The late 00s and early 10s were a pretty good time to be somebody who loved cult horror films with a sense of humor. You had the likes of Trick r Treat, Drag Me to Hell, and my favorite at the time which was The Cabin in the Woods. Whether it was on pay cable or early streaming, the film became a regular fixture in the years I mostly just spent my time frequently re-watching the same movies and drinking far too much beer. Because of that, I’ve gone some years without watching it very frequently cause I got kind of burnt out on it in my 20s but I had this former Blockbuster rental Bluray copy that cost less than 2 bucks so I figured why not see how well the film holds up?
The thing that hasn’t held up so well is how smugly in love with its own dialog and cleverness the film is in a way that immediately signals that Joss Whedon was a writer on it. There’s a certain too cute quality to a lot of Whedon’s projects that have made me not like them as much as other people do, sorry to all you Buffy fans, this post-Tarantino tit a tat self-commentary and pop culture junkie mentality that is supposed to endear you to these characters as smart and confident but really just makes them seem insufferable in a way that is not intended. Also I find them sneaking in the TnA of a slasher as part of a plot contrivance a lost less charming than I once did, and generally find this is a plot you don’t really need to think too much about and just have to be fine with the fun to be had, with a conclusion that works with its ambivalence but could easily be accused of just being outright nihilistic.
And there is plenty of fun to be had, don’t get me wrong. Obviously, as a diehard horror fan all the little tributes they give to iconic horror subgenres is fantastic and still really holds up for me, the “elevator” scene is really great as is the basement scene where they “choose their fate”. Outside some mediocre late 00s CGI, the film is pretty well directed and well shot at every turn with the right framing and lighting to fit every mood. There’s PLENTY of gore and violence to truly pay tribute to the genre, a lot of different ways that people got hurt or died in a familiar order for a while. The makeup on the zombie family and the many other ghouls and goblins therein are universally very good. And despite itself it does manage to be genuinely funny and subversive more often than it is a little over the top, with a lot of jokes and gags that have stuck with me for many years and I found myself anticipating once again upon this rewatch.
The whole cast is solid, but Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford as the control engineers obviously steal every single scene they are in and are the true stars of the show. Fran Kranz as the token stoner character despite leaning too far into stoner tropes (hey, those are my people!) remains consistently charming and surprisingly the most cogent character in the entire film depending on your perspective. Kristen Connolly makes for a very believable and solid final girl, tough and smart and funneling her trauma into a rage against the darkness. Even if his accent isn’t perfected yet, Hemsworth was obviously a star in the making with the pure charisma he exudes whenever on screen.
It comes off as very of its era and very of its creators, but for the most part this is still a really fun, enjoyable romp that is a little something different while still delivering the goods that horror fans want and then more on top of that. It should have been bigger at the time, but maybe doesn’t completely live up to the hype 15 years later as solid as it is. I’d probably recommend it to most out there.
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