The Cabin in the Woods

Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods follows five friends (Chris Hemsworth’s Curt, Fran Kranz’s Marty, Kristen Connolly’s Dana, Anna Hutchison’s Jules, and Brian White’s Alex) as they embark on a weekend of fun and debauchery in and around the titular locale – with the movie also detailing the initially head-scratching exploits of two office workers (Richard Jenkins’ Richard and Bradley Whitford’s Steve) with a palpable connection to the aforementioned cabin. Filmmaker Goddard has infused the early part of The Cabin in the Woods with a pervasively familiar atmosphere that is, to put it mildly, somewhat off-putting, as the five-friends-head-into-the-woods narrative, which has been suffused with elements of a decidedly conventional nature (eg the creepy old guy who warns them of danger ahead), grows more and more tedious as time progress – with the charisma of the performances and the periodic peeks into Jenkins and Whitford’s curious activities proving instrumental in sustaining the viewer’s interest during this stretch. And though the film almost reaches a point at which it completely morphs into an egregiously routine disappointment, Whedon and Goddard cement The Cabin in the Woods‘ palpable success by offering up a final half hour that’s nothing short of astounding in its audaciousness (ie there are images and elements contained within this portion that will leave hardcore horror junkies absolutely and utterly satiated). The end result is an admittedly uneven piece of work that does seem as though it’d benefit from repeat viewings, as it seems entirely likely that the underwhelming first half, which is ultimately justified by the twists contained within the balls-to-the-wall third act, would fare a whole lot better the second time around.

*** out of ****