not for kids
Clever but very bloody deconstruction of horror movies.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Cabin in the Woods is a very-self aware, sometimes tongue-in-cheek horror movie (like Scream or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil). It starts out as a typical "carload of teens goes to spend the weekend in the country" scary movie, but then it adds some sinister twists. Throughout the whole thing, you can expect tons of violence, gore, and blood, though it stops short of "torture porn" (a la the Saw and Hostel movies). Language is also very strong (including "f--k," "s--t," and more), as is sexuality -- there's one topless scene, plus heavy sexual banter and behavior. One teen is a regular pot smoker, and other teens -- as well as adults -- drink beer, tequila, and more. Writer Joss Whedon has legions of devoted fans, many of them teens, but The Cabin in the Woods is really too much for any but the most mature teens.
- Families can talk about what point The Cabin in the Woods is making. Is the message purely cynical and sinister, or does it have anything positive to say? Does it help to have seen a lot of horror movies in order to "get" this one?
- Could the movie succeed without its extreme violence?
- Is The Cabin in the Woods scary? Does it succeed as a horror movie, as well as a commentary on other horror movies?
- Are any of these characters admirable in any way? Why or why not?
The good stuff
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Messages: The Cabin in the Woods takes a very sinister, cynical view of humanity in general; the best it has to say about people that is that we have a strong will to live.
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Role models: None of the main characters can really be considered a role model. One minor character -- a security guard -- questions what's going on, frowns upon it, and refuses to participate. Unfortunately, he doesn't affect the outcome at all.
What to watch for
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Violence: The Cabin in the Woods starts out like a "normal" horror movie, with zombie attacks, blood, and gore. There's stabbing, sawing, and a kind of "steel jaws"/bear trap weapon on a chain. Viewers see severed heads, spraying blood, throat-stabbing, motorcycle crashing, and falling from heights. There's also gory painting, and terrifying imagery is read aloud from a diary. Then things get even more intense, with dozens of new monsters and dozens of quick images of various attacks -- i.e. suicide, guns and shooting, monsters eating people, and gallons of blood. It stops short of torture, however, and the violence is all intentionally over-the-top.
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Sex: A teen girl is seen topless and engaging in foreplay with her boyfriend (they're interrupted). Another couple is seen kissing. A teen girl is seen in her panties, and men's naked torsos are shown. Another teen girl pretends to make out with a stuffed wolf during a game of "truth or dare." Heavy sexual innuendo and banter throughout.
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Language: Language is very strong, but not constant. It includes many uses of "f--k," "s--t," "goddamn," "damn," "puss out," "boobies," "ass," "hell," "damn," "goddamn," and "oh my God."
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: One of the teens is a heavy, constant pot smoker -- he even has a special bong that collapses to look like a steel coffee mug. Other teens are seen drinking beer. Grown-ups drink beer, tequila, and other alcoholic beverages at a party.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
Great Horror Movie! by tresal3
Finally something that isn't the same horror movie you see over and over and over and .... well you get it. It starts off the way you think it should, I mean nowadays the preview tells you the whole damn movie! But not this one.....It totally takes you to a place you didn't even think of. Great surprises, funny dialog, and a ending that you would have never seen coming! GO SEE IT!
5
May look familiar...until you look closer. Besides, Thor's in it! by davidmello
This was supposed to open more than two years ago, but was held up by MGM's finanical probelms, and a short-lived bid to convert it to 3-D. Still, The Cabin in the Woods is worth waiting for because it takes the typical horror movie and sends on a pretty weird ride.
Of course, you've heard the same comments about you shouldn't learn too much about the movie, avoid spoilers and so forth. We will say it does include Chris Hemsworth way before he became a thunder god, and Fran Kranz as a stoner who turns out to be sharp at the right time. There's also Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins who have their roles in all this. It does involve cameras. We'll say that much.
The movie was directed by Drew Goddard, who wrote Cloverfield, and written by him and Joss Whedon, well-known as the guy who gave us the greatest TV heroine in the past 20 years..and more than that. Check it out, guys!
5
Holy Crap! I'm giddy after seeing this. by alacran79
::stands up::
I'm ******** and I'm a jaded horror fan.
