The Cabin In The Woods (3 and 1/2 Stars)

Think of every ridiculous horror movie cliche and stick those cheestastically scary moments into one film. Here's the cherry on top. The Cabin In The Woods knows how to use those horror movie cliches (example: creepy-old-tobacco-chewin'-run-down-gas-station-owner) and intentionally makes a fun film around them that never truly terrifies the viewer, yet still entertains exceptionally well. It weaves a simple story and adds enough over-the-top moments, that even as the film grows to ridiculous heights, I'm still okay with the absurdity of it all because I'm having a blast watching. The film even has a wonderful cameo from a sci-fi legend towards the end of the flick that just made me think, "of course it had to be THAT person." Knowing how to cater to his audience, Joss Whedon pulls off one of the best horror movies I've seen in a long time.

Even better, Scooby Doo and the gang are the stars of the adventure, well minus the dog. Alright, not exactly! I do get a strong Scooby Doo vibe emanating from the group though. This is definitely a  good thing. The characters feel familiar and each time they think they've solved the mystery, another twist is revealed (just like the cartoon!).  Especially with the inclusion of Marty, the pot head Shaggy character, Scooby Doo's scent is all over these cast of characters. They are a fun group and add a necessary amount of comedy to balance out the horror.

This film brilliantly breaks the fourth wall of the main story with Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford playing the men behind the curtain. The dialogue and chemistry between the two is such a riot. These two Office-like schlubs pull all the strings for the cabin and ensure that the "audience" gets a good show (sort of like Hunger Games). Naturally, there's more to it than that, but I'll let you discover the intricacies of it all for yourselves. 

It's fascinating hearing the two men decide how they are going to manipulate the woods to ensure that certain characters do certain things. For example, they have to ensure that all the characters get separated. No decent horror movie has everyone sticking together. I mean, that would make too much sense. Spreading out in a dark scary unknown environment is totally way smarter.

Obviously, there also has to be a scene of romance so the puppeteers inject some pheromones into the air to make sure the audience gets some nudity before the truly gory moments begin. What makes this work so well is it almost acts as a behind-the-scenes making of a horror movie documentary. The two men reveal all the different ingredients to choose from and once the story develops, they manipulate it in a way to insure that it is entertaining (which it is!) to their live audience. Who is this audience? We never really learn, but at the same time, it's not all that important. 

Just when you think the movie is wrapping up it jumps to a completely different level for the last third of the film. This portion of the movie is best described as a bloodbath featuring every horror movie creature creatively unveiled through elevators. To sum up it up in one word: Awesome.

The Breakdown: The Cabin In The Woods has the appropriate ingredients to create a memorable comedic horror film that will greatly entertain its viewers. The horror aspect isn't too scary, but at the same time it doesn't need to be. The film feels like a wild roller coaster and I may not have cringed as much as I have in other spine tingling movies however, the balance of everything stirred into this pot boiled over into one fantastic film. Watch this movie and be thoroughly engrossed with a movie from a genre that rarely gets it right.