Horror films are supposed to be scary, but not very smart. "The Cabin in the Woods" is both. It's about as clever as you can imagine a film of this type being that is also this wicked and this brutal.Horror stories that are built on big-picture thinking, and that take a stab at social consciousness, were always the purview of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon.
The director of "The Avengers" co-wrote and produced this picture that will make you think while it attempts to scare the you-know-what out of you.
Whedon co-wrote the picture with Drew Goddard, who's the director of "The Cabin in the Woods" and a former producer of "Lost." The end product shows how both men have used the strengths of their TV successes to create this creepfest.
Fans of "Lost" remember how that show's story revolved around a group of people who were stuck somewhere and eventually forced to realize that larger forces were manipulating their existence.
A twist on that plot device is an element to this story that the filmmakers have worked to keep mostly secret through trailers for the film, so it's best to not say too much in fear of spoiling surprises.
Just know that the cliched scary-movie idea that begins the film - five friends gather for a weekend getaway at a secluded cabin - is not what it seems.
It starts out that way, and Goddard and Whedon smartly play on those "horror" conceits we know well. If someone tells you to avoid the woods, ignore them and laugh. Having unprotected sex is unsafe for multiple reasons. If someone in the group says, "Guys, I don't think we should do this" - do it anyway.
After we meet the group - they can easily be typecast as the athletic fellow ("Thor's" Chris Hemsworth) and his bimbo girlfriend, along with the smart guy, the virginal young woman and the goofy sidekick who enjoys a good smoke - the twists begin.
If you're wondering where middle-aged guys like Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford come in to the story, they can be found watching from a distance as the young people cavort.
If you can envision their roles from a reality TV standpoint, imagine "Big Brother" with a deadly sense of game-play. That's all I will say.
It's a high-concept idea that's easier to swallow if you're willing to allow a horror film to be something more creative than the average slasher movie. Those who can get past their desire for it to follow that tired old script will be rewarded with quality scares and nightmarish ghouls.
Whedon's influence is so pervasive that "Cabin in the Woods" feels like an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" that Whedon couldn't get on broadcast TV because he wanted to go to some darker, more sadistic places.
Although it's creative and spooky, the picture is not as humorous as Whedon might have wanted. The most obvious liability in that and in the picture's narrative drive is that none of the five cabin visitors shows a real charisma to carry the film, making it feel sluggish without that force.
Newcomer Kristen Connolly comes closest as the battling virgin (who's not a virgin, a running joke), while Hemsworth plays a comparatively smaller character. Without question, the story is the real star.
There are many interesting themes to the film - like people being punished for their transgressions, or that sacrifices must be made to defeat evil - that make "Cabin in the Woods" different from a standard scarefest.
The real thrills come from being surprised so many times, in a genre for which nuance and revelations sometimes seem to have been viciously eliminated long ago.
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