The Cabin in the Woods Review: Nothing New, But an Homage to Cult Classics

Clichés and stereotypes have quickly become one of the most overused gimmicks in the world of cinema, especially when referring to the horror genre. Scary movies, as of late, have become almost too predictable, choosing to rely on classic tropes instead of inventing new ways to up the scare factor. From the traditional “group of teenagers in the middle of nowhere with a psycho killer on the loose” to the controversial “those engaging in sexual activity in one scene will ultimately die in the next,” everything is repetitive.

But what if there was a reason for this routine of murder and mayhem, one that went beyond our understanding? That’s what director Drew Goddard and producer Josh Whedon, of “Avengers” fame, aimed to answer with their cult classic take on the horror genre, “The Cabin in the Woods.”

The movie takes on the basic setup: five college students travel out into the middle of the woods to visit one of their cousin’s cabins for the weekend, where they are then hunted and killed by a family of hillbilly zombies. However, there is a twist. Unbeknownst to the victims, they are being monitored by a facility directly underground who are also controlling and influencing the teens every move. This is done to complete a yearly ritual in which people, all meeting certain classic horror movie tropes, must be sacrificed to please the “Ancient Ones,” giant gods who live in the center of the earth. If these sacrifices are not met, the gods will awaken and destroy the world as we know it.

“The Cabin in the Woods” is actually a metaphor for the horror genre itself, both making fun of it and paying homage to it. Several of the details hidden throughout the movie are actually Easter eggs referring to other classic horror movies, such as the “Evil Dead” series, “Night of the Living Dead,” and familiar movie monsters like the werewolf and the mummy. The five college students are each made to portray certain horror movie archetypes: “the virgin,” “the whore,” “the scholar,” “the athlete,” and “the fool.” The workers of the facility represent film directors, and the “Ancient Ones” represent the movie audience itself, who have the power to determine whether a movie will be successful or not.

What makes this movie interesting and enjoyable is the humorous way in which they add commentary to the classic horror clichés that people are used to. The facility sets up everything in such a way that the five students are almost always unaware that they are following classic horror movie format. Such as getting them to believe that one of their cousins owns a cabin in the middle of nowhere and having one girl dye her hair blond to fit the “whore” stereotype. Actor Franz Kranz’s character Marty, representing “the fool,” is aware of the suspicious activity going on and tries, unsuccessfully, to get his friends to realize that they are being setup. Dana, played by actress Kristen Connolly, is given the role of “the virgin,” making her death optional.

The one complaint to be had about this movie is that the horror factor isn’t as high as it could have been. Choosing to focus more on the “things aren’t always what they seem” angle, the movie turns into more of a horror comedy, something that wasn’t exactly portrayed during its advertisement campaign run. There are a few jump scares here and there, but everything else is sort of predictable. Although, that’s to be expected from a movie that’s purpose is to provide commentary on the current state of the horror genre. In fact, this could be the directors’ way of stating that in order to create good horror movies, ideas need to be more original.