Cabin In The Woods

[Pex]

Finally saw Cabin In The Woods. I found it stupid. I get the point of it, but it's still dumb. The only good thing I can say about it is I don't hate it because I can relate to it via the game Betrayal At House On The Hill, which I like. It even has a Mystic Elevator. A different ending might have made it work for me. Even accepting the premise, the monster kill for all at the end ruined the movie for me. The monster menagerie along with The Explanation was enough. The slaughterfest was superfluous parody that broke verisimilitude.


Edit: fixed game name

[LaZodiac]

I feel like the monster slaughterfest at the end was basically JJ Abrams ****ing with us...and also part of the theme.

Like, if the victims are the actors and the people behind the scenes are the writers/editors/directors, and the big ole god they're trying to appease is the audience, then the monster slaughterfest is symbolic of how the many MANY ideas that get thrown out eventually tear the directors and stuff apart due to stress, and make it harder to work.

I'll admit it's stupid, but I kinda like it for all the reasons you don't.

[Dienekes]

I feel like the monster slaughterfest at the end was basically JJ Abrams ****ing with us...and also part of the theme.

Like, if the victims are the actors and the people behind the scenes are the writers/editors/directors, and the big ole god they're trying to appease is the audience, then the monster slaughterfest is symbolic of how the many MANY ideas that get thrown out eventually tear the directors and stuff apart due to stress, and make it harder to work.

I'll admit it's stupid, but I kinda like it for all the reasons you don't.

Abrams had nothing to do with Cabin. I think you're thinking Whedon and Goddard.

But I came with a very different view from Pex here. The all out monster kill spree was the only part of the movie I can say I enjoyed. Yep, got the metaphor of audience as monster. No, I didn't find it particularly interesting a twist on the genre.

But that could have worked, only the way it was written just annoys me really. There were these little nods to "Oh you think he's supposed to be a dumb jock but he's a genius, haha got ya!" that really didn't go anywhere other than pointing out that stereotypes are stereotypes. And worse, every single time the main horror elements of the movie got a single iota of tension to build up they would cut to the government office guys, who would then try (and fail) to be funny or interesting. It was like watching two completely different movies, which admittedly can be done well, but this time the one would undercut all the emotional progress made in the other for me. I can't get interested in the sacrifices troubles when we keep cutting to some office workers putting about making bets, and I don't care about the office workers because they were completely uninteresting in their own. Then we get the random points of stupidity. Really? The government didn't realize pot makes people resistant to their drugs? Really? You've been doing this crap for centuries, so, definitely through the 60s-70s and you didn't marijuana proof your plan? I get they were pointing out and poking holes that some slasher movies demonize drug use. But that doesn't work when you specifically write the plot to be stupid to get your message across.

But, watching a bunch of monsters just completely destroy people? That's pure, dumb, mindless entertainment. I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy dumb, mindless entertainment from time to time. I'd rather watch dumb, mindless entertainment than something that's trying to be deep and original and just failing all over itself like the first 80% of the movie was.

[LaZodiac]

...right Whedon DERP my bad, sleepy.

[gomipile]

I thought the movie was lots of fun most of the way through. I was so-so on the end at first until it was pointed out to me that that ending makes it much less likely that they'd be requested to do a sequel, which gave them more freedom to make the movie they wanted in the first place.

[Talakeal]

Neat idea, very poorly executed. The sheer variety of monsters in the climax made it an enjoyable watch, but npt a good movie.

I do like that the ancient entities that wake at the end more resemble Titans than Cthulhu though, that was a nice break from the cliche.

Also, killer unicorn. That's pretty novel.

[Pex]

I will admit I did laugh at the appropriateness of the scientist getting eaten by the merman he was crowing about all movie.

[JoshL]

One of my favorite movies, but I absolutely get people not liking it. It's a scathing love/hate letter to horror movies. It goes something like this:
-I hate modern torture-porn horror movies
-I loved 80s horror movies
-wait, no, those kinda sucked too
-let's maybe try to do better in the future

If you like or dislike the humor, well, nothing is more subjective than humor. It's more or less where I am both in terms of the big jokes (the long dramatic "we can do this" speech before jumping the motorcycle into the wall we all know is there....and it keeps going ON and ON!) and the little jokes (Witches? SEXY Witches?) And if the humor is not to your taste, that's half the movie, so you can "get" it without liking it.

But as to the pot thing, Marty was given pot laced with chemicals. The problem was he smoked ALL of that, and moved on to his un-tainted secret stash. They counted on him being the stoner, but didn't account for him being as much of a stoner as he really was, and that was the downfall, not the pot making him immune.

[Giggling Ghast]

I quite liked the deconstruction of horror movie tropes, but there are some extremely stupid plot points and the bad ending feels kind of cheap as a result.

