Cabin in the Woods (USA, 2011) - Color, Director(s): Drew Goddard
MPAA Rating: R
[UK: 15]
Approx. 95 min.
Z-rating: 4 out of 5 stars for an absolutely FANTASTIC concept
Cheese Factor: 2 out of 5 stars for all the references and "in-jokes" that horror nerds eat up
A group of teens are away for the weekend in a cabin in the woods. Unbeknownst to them, what seems to be a government agency is orchestrating their deaths for a ritual sacrifice to appease some ancient gods. (Called "The Ancient Ones") Apparently, each country around the world is attempting to organize their own version of the ritual sacrifice but every country seems to have failed except for Japan and America. A wrench is thrown into the works when the kids start catching on to what's happening...
What is there to say about this movie? For one, I had a hard time trying to classify what kind of movie to even consider it. Supernatural? Slasher? Stoner Horror? Whatever subgenre you want to categorize it under, it's definitely worth a look if you haven't seen it yet. If only for the last 15 minutes of the film. It's absolute CHAOS!!!!!!! Maybe even the best 15 minutes in recent horror history. The problem? The rest of the film. Not that the movie was slow or hard to watch, it is just so mildly interesting compared to the better parts of the film. The first 20 minutes or so is absolute rubbish. Things start to get interesting once the cellar door opens and even then, it's just building up towards the last 15 minutes. Once they go downstairs, they choose their own method of death depending on what they pick up and play with. When you see the connection these items have with the method of death later on in the movie, that's where you start to see the references to other films show up.
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| Place your bets!! What will be killing the kids? |
As a horror geek, my biggest complaint is probably the same as everyone else. Why wasn't the last 15 minutes longer?! The movie was only 95 min. I could've watched another 30-60 minutes of monsters on a rampage. Other than that, I definitely think this movie is worth at least a watch if you like horror movies. There are a TON of references and things to notice so it's a satisfying watch for horror movie geeks.
Nudity: Not much in the nudity department for this movie. There is one scene where the blonde girl takes her shirt off and we see her topless. So do the guys in the control room! One scene is better than none!!!
Gore: Lots. Heads decapitated, blood, guts, and people torn apart. Sheer volume, but a lot of it comes from violence that's implied. So while there are a lot of remains, not too much of that violence actually happens onscreen.
Awesome: Pretty freakin awesome. Like I said, the dull parts can get pretty boring especially when compared to the best parts of the movie. However, this movie is more of the package deal. The first time watching it, you'll either love it or hate it. If you're a horror geek though, you'll probably come back to it. On repeated viewing, you catch more of the references and the dull parts become easier to sit through. You have to judge it as a whole and not by its parts. I wouldn't go as far as to call it one of the best horror movies of the year but it was fun and worth at least one watch.