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Thread: The Cabin In The Woods

  1. #1
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    The Cabin In The Woods

    Why is there no thread for this? Fucking see this film.

    Once I was informed that Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard co-wrote, and the latter directed, The Cabin In The Woods, I knew it was something that I would be seeing. Horror is not a genre I particularly care for, let alone look forward to a movie release of, but I was waiting for this one. Not all that long, but at least week and less than two. I’m a fan of all four shows that Whedon has worked on, and the same goes for Goddard; two of which they worked on together. It is because of this, however, that I had some high expectations for this one and I will just say that the Mutant Enemy team did not disappoint. I would also like to add that as I was watching the opening credits, I noticed the music was done by David Julyan (scored many Nolan films), which was an unexpected, delightful surprise.

    It starts with two older gentlemen talking about having to work over the weekend and being approached by a female co-worker expressing concerns that their project may not go as well as planned. I had only partially watched the TV spot on Comedy Central (or Adult Swim) before this and did not have any idea how these three people (or the facility they were working in) were connected to a group of teens going to a cabin for a weekend getaway. As they are driving through the facility on a golf cart, the shot just stops and THE CABIN IN THE WOODS pops onto the screen in big text, instantly putting a smile on my face for a reason I cannot exactly put into words.

    Cut to the apartment of two female college students who are getting ready for the weekend away. What follows is a humorous setup of the two of them, the boyfriend of one, a guy those two invited for the other girl, and then the late arrival of their stoner friend, all gathering to head up into the woods in an RV. As expected, the typical horror movie plot is falling into place, complete with a seemingly abandoned gas station on the way there and an encounter with the creepy owner of said establishment. It is going to be difficult to continue without starting to spoil the film, but I will do my best and save spoilers for comments and I will be sure to mark them.

    This film does an excellent job of combining humor, cliché, and ingenuity. It transcends the horror genre in a way that is hard to describe while still avoiding spoilers, and the only way I can think to describe it is meta horror. (Not in the same way that Scream is, however.) It simultaneously validates all of the horror movie clichés that audiences love (or hate), while telling its own, original story; one that is not only something I’ve never seen before, but one that is genuinely interesting and bigger in scope than most (if not all) horror movies I have seen. The best part is that the story is progressed in a interesting and fascinating way, slowly revealed through the dialogue of characters who are discussing things they are familiar with but we, as an audience, are not. We can either pick up clues in what they say to each other to figure out what is going on, or wait a bit and have the events unfold in the manner that was hinted toward earlier. What I’m describing here seems like normal foreshadowing, but it is particularly fulfilling to stay one step ahead of what is being shown during this film. Especially when one of the characters seems to be figuring out what is going on, leading you to identify with them specifically and root for them over everyone else. At least, that is how it happened in my case. “I’m drawing a line in the fucking sand here. Do not read aloud the Latin.”

    The only complaint I have, and this is a small complaint, is that at the end they feel the need to overtly explain everything that has happened up until that point. I feel that this is completely unnecessary because anyone who was paying attention, and has seen horror movies before, should pick up on what is happening as it happens. Making it a point to have a new character come out and outline the whole thing, piece by piece, felt like pandering to the type of horror audience that this movie is not aimed at, which would be that of a typical slasher movie. It seems to me that the only way you could see this movie that way is if you are as high as Marty is throughout most of the movie. Even that has something more to it that I will not divulge in this spoiler-free section.

    To sum it up, this may very well be the best horror movie I have seen, and I am in no way surprised that it was the Mutant Enemy team who is responsible for it. When I do like a horror movie, there is an intriguing psychological premise to it or it is absurd and not to be taken very seriously. As I said earlier, this one transcends its genre and is done so brilliantly that I want to own it right now and watch it again. I certainly recommend watching this, even if you are not a horror fan or do not handle gore very well. It isn’t overly gruesome and is absolutely worth watching if you are at all familiar the horror genre. Plus when the credits roll there is a nice treat for those of us on this forum.
    Last edited by Goldfoot; 04-14-2012 at 01:44 AM. Reason: Terrible formatting

  2. #2
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    I want to see this movie bad! I'm trying to avoid reading any reviews of it, because I heard the best way to experience this movie is the less you know about it going in, the better it will be.

    So far every review I have seen or heard has given it a positive rating, so i'm looking forward to it.

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    **************** SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS *******************

    I'm so glad I didn't know much about this movie going in.

    I'm still digesting. I was not prepared for what I just saw. It was very weird. It was pretty funny ("husband bulge" or, "I dismembered that guy with a trowel. What have you been up to?") but at the same time I struggled with the meta-ness of it all. I like a certain bit of sincerity in art - the whole concept of meta is fun for a while, but it gets tiresome when every line of dialogue is said with a broad wink at the camera or a knowing grin. Yes, yes, we know how clever you are for recognizing horror tropes.