[Traab]

At least if you go with the unified whedon-verse theory it gives you that much more to argue about. Basically, just about every movie involving whedon is taking place in the same reality. From buffy the vampire slayer, to cabin in the woods, to firefly and a few in between.

[Pex]

I don't mind spoof, but it seemed like it tried too hard. Maybe too meta is the better word. I liked how "Scream" did it. That's a spoof that took itself seriously.

I wonder how I'd feel if we didn't see the scientists until the end. The movie plays out as normal for a horror film. They find the elevator in their last desperation, and then at the end we meet the scientists, the monster menagerie with references to what was in the basement, and the Explanation. I still might have been miffed as a cheap cop-out, but if it was written and acted well maybe I'd be ok with it. I laughed and was quite accommodating to the ending of "April Fool's Day". (The original, didn't see the remake. Didn't even though know there was one when it was out.) The punchline worked for me. Maybe that would have come through if the scientists were the punchline.

[LaZodiac]

I don't mind spoof, but it seemed like it tried too hard. Maybe too meta is the better word. I liked how "Scream" did it. That's a spoof that took itself seriously.

I wonder how I'd feel if we didn't see the scientists until the end. The movie plays out as normal for a horror film. They find the elevator in their last desperation, and then at the end we meet the scientists, the monster menagerie with references to what was in the basement, and the Explanation. I still might have been miffed as a cheap cop-out, but if it was written and acted well maybe I'd be ok with it. I laughed and was quite accommodating to the ending of "April Fool's Day". (The original, didn't see the remake. Didn't even though there was one when it was out.) The punchline worked for me. Maybe that would have come through if the scientists were the punchline.

That'd probably work pretty well, arguably better. Especially since it's Whedon, he would of gotten most of all the important parts (they have in office bets on who lives and dies and when, there are different organizations in different countries) in the short time we'd have with them and it'd be great.

But Whedon really wanted to tell his metaphor for film making so he kind of got obsessed with that, I think? Like, if he was JUST going for a horror movie with a twist, it'd be what you described. But he went into this wanting to make a movie ABOUT making movies, with horror movies (a genre that's been so plumped to it's depths that it's become route and routine to PARODY them) as the framing story.

[Quild]

Saw it last year and I liked it:

The first part is really close to classic horror movie but you're curious about these scientist guys. They also help to build tension about how the teenagers are going to die.
Second part is some exposition/explanation. Gets you to see tons of monsters as a pure fan service. I'm not a big fan of this kind of bloodshed, but it's short enough.
And then, a "screw them" end.

I think it's more comedy than horror, but I do have pretty high standards to be scared by some movie (while romance movie totally make me cry even when I've already seen them like 10 times).

You probably actually can see it the same if you're a fan of teen horror movies, or a hater.
I can enjoy "Scary Movie" and its sequels, but Cabin in the Woods clearly was a better movie.

I think that the major issue I had with the movie was the competition between countries and how everyone managed to fail.

[themaque]

I was lucky enough to see it right around release when the hype was pretty low, so I had few expectations. The very first scene grabbed me as the original marketing didn't really hint to any of the behind the scenes chicanery. "Huh? What the... is this the right film? Well no... What is going on here?"

I loved it. Every bit. But I can see why it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, ESPECIALLY with all the hype that has been built up around it over the years since it simply doesn't live up to it.

It's a stupid yet fun little movie that lovingly mocks horror movies. If you liked the concept, if not the execution might I suggest the ever popular Tucker and Dale Vs Evil and the more resent The Final Girls. (Not to be confused with Final Girl a thriller/drama that came out the same year.)

[Benthesquid]

I quite enjoyed it. Lampshade hanging on a whole bevy of classic horror tropes? The folks controlling it are both a metaphor for the industry/audience, and themselves caught in a classic horror movie plot (note that just like the kids, they ignore the Harbinger's warnings)? Total monster mash chaos? The audience will throw an unholy cosmic tantrum if the scenario doesn't play out exactly as they imagined? (I may have spent too long in internet fandom, but that doesn't seem entirely wrong).

The only bit that really scared me was the whole banality of evil thing- people who have not only convinced themselves they have to do something terrible for the greater good, but for whom it has become routine to the point that they're placing bets on it? Creeeepy.

[Traab]

I quite enjoyed it. Lampshade hanging on a whole bevy of classic horror tropes? The folks controlling it are both a metaphor for the industry/audience, and themselves caught in a classic horror movie plot (note that just like the kids, they ignore the Harbinger's warnings)? Total monster mash chaos? The audience will throw an unholy cosmic tantrum if the scenario doesn't play out exactly as they imagined? (I may have spent too long in internet fandom, but that doesn't seem entirely wrong).

The only bit that really scared me was the whole banality of evil thing- people who have not only convinced themselves they have to do something terrible for the greater good, but for whom it has become routine to the point that they're placing bets on it? Creeeepy.

