Christopher McLaughlin

csmclaug@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

I had no idea what to expect from “The Cabin in the Woods.” The trailers made it look like a cheesy slasher film with some sci-fi elements thrown in. And I generally hate horror movies, so this one passed under my radar all the way up until its release. It wasn’t until I saw the 93 percent it’s received on Rotten Tomatoes that I started to consider going to see this film.

Am I glad I did? Hell yes.

It’s hard to explain just what kind of a movie “The Cabin in the Woods” actually is, seeing as it changes genre about three or four times you’ll know what I mean if you go see it. And there’s so many twists and turns throughout the film that consistently lead to bigger and better “WTF” moments. But for right now, all you need to know is that it follows a group of five college students who go out to an old (you guessed it) cabin in the woods and must survive a family of the undead. Sound familiar? Good, there’s a reason for that.

What this movie loves to do is build up the conventions and stereotypes we all know and love and then tear them to gory, bloody pieces. The result is something delicious. It’s clear from the beginning that something else is at work with these teenagers, this cabin and the family of zombies, something bigger than all of them. And a lot of the thrill of this movie comes from discovering what that something is.

Is the film actually scary? Not especially, but it’s not exactly trying to be. I laughed more than I jumped. In fact, “The Cabin in the Woods” isn’t really trying to be anything, except for a fun cinematic experience. That’s the beauty of it. It doesn’t take itself seriously, so we can sit back, have a good time, and not worry about the specifics. The creators had a unique, albeit, slightly crazy idea for a movie, and they ran with it. End of story.

This movie is like nothing you’ve ever seen before it’s both a parody of the horror genre as well as a homage to it. In fact any fans of horror should go see it just so they can appreciate all the references it makes to other classic horror movies, which is a lot. And if you don’t like horror you should probably go see it anyway. It’s not a perfect movie, mind you, not by any means, but it’s a heck of a fun ride.