    However the cameo from Sigourney Weaver was gold. It was a very well-kept secret, I hadn't read her name attached to the project anywhere. I disagree with it being pandering or unnecessary - I had no idea what was going on through a lot of the movie but I was hanging on every word from the guys in the lab, trying to figure out who these "ancient gods" were. I actually kind of thought they would end up being us.

    And LAST playing in the credits!!!! So perfect.

  4. #4
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    I don't know. Cloverfield was similarly hyped and it was a pile of shit. After Alien Resurrection and Serenity I'm also happy to give Joss Whedon a miss too.
    Last edited by aggroculture; 04-14-2012 at 05:54 PM.

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    Well, then the cliche attitude of not just going to see a movie and having a good time (which I'm aware 99% of the people here aren't capable of) will rob you of a pretty fun movie. Oh well, it was rad.

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    Bloody Disgusting enjoyed it, and usually I trust them about movies. Usually...

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    Quote Originally Posted by carpenoctem View Post
    Yes, yes, we know how clever you are for recognizing horror tropes.
    It's not just recognizing the tropes; they work them into the plot in a way that can be used to explain why horror movies are the way they are. Whereas a movie like Scream is "winking" at the camera, this movie is using all the clichés as a way to explain the plot. By making them Spoiler: necessary for the sacrifice they are able to explain the standard horror movie archetypes, while still allowing the characters of this movie to be their own people.

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    See this movie. Its fucking awesome.

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    I didn't have much interest in seeing this, but the reviews and word of mouth have convinced me.

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    Quote Originally Posted by theruiner View Post
    I didn't have much interest in seeing this, but the reviews and word of mouth have convinced me.
    Yeah dude, see it without reading anything about it, i mean seeing the trailer and hearing the good reviews is fine, but dont spoil it for yourself. Without really giving anything away, the first act i thought "eh, okay this is the kind of movie its going to be, fine whatever, entertaining" the second act i thought "what the fuck is going on in this movie??" by the third act i think i had a permanent smile on my face! I fucking loved it.

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    That was some good fun.

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    Just saw it without any preconceptions. Was great. If you have ears and eyes...see this damn movie.

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    Quote Originally Posted by carpenoctem View Post
    **************** SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS *******************

    However the cameo from Sigourney Weaver was gold. It was a very well-kept secret, I hadn't read her name attached to the project anywhere. I disagree with it being pandering or unnecessary - I had no idea what was going on through a lot of the movie but I was hanging on every word from the guys in the lab, trying to figure out who these "ancient gods" were. I actually kind of thought they would end up being us.

    And LAST playing in the credits!!!! So perfect.
    The problem with the Spoiler: Weaver cameo was she did exactly the same thing in 'Paul', which I might add was a steaming turd of a movie. So it kind undermined it a little bit. I did very much enjoy Cabin in the Woods though, I think it did the whole meta/post modern take on horror movies much better than Scream ever has done. I also think Fran Kranz (Marty) is going to make it big in the coming years, he was by far the star of the show and would have been a perfect fit for Shaggy in those god awful Scooby Doo movies.

    Don't go expecting anything Oscar worthy, just a really fun movie with some nice twists on standard horror fare and you'll enjoy it. I have no clue how it managed to get a 15 rating in the UK though, it was pretty bloody, my friend who went with me spent about half the movie not watching and complaining it should have been an 18 haha. Then again it's her fault for agreeing to go to a horror movie when she's not a big fan of them
    Last edited by ajp100688; 04-15-2012 at 03:51 AM.

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    Saw the movie tonight, not bad, not bad. It was a pretty nice twist on the horror genre.
    I enjoyed it and am glad I went. I wasn't as blown away as I was anticipating based on reviews and word of mouth, but I do agree if you plan on going to see it, you don't want to read reviews that spoil anything. The less you know about this movie going it, the more fun you will have.

    Alot of people are saying how original the movie feels and how they have never seen anything like it before, however...
    Spoiler: It felt alot like the movie CUBE. Actually, it's like a mix of Evil Dead and the Cube movies. For those that don't know, CUBE is a science fiction movie franchaise about a group of strangers that are drugged and put in a giant mechanical changing/spinning maze like cube, and they have to find their way out with traps in all the rooms, there are 3 movies in the series cube, cube 2 and cube zero. The 3rd movie is supposed to be a prequel of the first 2 and it shows the movie from a different prespective, that of the people (guards/workers) that are pressing buttons and making the "cube" game rn smoothly. Basically, a very similar plot to this movie. There is an outside group watching people on a camara, trying to stop them from winning and getting "heat" from their boss or manager of the whole thing when the good guys are winning.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ManBurning View Post
    Alot of people are saying how original the movie feels and how they have never seen anything like it before, however...
    Spoiler: It felt alot like the movie CUBE. Actually, it's like a mix of Evil Dead and the Cube movies. For those that don't know, CUBE is a science fiction movie franchaise about a group of strangers that are drugged and put in a giant mechanical changing/spinning maze like cube, and they have to find their way out with traps in all the rooms, there are 3 movies in the series cube, cube 2 and cube zero. The 3rd movie is supposed to be a prequel of the first 2 and it shows the movie from a different prespective, that of the people (guards/workers) that are pressing buttons and making the "cube" game rn smoothly. Basically, a very similar plot to this movie. There is an outside group watching people on a camara, trying to stop them from winning and getting "heat" from their boss or manager of the whole thing when the good guys are winning.
    I saw Cube and I wasn't impressed with it at all. I looked into the other movies in that series, but if I recall correctly, they were done my completely different people. So while they may shed light on what is going on in the first one, it isn't really what was intended to be the story of the first one. Part of Cabin did remind me of Cube, but I have never seen a horror movie that combined the scale and aspects of plot like this one did.

