Anthony Bergamini
The Cabin in the Woods is widely considered a masterpiece of modern horror film making, not because it is a dramatic new entry to the genre, but because of how it shows a deep understanding of the genre. The film itself follows a group of young adults who go on a trip to, you guessed it, a cabin in the woods, where a mysterious group of scientists start killing them in very familiar ways. What ensues is one part slasher, one part comedy, one part science fiction romp, and all parts horror. Taking inspiration from several of the classic horror films of years past, The Cabin in the Woods is simultaneously an ode to all that has come before, while also using that subject matter as a crux for the events of the film.
The crux of the plot relies on horror tropes and audience familiarity with them. As the characters start dying, the film peels back the curtain on the mysterious group of scientists, who are engineering this entire event. The film almost does not work at all unless you are a fan of the genre to begin with. One of the most spectacular things about the film is how it uses tropes from several different genres. There is an entire segment dedicated to slasher films whereas other parts see monsters like zombies or other creatures following a spell or ritual that starts spawning these different elements. Just reading about it makes it all sound like the most stuffed horror film of all time, but the way everything is balanced is just uncanny.
When it comes to the actual plot, as previously mentioned, it relies on a firm knowledge of horror films. In a nutshell, the film is about a clandestine group that performs horror tropes as rituals in order to prevent an ancient deity from destroying the earth. As mentioned before, this movie probably sounds bonkers if you are just reading about it, but being a love letter to the genre itself, it is such a unique viewing experience. This plot is deepened when the exposition “director” reveals that the characters were selected because they represent the archetypes of typical horror characters, and that they are required to die in a specific order to feed the ritual. Yes, you read that right, a director is choosing the order of character deaths to better serve the plot.
One of the scenes that never gets enough credit is the end of the film, when two of the characters, now understanding that they have to die in order to keep the world alive, decide to go against the script leading to the world’s demise. On the one hand, this can be viewed as subversion, but ultimately, is it saying more about the genre? Are the filmmakers arguing that the tropes of the genre have been done to death and need to end? Or is the point that these tropes are timeless and have endured because they make for fun film viewing? Either interpretation really adds another layer to this film, making it endlessly viewable from all different angles.
Clearly, the film is one of the most meta films that has ever come out, but how does it do as a celebration of the genre? There is really no other horror film out there that does such a peculiar, specific direction of the genres like The Cabin in the Woods. If you are out looking for a way to celebrate the genre, this is the definitive film to watch. It does require you to be a fan of it all to really enjoy every aspect, but this is the definition of celebratory.
