Whenever you see trailers or commercials for horror movies, they seem to be telling you the same thing: no story, lots of gore. This has been the formula for horror films since the early 1980s. The dawn of the slasher movie, Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, leather face, Jigsaw, the list is endless. The thing they all have in common is that they are cheap. Studios have found that they can just pump this crap out without the need for hiring competent directors or talented writers. Consequently, the genre started with some great films, but others like War of the Worlds, The Blob, and The Exorcist have suffered a series of blows at the hands of lazy, greedy studio heads with an eye only for the bottom line and not the creation of good movies.

Cabin in the woods is a return to the well-made horror film. It takes all the gore and thrills that the slashers deliver all to well, and mixes it with quality screenwriting and good directing. Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon made one hell of a frightening film, and also a really hilarious one. Now, that doesnâ€™t really seem to compute does it? How can a movie terrify you and also get you to laugh uncontrollably? I chalk it all up to Whedonâ€™s ability as a writer. Back in the mid 90s he of course gave us Buffy the Vampire slayer, which also fits the bill of horror/humor. Of course seeing as it was a syndicated television show, the horror aspect could only be so gory. With an R-rated film, he was let right off the leash. \

Cabin in the woods involves your basic slasher set up of young college kids going to a remote location to relax and vacation. In fact Cabin in the woods has every single horror movie clichÃ© in the book. Splitting up, going outside to investigate a noise, reading old books in Latin, all the classic no-nos that we have yelled out at the screen for. The difference is now we know why they act so stupid. Cabin in the Woods is the first movie that I have every seen to challenge these clichÃ©s, and turn them on their head. Itâ€™s the first film that makes you believe that the people in it are making decisions you would make; intelligent ones. Except when they are compromised that is.

This movie postulates that the only reason regular slasher film characters make their boneheaded choices is that they are compelled to by an unseen force. Now that all sounds very mystical, but in classic Whedon fashion he takes the mystical and makes it funny. And by adding this sense of regular casualness to the unknown, you fear it less and laugh a lot more. Now the acting in this is a bit of a mixed bag. The actual campers were chosen no doubt to fill the slot of the standard slasher film characters; only difference is that these kids are actually talented. The obvious person to focus on is Chris Hemsworth, but you have to remember something. Cabin in the Woods has been sitting on the shelf for a while. This was Hemsworths first film, so he was the lead famous actor we know today. So when watching this film, itâ€™s unusual to see this now blockbuster star used as just another casual character, playing the pompous jock. There are no real leading actors in this film, and with good reason. Its not about people, it about story. They found actors that can deliver the lines they way they are supposed to, and sat back, letting the script do the rest. Itâ€™s the best thing to happen to the genre since Linda Blairâ€™s head did a 360 in 1973. The one thing I can say about Cabin in the Woods is that I wish it had been made a lot sooner.

Conclusion:Â Matinee, full price, whichever is soonest. But I can tell you this; it worth whatever you pay for it.

Until Next Time…

See you at the theater!