Movie Review - "The Cabin in the Woods" (2012) ***1/2

     I came up with a theory in the late 90's that the next big, game-changing horror film will be released in the year 2014. What is my reasoning behind that thinking? Well, in my opinion, the three horror films in history that redefined the genre at the time they were released were Psycho in 1960, Halloween in 1978, and Scream in 1996. Those three at the time of their releases changed the horror landscape and became the most copied films of the genre during their respective timeframes. If you look at the years, they all fell 18 years apart from each other, hence my theory that 2014 will be the next genre changer. Okay, I realize that theory may be a little corny, but hey, it's at least interesting to consider. I bring it up for the simple reason that I thought maybe that theory would be bested by two years. I had heard a lot of positive things about Cabin in the Woods but I was surprised to be hearing such things as "this will change the way you look at horror films" or "you have NEVER seen anything like this film before". I was hearing about these amazing plot twists and for that reason "you should not read or listen to anything about this movie before seeing it". Then when reviews started rolling in and it was hovering at around 93% on RottenTomatoes, I thought maybe this was finally going to be it. The next big thing was here, just two years early. Well, what I saw is indeed very different and the ambition that went into the project is to be respected....but ultimately I was a touch let down.

     There is one piece of information out there about this movie that is completely correct. The less you know about it prior to seeing it, the better off you will be. The whole premise of the movie from the start is basically a plot twist. For that reason, a plot summary is really not a good idea. Here is what I can give you. The movie starts with what we think is a simple premise. Five young kids, that seem to be your typical slasher-film stereotype victims, are heading for a remote cabin in the woods to have a weekend full of partying, complete with drugs, beer and sex. Naturally they run into a shady gas station attendant who warns them of the dangers of going to the cabin (Doesn't that guy show up in all horror movies!), but they go ahead anyways. There's a weird thing though at the start of this movie, we are also introduced to two gentlemen (Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford) who work in some sort of government building that appears to be underground. At first we have no idea how these two people are related to the story, but of course they are related somehow.......That's it. That's all I can give you. Basically this is about the first 10 minutes of the movie. Everything after that, you are on your own to discover.

     I love the ambition behind this movie. It is directed by Drew Goddard and written by Goddard and good buddy Joss Whedon. These two have a cult following, mostly from their tv hits such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Cabin in the Woods seems to play like their love letter to the horror genre as many different tributes can be found throughout the film (you will see what I mean if you watch it). While I love the ambition and the effort put into the movie, ultimately I was a little let down by the ending. This movie is strange and will mess with your mind a little bit but when things start to go haywire (you will see what I mean) horror fans will definitely have a smirk on their face. I just wish it could have been done a little better. I don't even really know specifically what it is that bothers me about it, perhaps I just went in with expectations too high. That's possible. All that being said though, I do recommend this movie for the horror/sci-fi junkie out there. I just don't think it was the game-changer that I was expecting. Maybe in two more years.