REVIEW - CABIN IN THE HOOD

I'd like to begin with a Philms from Philly anecdote - living in North Philadelphia, an area where the majority population is of African American descent, my local cinema is one helluva hoot. Not just for the Boondocks Uncle Ruckus-esque ticket stub man, but also for the overall experience that you just can't get at home streaming off putlocker. If you've never watched a horror film before in the company of African Americans, then I plead you to add it to your bucket list. There's clapping, laughing, shouting, and at one point the guy in front of me genuinely proclaimed: "homeboy, why you be going up in there with no light on you dumb peckerwood?" I shit you not, it's worth the ticket price alone. 

scary movie gets it spot on

Onto the film. I've been looking forward to Cabin in the Woods since its inception - the brain child of Drew Goddard (Cloverfield, Lost) and Josh Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) had me at its first trailer. It sells itself as an neo-horror, utilising all the genre's tropes and conventions to toy with audience expectations in a manner that's simultaneously both hilarious and frightening. It's centered around a quintet of college kids, who fulfill the 5 most general stereotypes of late adolescence: the whore, the athlete, the virgin, the brains, and of course - the stoner. We've seen these character archetypes in horror films before, and this is the exact reason they have been "chosen" for this film.

white folks crazy

They believe they're headed out to the cabin to drink, smoke, play truth or dare and do other crazy white people stuff, when actually they are just pawns in a system much larger than themselves. Headed by Bradley Whitford (The West Wing!) and Richard Jenkins (every minor character ever), a super elite government task force in an underground bunker is actually preparing the chessboard for an all too real horror film; aimed to please their bosses, and entertain the filmic audience. Every move the 5 make, every decision, every aspect of the trip has been meticulously planned by Whitford and Jenkins with cunning guile. On arrival, they trigger a trap door to fling itself open (this is what prompted my fellow moviegoer to shout the above quote) and of course the famous 5 head downstairs quicker than you can say "Justin Bieber." 

terrifying

Whilst the younglings are Biebering about in the basement picking up artifacts and references from old horror films (which are also keys that will decide how they get killed), the film then cuts back to Whitford and Jenkins in their puppet master underground lab, where they are taking bets on which death machine the kids are going to unknowingly select. There's something slightly sadistic about this scene, but it's essentially what we are subconsciously doing each time we watch a horror film. We go into it with the expectation that there will be overkill, slaughter, and terror - knowing that the Virgin will probably survive due to her annoying shrieks, and that somehow all those years spent inside watching Gilmore Girls has probably just saved her life. Anyhow, without knowing it, the Virgin recites some bullshit Latin and awakes the Redneck Zombies - thus begins the show.

genuinely a film, too

The film's main narrative really picks up here, with a cat and mouse game between said Redneck Zombies and our protagonists, over watched by those back at the lab making sure everything goes smoothly. Unfortunately for them, through the everlasting power of marijuana, the stoner utilises his collapsable bong and uncovers their ruse. Then things start to take an interesting turn. About half way through the film the balance of power begins to shift, and all hell (LITERALLY) breaks loose with a barrage of horror characters unleashed into the filmic world - all your old favourites from the masked strangers to a mother-bloody Merman.

's a pretty good description..

The film is immensely entertaining, with decent quips that will make you laugh and moments that will make some jump. Its only weaknesses lie in its grand narrative - wont say anything other than Sigourney Weaver makes a questionable late entrance - and in its struggle to figure itself out. As in, it's essentially a semi-horror-comedy-thriller, without being one or the other. And the entire package wont be everyone's cup of tea, however I strongly recommend you get yourself down to your nearest African American movie theatre and treat yourself - you'll at least enjoy the Merman scene. I also really liked this film because it reminded me of how much I love Bradley Whitford and made me consider rewatching the West Wing...Janel Moloney - *sigh*

...better than IMDB anyhow

38/50 STATES