THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (Trailer & Poster) (1 Viewer)

[mattCR]

The reviews have been VERY positive, some saying it's one of the more inventive horror/fun films in a while, with the words "stunning" "clever" "unique" being used a lot.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_cabin_in_the_woods/

93% positive as of this morning. It's been a long time since a horror film make me think it could be entertaining; the new previews rotate between horror and over-the-top fun. I may have to check it out

Here's some clips for their commercials

Not since Scream has a horror movie subverted the expectations that accompany the genre to such wicked effect as The Cabin in the Woods. (Variety)

Absolutely genius movie. Totally brilliant... I don't know how anyone can possibly make a horror movie again. Cabin renders all past and future examples of the genre superfluous... (Flick Philosopher)

Drew Goddard's giddily brilliant The Cabin in the Woods has a lot on its twisted mind. (Box Office Magazine)

A good mix of comedy and horror? Hmmm.

 

[Greg.K]

Sounds promising. I think I don't want to know any more about this than I already do (which isn't much).

 

[Chuck Anstey]

Looks like someone just watched The Cube and thought "Wouldn't it be great if we combined that premise with horror. Sort of like The Cube meets Resident Evil and we'll use the setting of The Cabin in the Woods".

 

[TravisR]

Sounds promising. I think I don't want to know any more about this than I already do (which isn't much).

Yeah, I saw the trailer on a movie a few weeks ago and I wish I hadn't. I'm guessing/hoping that the trailer only scratches of the movie but it still showed me more than I wanted to see.

 

[Malcolm R]

Those in the written press keep referring to this as "horror/comedy," but nothing I've seen in any of the trailers shows any comedic elements. In fact, the trailers still haven't convinced me to go see this thing. It looks like another of a thousand cheap horror flicks featuring stupid, attractive young people.

 

[KevinGress]

Those in the written press keep referring to this as "horror/comedy," but nothing I've seen in any of the trailers shows any comedic elements. In fact, the trailers still haven't convinced me to go see this thing. It looks like another of a thousand cheap horror flicks featuring stupid, attractive young people.

Given that Joss Whedon is behind this, I have no doubt that there's humor mixed in. Buffy the Vampire Slayer's 'Hush' is a prime example of how he can do something creepy and still have humor in it.
I think the reason you haven't seen humor in the trailers is to attract horror fans. Start showing humor bits might cause people to think it's more of a 'Scary Movie' type of film instead of an 'Evil Dead' type.
Plus, I think a lot of Joss' humor requires some set-up and doesn't lend itself to short snippets as well.

 

[mattCR]

So went to see it over lunch. Way better then I expected. I figured it would be light fun, etc. but I was really surprised; it moves very briskly, some good thrills and it has a zany streak that's some damn fun stuff. It's hard to really figure out how to describe this, and doing so would really ruin a lot of the fun.

But this is the best combination Horror/Comedy/Meta in a while.. there are some moments in this that -really- work. The final act is pretty zany, and some may find it exhausting or over the top, but I loved it. Saying nothing else except: it's definitely a very original take on the whole concept.

 

[TravisR]

I just saw The Cabin In The Woods and loved it. It's way more of a comedy than the trailer would have led me to believe but when a movie works, I don't care if it's funny, scary or dramatic. Good is good.
It's not really a horror movie but every horror fan should go see it. Even if they hate it, at least they supported a movie being marketed as a genre picture that isn't a remake, prequel or sequel.

 

[Malcolm R]

Well, based on all the hype and reviews, I saw this today and was pretty disappointed. After going to such lengths to try and keep the twist a secret, the filmmakers essentially give away the whole thing in the opening credit sequence. I will admit the last 15 minutes or so is pretty wild, but it didn't save the movie for me.

 

[Jeremiah]

Just saw it tonight, and have mixed feelings about it. I thought most of the movie was pretty damn good and there was quite a bit of humor. BUT

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I really didn't like when the monsters were released, the reason is I didn't like most of the monsters, I thought they were lame. I liked everything else, the bigger picture of the human sacrifice and the monsters being real.

The make out scene was hawt.

 

[Citizen87645]

I enjoyed it, but it felt a lot like a movie version of an "Angel" episode (no surprise given who is involved).


For example, I could easily see the whole facility as Wolfram and Hart's science division.

 

[Greg.K]

Well I enjoyed it quite a bit. I managed to go in with only a vague idea of the premise.
The only thing I didn't really like was that it was a bit of a cheat having

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Marty come back after being stabbed in the back.

Loved the

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

monsters running wild at the end, even if some of them were kind of lame.

 

[Malcolm R]

Well I enjoyed it quite a bit. I managed to go in with only a vague idea of the premise.
The only thing I didn't really like was that it was a bit of a cheat having

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Marty come back after being stabbed in the back.

It was a cheat, and it was plainly telegraphed once the operators started talking about the "order" of things. Right after that conversation, I said to myself:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Well, I guess that means Marty is not really dead.

Soon after, the red phone started ringing.

 

[mattCR]

Thus probably why I enjoyed it. I got the same vibe.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Well, based on all the hype and reviews, I saw this today and was pretty disappointed. After going to such lengths to try and keep the twist a secret, the filmmakers essentially give away the whole thing in the opening credit sequence. I will admit the last 15 minutes or so is pretty wild, but it didn't save the movie for me.

Maybe I missed it, but the movie kept me guessing until well past the midway point. The trailers made it seem like the twist was that the events at the cabin were being manipulated by humans in a lab somewhere. The movie didn't even try to hide that fact, opening with the puppet masters instead of the puppets. The mystery for me was why they were doing it. Was it a Satanic cult? Did this actually take place well in the future or in an alternate universe? It was only after the faux-blonde died that I started to get a good idea of what was afoot.
What I loved was the deconstructionist quality to it; the characters played by Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins were surrogates for the filmmakers, and Downstairs were essentially surrogates for the audience itself.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Man, I can't remember having such a mixed reaction to a movie in a very long time. Perhaps in my entire life.
I really, really liked the characters, the horror elements, the different twist given to the story and I thought the atmosphere was great. I thought the comedy worked a lot better than it should have, although I didn't laugh as much as many in the crowd. I thought the (original) monsters were quite effective and I thought they got the atmosphere of the "slasher in the woods" better than most actual slashers. However, in the end none of it really came together good enough for me to really like the film. I certainly respect what they went for more than I enjoyed the picture. The entire final act just became too much for me and it was pretty obvious what was going to happen. Yes, it's clever to have the tables turn but it just wasn't as entertaining as what came before it. It just seems like one of those films that keep trying to outsmart itself and became too much. The "ending" would have worked better as a complete film. Following the set-up I just didn't think it worked.

 

[Patrick Sun]

If I had seen "Hunger Games" last month, I might have thought a little higher of "Cabin in the Woods", given its meta-take on what passes for entertainment for the select masses nowadays.
The cast of would-be cabin dweller weren't fleshed out all that well, playing archetypes of the horror genre, so it wasn't so much of a film where you get invested in characters when all hell starts to break loose, so the final act come across a little sloppy without much dramatic tension as I'd hope for. There is definitely a slightly larger budget feel from the folks that worked on previous Joss Whedon TV shows, such as Angel and Dollhouse, and how it extracts an ominous tone from foreboding bodies which keep this cabin's "script" going over the passage of time.
I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.

 

[Richard Travale]

I just got back from seeing this, and I loved it! Very very Whedonesque and hints at the Buffyverse throughout.