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    So I caved to the peer pressure, word-of-mouth raving, sneering, and an A- review in The Onion, who give every movie Bs, Cs, and Ds, and decided to give this a chance.
    It sucked.
    If calling attention to horror movie cliches is all you got, you got nothing. You couldn't care about the characters because they weren't characters. Game over. Beyond parodying the horror genre, there was nothing else here for me. I guess those two director guys represent Whedon and Goddard: two cynical sellouts who refuse to see there's more to movie-making than yet another spin on cliche.
    It reminded me of Sucker Punch how it was patronizing the viewer, attempting to teach something: the sacrifice theory is interesting, but it belongs in an academic book.

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    This blew.

    And I love Joss Whedon.

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    This was fantastic. One of the most entertaining of the year, with such tremendous depth and intelligence. It's a shame we don't get more like this.

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    I hated Cloverfield and think this might be equally annoying. Still planning to see it

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    This was great fun and money well spent. I'd actually compare it to Kevin Smith and what he did with Red State, although, much more tongue-in-cheek. It made me think the film was a love letter to the genre as much as it was a critique. No, fuck that, I wouldn't even say it was a critique/love letter to the genre. The movie was a critique/love letter to film cliches in general.


    Honestly, if you didn't have fun with this movie then you need to take off your thinking cap and shove it up your ass.

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    This plays out like a greatest hits of all that's good about the horror genre. Great fun!

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    it was a really fun movie, and weird as all hell...

    Still, I left the theater with a really uneasy feeling. It's still lingering with me... everything feels very surreal and spooky. I constantly feel like something is going to jump out at me. I've seen every horror movie out there, and it's really odd, I haven't been affected this way by a flick since I was a kid. It's really strange, because the movie itself didn't scare me very much. It seemed funnier more than anything. It wasn't until I got up to leave the theater that I was hit by this really weird feeling.

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    Saw it again a second time last night and it was so much better. The first viewing is special because there's still that element of "WHAT, WHAT AM I SEEING, WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING," and you're so overwhelmed by details that you can hardly process it. But the second time around you can catch all the little nuances and you don't have to worry so much about the plot because you already know the general idea and now you can pay more attention to how they build on it. I was much more impressed on a second viewing than I was on a first, and I definitely want to see it at least once more before it leaves theaters. Oh Joss, you loon, you've done it again.

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    I had a great time watching this. I don't agree with a previous post that says the directors are cynical, I think it's quite the opposite. This is clearly an homage to everything we enjoy about horror/thriller movies (or, more accurately, everything that makes horror movies what they are, cliches included), just in a playful manner. Really, once you get past the initial awkwardness about what you're seeing (assuming you don't know the details), I don't think you can get through this film without smiling all the time.
    Last edited by Alexandros; 05-15-2012 at 04:35 AM. Reason: Clarification

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    A Korean subtitled version leaked a few days ago and I must say this was an interesting take on the genre and immensely fun!

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    My wife and I actually watched this last night as well (there's a regular, no subtitle rip online) and we both loved it. Yeah it wasn't anything new but was a lot of fun.

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    Quote Originally Posted by october_midnight View Post
    My wife and I actually watched this last night as well (there's a regular, no subtitle rip online) and we both loved it. Yeah it wasn't anything new but was a lot of fun.
    Any way you can point me to that direction? I cannot find any proper rips anywhere. God I miss Demonoid.

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    This film needs to come out on Blu-Ray NOW. This film will more than likely end up in my annual Halloween night "traditional watch" list.

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    Quote Originally Posted by richardp View Post
    This film needs to come out on Blu-Ray NOW. This film will more than likely end up in my annual Halloween night "traditional watch" list.
    I 100% Agree! I beleive it comes out on September 24th, seems like kind of a long wait when you consider the film came out in April, usually they push DVD/BLU Rays out quicker these days. But it'll be in my collection soon enough!

    And I don't usually spend money on physical Discs these days unless the movie is REALLY good, but I thought this movie was just amazing. Hopefully I like it as much as I did the first time I watched it with a second viewing.

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    Amazon has it listed as September 18th, a week before The Avengers release. Surely not coincidental.

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