Movie Review: "Cabin in the Woods"

Today, I saw the midnight showing of "cabin in the woods." I've heard very, very little about it. In fact, the only real things I've seen are the poster, with the weird cabin, and a very positive recommendation from I believe AICN. However, I didn't read anything about the plot, all I remember was that it's a movie worth seeing without spoilers. So, I was actually quite excited to see it today. I went with one of my best friends, and wasn't quite sure what to expect. It was billed as a horror film, so I expected a quality horror film.

Instead, what we got was something very different. It almost felt like an extended episode of "The Twilight Zone." It started off like a typical horror story. Some teenage high schoolers decide to go to the titular cabin in the woods, for a fun weekend of drinking, sex, and relaxation. Along the way, they run out of gas, and encounter a cliche creepy dude at a train station warning the of upcoming doom at the aforementioned cabin. When I saw the creepy dude, I was thinking to myself that it's so lame that they had a character like that in there. But we knew from the start that something else was up, because the movie began with some office workers, and while the kids are enroute to the cabin, we see them planning something for them.

Once they get to the cabin, there's typical horror stuff. The kids having fun, and then some creepy stuff in a basement. The pothead was the best character, because he sort of embodied the notions of illogicality in horror films. Like when the basement door randomly opened, and one guy said it must've been the wind, he asked how that makes any sense at all. We then get zombies and some grisly deaths, but it never felt to me like it was meant to be truly scary, because we knew it was all part of some planned thing back at that office center.

As the movie progresses, we realize there's a bigger meaning behind this. Those workers are doing this stuff for a specific reason, and the kids chosen the way they would die, unbeknownst to them. So, we got zombies, instead of mermen. Long story short, they eventually dwindle down to two survivors, and discover that it's all a game. They end up seeing all the potential horrors, including mermen, little girls with teeth faces, werewolves, etc. Then, near the end, they reveal that the entire cabin thing is a ritual sacrifice, albeit more elaborate that rituals of old. They were done to please the "ancient ones," who if not pleased, would destroy the world. Other countries miserably failed, like Japan with its school kids singing away an evil demon girl reminiscent of someone from "The Ring" or something.

The best part of this film is that it pokes fun at the horror genre, and created a very inventive story that keeps you invested and guessing until the end. I didn't really care about any of the characters, but the plot was intriguing. It is likely a one-time film, but a very well-made one. It's not being billed right as being called horror, though. It's more like a non-defined genre, just like "Twilight Zone." Definitely a film worth seeing without any spoilers whatsoever.