Day 23: The Cabin In The Woods (2011)

A Month of Horror

I have always wanted to do a marathon of "HORROR" throughout the month of October, one where I would revisit a new horror movie every day from the first to the thirty-first.  I will revisit the classics as well as new entries into the canon.  There are many movies that define this time of year, and I hope to showcase 31 of them this month...

October 23: The Cabin In The Woods (2011)

You know the story...  A group of teenagers/college students head out into the woods for a weekend away at a cabin.  It is one of the great tropes of modern horror, based mostly in the simplicity of the location and the ability to crank out a horror movie on the cheap.  Every now and then though, that classic trope is turned on its head, and never more successfully than in Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's "The Cabin In The Woods".

The stereotypes are all there: the stoner, the jock, the nice guy, the slut, and of course the virginal "last girl", but where "The Cabin In The Woods truly sets things apart, is in its ability to take those stereotypes, and our expectations about what will happen to each character, and throw them all out the window.

We always bet on the virginal "last girl" being the one to make it through.  If you were to take it to Vegas, that would be the safest bet.  What we rarely know, however, is how each of the stereotypes will be removed from the equation, and by what gruesome killer.

"Cabin In The Woods" is a beautiful film because it showcases not only the genre staples, but also the possibilities to which the horror genre could extend.  It is a traditional slasher movie, but it is also so much more than that: an examination of the genre, and also a total deconstruction.

I do not want  to get into too many specifics with this film for those of you who have not seen it.  What I do want, is that you give it a better chance that Hollywood did.  This is a smart, scary, and completely unique film that deserves to be seen.  Give it a chance, and know that you will be happier having done so...

Tomorrow, I plan to pay a visit to one of the world's greatest haunted houses...