in the dense, lonely woods. It does a great job of setting the mood. I got an uneasy feeling just looking at the thing. Despite how small it looks on the outside, it is actually quite spacious on the inside, big enough for each person to have their own room. This allowed for weird and scary things to happen to individual characters at specific times. And then the area where the monsters are unleashed and the bloodbath occurs was well-done as well. It was cool how the creatures were all in their own cubicles and released by the opening of elevator doors. Great job making the environment visually stimulating!
The acting was great and the characters were very well-done. Dana is really the hero kind of. Connolly does a great job of playing her role, she gives Dana a lot of personality and passes her off as being brave, smart, and enduring. She gives Dana a lot of heart and she is a very likable character because of that. My next favorite character was Marty. Now this guy is high from something he has been smoking the whole time. Kranz does a good job acting like he was out of it and actually, because he is high, he is somehow immune to the pheromones that Sitterson and Hadley use to manipulate the characters so he kind of figures out that something is going on. In the end, Dana is the only one who ends up believing him. He was a very funny character. As for Curt and Jules, they had been effected by pheromones from the organization: Jules was supposed to act like a slut basically and Curt was supposed to act like a macho man. Hemsworth and Hutchison do a nice job of filling these roles as well. Williams also gives Holden emotion as he starts to become attracted to Dana and it is clear that there is chemistry between them when they are alone (do they end up together?) Plus, all the characters conveyed proper emotions in specific situations through facial expressions, physical reactions, and tone of voice. Excellent job to the cast!!!
So why is this film so unique? To summarize, it's premise is original. Although we've all seen movies where unfortunate victims are forced to play games or participate in rituals, this film takes it to a whole new level. Other countries do it, and there's a large mass of people who relish enjoyment watching it ensue. Plus, I personally can't remember another film where monsters are used to manipulate and control the subjects like they are in this film. The purpose of the ritual is also unique, but I'm not giving that away. It is different because of its writing: The script and the story come together to make it a perfect blend of horror, mystery, suspense, and comedy. At different times in the movie, I was mystified and asking questions, very disturbed, and laughing loud. When a movie can generate those three reactions together, you know it has done a great job. The movie's special effects and the creative value of the creatures also set it apart. The Cabin in the Woods just truly is its own special kind of movie in every single way you can possibly think of.
By the way, who wouldn't want to watch a movie where one of the characters says, "Sorry for letting you get attacked by a werewolf and ending the world." What is the meaning behind that quote? Watch the movie and find out. BUY THIS ONE. DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO OWN THIS MOVIE!! IT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE FILMS OF ALL TIME.
BaD BiRdS: 4.5/5- SENSATIONAL PIECE OF WORK!
~MJ Aufiero
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