Cabin in the Woods

[thesapien]

This movie surprised the hell out of me, multiple times. Whenever I thought it was on one track, it switched tracks on me, and unto a better track, uplifting it each time. It went from being a horrible movie, to a silly flick, to, okay, having some good moments, to being one of those oddball movies still not worth any comments from me, to being a mad crazy, over the top horror fest that was good... to eventually blowing me away with a big WOW upon what I'd just watched.

 

On the downside, there is no nudity. Also, on the downside, the first half is kind of hard to get through. Actually, most of it is hard to get through unless you know what happens next. You'll be like, no, not that, why, but then things turn out for the better after, then the painful to watch makes sense and actually you realize it was necessary to get from A to B.

 

Now, a bit of a spoiler below, but if you're like me this slight spoiler will actually make the movie more enjoyable, bearable through the rough parts, and make the entire viewing a better experience. I mean, I kind of wish I'd known myself. Although, on the other hand, discovering it all for myself did make me cheer a few times. So I'll leave that up to you whether or not you click the button below. I'll also still keep it cryptic and short.

 

 

 

The hero in this movie is cannabis. Seriously. The naive virgin falls behind, basically rescued by her learnings from her weed smoking friend. By the end, you'll see this is unabashedly pro-weed. No hiding it. It's in your face in the last few minutes of the film.

 

Just a quick word to Resident Evil fans and those who like Japanese horror and such, this movie does pay a lot of homage. The last quarter of the film almost feels like a bunch of monster cameos as things get really crazy and the shit hits the fan. The last half hour is so over the top in playing who's who and what else can we throw in, it's not even scary anymore but like visiting a live museum with the corporate employees all being just fodder to throw at the various enemies.

 

 

 

Soundtrack fits perfectly too. Closing with NIN was... beautiful.

 

This movie was very close to slipping under the radar for me, but now it's a treasure gem in my movie collection. Feels like an automatic cult favorite. Or is it just me?

[Nalim]

As you aren't mentioning all the awesome horror cult references in there I assume you haven't read HP Lovecraft or watched Evil Dead which you should.

 

I love the movie, there were plenty of awesome references and cool twists. It felt like Cube meets Lovecraft with a bit of dark comedy thrown in there. Absolutely splendid.

[thesapien]

Admittedly and sadly, I haven't read any Lovecraft that I remember, so yeah, probably haven't. Evil Dead, tho, has anyone my age not seen it, lol? Admittedly and sadly tho, I'm ashamed of myself for better remembering the later Army of Darkness and forgetting the details of the original until reading some reminders just now. That is probably the single biggest central reference for much of the Cabin in the Woods, indeed!

 

Hah, tangent, I never realized while playing Mass Effect that Ashley Williams was based on Ashley Williams of Evil Dead, until now! Ash, in both works, is the sole survivor of a horrifying experience in the first of both trilogies. It's how Ash is introduced in the beginning of Mass Effect. Ash, in both trilogies, then goes on to kick some major butt against demons.