Good, we got that out of the way. So, where to start...cuz I really f&*^ing loved this flick. I do not easily heap praise on horror films nowadays. They are mostly throwaway pieces of garbage with little to no redeeming qualities. But this film did it right. Granted, I wasn't scared in the slightest, but who cares when the film gives you such a a great world to imagine? On the surface, one would think this was the standard slasher movie, but you'd be completely mistaken. This movie deconstructs the stereotypical slasher flick, and then creates a world which gives nods to almost every horror genre out there. I mean, what horror flick recently has given nods to Barker, Lovecraft, and Japanese horror? None that I know of. To top it off, it's pretty funny (though I noticed some of the younger folk didn't catch some of the references), and there's no ####### ending. Color me happy, for once.
5
Edgy Movie!!! by patrickshannon
This movie will completely mess with your mind, almost like the Matrix, in a weird way. This has sci-fi, thriller, horror and if you can believe, it has humor in it also. I would definately recommend that anyone reading this review!! Go see this movie, it is NOT a waste of money!!!
5
the Cabin in the woods by leopardtraxDJ
This was so much fun to watch. I was afraid that by seeing the preview that there wouldn't be any thing left. Boy was I wrong. I took my daughter and her boyfriend with me and really enjoyed it.
Oh, and the "stoner guy" was the best!!
5
The most laugh out loud...scary movie I've ever seen! by GreenLantern93555
Wanted to see this mainly because of Joss Whedon writing and Chris Hemsworth starring, but I have to say, it very may well be the best movie these two are involved in this year mainly because the Avengers has been WAY overhyped.
Non-spoiler descriptions are near impossible except to say that you will have a lot to laugh and talk about for quite some time after leaving the theater. The writers really came up with a cool, original concept for this movie that is entertaining from start to finish.
The acting is terrific, I laughed about as hard as I did at Horrible Bosses and Bridesmaids last year, and the scary parts were sufficiently surprising, creepy, and gory. Yet it didn't go so far as to leave you with that uncomfortable disturbing feeling some horror films do when they go for that over the top shocking effect.
This movie basically hit the nail right on the head with everything a horror movie should be...even some eye rolling corny parts sprinkled throughout
4
Cabin In The Twilight Zone by Darkola
I am going to recommnend this movie because it has an original story, if your expecting your regular horror/slasher flick with a group of college kids out in the middle of nowhere, then you are partially right, but the story itself is really twisted, I dont want to go into details and give this movie away, but its so much more then that, to me its more a combination of one of them horror movies, and a little bit of a reality tv type story mixed. The acting in this was par, it wasnt anything exceptional, but it also wasnt lame either. One of biggest problems with this movie was the ending, I believe they could have taken the meaning of the outcome of this movie, and went in a completely different direction with it, it was a little far fetched with the reasoning for why the actors had to go through what they did .... anyways, if your out for a whole new original idea for a story, and are into semi-scary movies, then go see this, its worth seeing, I'd give this 2 1/2 out of 4 stars.
5
Strange, but oh so good! by adamlecroy
The movie keeps you guessing from a plot stanpoint. The suspense and horror aspects are great. Definitely need to see it in the theater. The last 20 minutes are intense! Very original.
4
Clever, Shys Away From Some Scares by npr1000
The concept is incredibly witty and shows a lot or promise...and opens the door to a lot of unanswered questions.
Also, due to the dual-world aspect, some of the scares in the Cabin world are lessened...and you'll see why pretty quickly.
The most important thing to note going into it...it's not a single twist type movie. The story really unfolds in front of you and it is what it is...what you see and hear is what you get. It's a good ride, but don't go in expecting some mind bending revelation in the last 30 seconds.
5
Quench Your Thirst by Reel Reviewer
Arguably the single most creative and ingenius movie I've seen since "Inception." Nothing like what I expected and yet it quenched a thirst I didn't even realize I had: the need for the next step in horror. We experienced Saw for awhile, till it became torture porn, but despite the successes of the "Paranormal Activity" series they aren't exactly a new idea. THIS, however, is enjoyment in its pure form. It's hilarious, suspenseful, has an attractive cast, stays true to classic horror stereotypes and is completely refreshing and new. My face hurt from smiling and laughing, my teeth hurt from clenching them, my heart was racing from the tension and my brain exploded from too much awesome at the royal rumble that ensues at the end. If you don't like blood, stay away, but if you don't mind it I highly recommend it; even if you're typically not in to the horror genre.