Actually that I get. If you do anything for long enough it becomes old hat and meaningless. As an example, i used to be a nurses aide. My main job was bathing people in their 70s and up and changing diapers after the inevitable happened. You better believe the first few... dozen times I had to do that i was nervous, uncomfortable, not happy to be there, etc. But after awhile, i cant even say how long, it just stopped bothering me. I might as well have been bathing a statue for all the difference it made to me. And I was so used to the smell of crap that i didnt even care about the massive messes unless they got TRULY massive. I read similar stories about people who work in pet shops dealing witht he sick dying and dead animals (mainly fish too be fair) that it entailed. Soon you get downright callous about dealing with all that stuff. You just dont care because you have finished off god knows how many small creatures and chucked them in the garbage or whatever so it becomes a casual thing. You might even mess around a bit. "Hey Earl! I bet I can hurl this bag full of mostly dead hamsters into the dumpster from all the way out here!" Because its nothing special anymore.

I bet most of these people working behind the scenes spent the first dozen or so horror movie setups as interns whose job was to basically watch and learn until they had the detachment needed to make the orders themselves. In fact, wasnt there a new guy right at the start of the film? Its been awhile since I watched it.

[Benthesquid]

Actually that I get.

Yeah, that's kind of the reason it got to me. I'm not terribly worried about zombies or mermen or sexy witches, but I totally believe that humans could reach a point where killing me would just be a part of the job.

[tomandtish]

Actually that I get. If you do anything for long enough it becomes old hat and meaningless. As an example, i used to be a nurses aide. My main job was bathing people in their 70s and up and changing diapers after the inevitable happened. You better believe the first few... dozen times I had to do that i was nervous, uncomfortable, not happy to be there, etc. But after awhile, i cant even say how long, it just stopped bothering me. I might as well have been bathing a statue for all the difference it made to me. And I was so used to the smell of crap that i didnt even care about the massive messes unless they got TRULY massive. I read similar stories about people who work in pet shops dealing witht he sick dying and dead animals (mainly fish too be fair) that it entailed. Soon you get downright callous about dealing with all that stuff. You just dont care because you have finished off god knows how many small creatures and chucked them in the garbage or whatever so it becomes a casual thing. You might even mess around a bit. "Hey Earl! I bet I can hurl this bag full of mostly dead hamsters into the dumpster from all the way out here!" Because its nothing special anymore.

I bet most of these people working behind the scenes spent the first dozen or so horror movie setups as interns whose job was to basically watch and learn until they had the detachment needed to make the orders themselves. In fact, wasnt there a new guy right at the start of the film? Its been awhile since I watched it.


Very much this. I work for a Dept of Family and Protective Services as a supervisor, and have worked for that agency for 21 years. And I've heard it all. Nothing phases me any more.

Warning, graphic description of my job, where we take reports of abuse or neglect to children and adults who are elderly or have substantial disabilities.

I'll hear about a dead child at least once a week. Maybe not due to abuse or neglect, but still.

Severe injuries to a child or disabled adult. Multiple broken bone severe. Couple times a week.

People lying in their own waste for hours or day at a time? Daily.

Sex abuse? Let's not even go there. You really don't want to know what people are capable of doing to their kids.

Child ripping off their elderly parents for every cent? Must be Thursday.

And so forth.

And the one thing I learned quickly, and passed on to my staff when I became a supervisor? You don't survive in this job if you can't put it aside. It requires a special mindset to do the job well for a long time, because you have to be able to hear these things every day, then go home and put it completely aside. Listen to something horrible then go laugh at the latest Pixar film. Hear something disgusting then go enjoy lunch. And you tend to develop an ... unusual ... sense of humor.

And there are those who aren't capable of doing this. And that's OK. I personally feel you have to be just a little bit off to do the job well year in and year out.

So I can totally buy that those people are the way they are.

(For the record, we do NOT place bets on things)

[LaZodiac]

The only bit that really scared me was the whole banality of evil thing- people who have not only convinced themselves they have to do something terrible for the greater good, but for whom it has become routine to the point that they're placing bets on it? Creeeepy.

What's worse is that it's not even EXCITED betting, not really. They all basically assume Japan's going to succeed so why even bother. The betting is an afterthought to MAKE IT enjoyable. They're not betting for the fun, they're betting inspite of the LACK of fun. The true horror of "the banality of evil" is not people acting casual about evil things, but people acting casual about evil things because the evil things don't even register AS THINGS.

IF...that makes any sense.

[Kislath]

I loved it, through & through.

Tucker & Dale is another favorite.

[Eldan]

At least if you go with the unified whedon-verse theory it gives you that much more to argue about. Basically, just about every movie involving whedon is taking place in the same reality. From buffy the vampire slayer, to cabin in the woods, to firefly and a few in between.

It would open up the possibility of the Agents of Shield taking down the evil organization and adult Buffy and her slayers coming by to take down the titan at the end.