The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods (2011) follows a group of friends who go on vacation to a cabin and find themselves getting more than they bargained for. Overall, this is a fun and interesting horror. It's definitely a love letter to fans of all things horror, including fun little references to other films.

The cinematography is very lacklustre and I definitely expected more in terms of colour palettes and camerawork. The lighting is fairly poor at times too, and it's hard to see what's going on. However, there are a few shot transitions that I really liked.

The sound design is also quite basic, and it doesn't really help to set up an effective atmosphere. However, I did like the score. It isn't entirely original, but it's a lot of fun and very attention grabbing. Also, there are some super funny music cues throughout.

We get a good feel for the characters, and although they follow very basic tropes, this just adds to the 80s inspired charm of the film. There are some hilarious lines, paired well with distinctive and goofy performances. I particularly like Fran Kranz as Marty and Bradley Whitford as Hadley.

The film is unique from the start, and a fun and easy watch all throughout. It doesn't drag and feels a lot shorter than it is. It does get a little confusing at times but I feel it's explained well and in an easy-to-digest manner.

After the "parody" movies of the 2000s comes The Cabin in the Woods, a lesson in how to poke fun at a genre while still telling a compelling story. It incorporates all the clichés of the horror genre but in a clever way that all ties together. Even when you think you know what's going to happen, the film goes off the rails and goes into completely new territory.

I'm not a horror fan. Although, films pertaining to demonic possession scare me into a four year old, it's just not my taste. I'm also pretty late in watching this movie. I found it online and decided to watch since I had nothing else to do. I was kind of intrigued after seeing Joss Whedon's name in the credits for producing and writing.

Overall, I loved this movie. It started off as your typical horror film, but turn into something much bigger and more authentic. Every horror in the past twenty years has been predictable. You know who is going to die, you know who the killer is, you know if the dumb blonde runs off screaming into a dark hallway she's more than likely going to have her head get cut off. But this movie was the exact opposite because I had absolutely no clue what was going to happen next. I'm sure a high percentage of people will not appreciate the sci-fi twist to the movie but I loved and thought it was an awesome idea. All horror movies are kind of science fiction anyways. It seems like all the killers are super human anyway because they don't seem to ever die no matter how many times you shoot them, stab them or hit them with a truck. This movie just did it on a larger scale.

The script was solid as well. Joss Whedon writes the best dialogue and knows how to play off of cliché's and those corny predictable monologues and speeches.

To everyone saying they hated this movie, it's obvious that they don't like change and are probably upset because the originality of this film pretty much slays all their favorite horror movies to dust. It's not Oscar worthy but it's a great Friday night movie with your friends that will keep everyone on the edge of their seat, anticipating what's going to happen next.

I have to hand it to the filmmakers. They definitely made a film that no one would have ever thought it. Just like my title says, you either love it or you hate it. You can't please everyone but this customer was satisfied from beginning.

An incredibly clever and meta take on the horror comedy genre. It is both a love letter and a criticism on the cliches and tropes used in horror movies. What makes this film unique is how it uses the tropes for its narrative purpose.

I personally, would move or remove some of the scenes in the first act to give the movie a sense of mystery. There is a lot of scenes with a certain duo that I feel would have been better introduced in the second act. That way the first act feels more like a cliche horror movie because it gets completely flipped on its head in the second act. Apart from that, I find this to be a throughly enjoyable film!

Originality built off the foundation of every cliche in the book... mad you didn't think of it first? Haha This had a really solid and original concept that was truly the star of the show in this film. Supported by solid execution in pacing, acting and the balance between horror, comedy and adventure. It kept the intrigue and engagement up throughout. It felt nostalgic yet new, fresh and exciting. It was a well rounded, throughly planned/ thought out, entertaining film.

Im not sure it was QUITE as funny or clever as it felt like it thought it was. The only comedy that landed was due to the acting ability of the stoner. He kind of saved the comedic aspect of this film. And even then some of it was hokey. Great casting all around though, solid actors.

Also I think the grand scheme of the plot could have used some more interesting elaboration. I wish we could have gotten a little bit more background on the rituals and how/why they were doing them. They gave us just enough to be passable, but I would have liked more.

I would love to see a sequel to this made today, over ten years later. It would be interesting to see how they could expand upon this concept (and not make it trash, as so many tend to be). While not perfect, this movie really checked all the boxes for me. 7.5 rounding up to an 8, would recommend for a fun time.