There is a distinct difference between mimicking and deriving content from other films. The Cabin in the Woods toes this line with merciless glee as writers Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard borrow aesthetics and humorous spirit from directors like Sam Raimi as well as toying with the audience’s expectations of the film. The best thing about The Cabin in the Woods is the plot, which is why there are going to be as few spoilers as possible. At its heart, though, this film honors all of the typical horror traditions and archetypical characters... and then turns them into something new.
“We set out to make a fun audience movie — the type of movie where you’re laughing as much as you’re screaming,” Goddard said in a recent interview with North by Northwestern. This mixture of emotions works perfectly and allows the audience to be consistently surprised.
Cabin's protagonists include Chris Hemsworth (of big bulky Thor fame), Anna Hutchison, Kristen Connolly (Guiding Light, As the World Turns), Jesse Williams (TV's Grey's Anatomy) and the ridiculously-named Fran Kranz (TV's Dollhouse). Their efforts lead to one of the stranger, more glorious horror experiences in recent years.
The film's premise seems simple enough: a group of college students (each fitting an obvious stereotype) ditch town for a weekend of debaucherous shenanigans in a countryside cabin. The combination of these characters in a horror setting is something familiar to audiences and allows viewers to think that they know what will happen.
Richard Jenkins (The Visitor, HBO's Six Feet Under) and Bradley Whitford (TV's The West Wing) play periphery roles as scientists, providing moments of blissful dry wit. It is a joy to watch these veteran actors buy into the concept of this movie and run with it to all of its obscenely ridiculous degrees.
“When I said ok that’s a wrap on Jenkins, I just started crying,” Goddard said, also purporting that Jenkins was doing push-ups in the corner at 5 a.m. on a long day of shooting. The pair does an incredible job in their voyeuristic roles, though their true purpose remains shrouded for most of the film.
Upon arriving at the cabin, the blissfully unaware students ring in their stay by swimming in the conveniently-located lake, drinking and playing a rousing game of Truth or Dare. In one absurdly and awesomely vile scene, one of the characters makes out with the mounted head of a wolf. But things take a turn for the worse once they discover a cellar that leads them down the obvious path to darkness similar to every protagonist in every horror movie. Then things get gory in the cabin.
Whedon and Goddard (and the stellar cast) have crafted an unbelievably fun horror joy ride that is an homage to its predecessors, some of which are obviously referenced. It switches so consciously and maniacally from comedy to terror that the audience is left excitedly breathless.
Though Jenkins and Whitford provide some witty gems, Cabin's other scene-stealer is Kranz as delusional stoner Marty Mikalski — whose constant paranoia may be legitimate. Kranz first appears in an amazing moment in which he compresses a massive bong into a thermos, perfectly announcing his role as pothead prophet.
Cabin is the kind of movie that could be ruined by offhand spoilers, but the cast was in on the plan the whole time. Despite the deserved secrecy that has surrounded the film's plot, Goddard and Whedon ensured that their actors were well aware of what was going on. “We wanted everyone to know we’re all swinging for the fences on this one,” Goddard gleefully described about how he pitched the film to his cast. It was imperative that the actors knew the plot's trajectory in order to understand which scenes should be played humorously and which should be serious.
This is the first time Goddard has directed a film of his own, despite years of work with Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams on well-known series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias and Lost. When it came time to co-write The Cabin in the Woods with Whedon, the chemistry was well-established.
“It’s a very organic process that Joss and I have developed over the years,” Goddard said of his collaboration. The two of them locked themselves in a hotel room, trading scene-writing duties until a screenplay was completed.
What emerged is a monster of a movie, which will be a delight for horror fans and haters of the genre alike. It manages not to trip itself up on its own self-awareness and avoids getting muddled or staying in one plot device for too long. Venture into the dark woods, it’s well worth the ride.