Hey guys. Let’s get real for a second. This week has been really stressful. Work has been crazy. And, on top of these 31 Days of Horror posts and the return of The Walking Dead, I have also been keeping myself busy with my work at Packer Update. All of that means I’ve been writing more on a daily basis than I ever have in my life. It seems like I’m busy all the time. I love writing about horror movies and football, but sometimes I feel like no one actually reads any of this, and it’s just draining, ya know?
Sometimes I feel like I need something like Evil Dead: something big and nasty and drenched in blood. Other times I need something like The Cabin in the Woods: something that just gets it. Something that turns a perfectly executed genre deconstruction into a hugely comical bloodbath. Something that has fun with genre conventions, yet doesn’t mock the genre. Something that can simultaneously make you laugh and cringe.
I didn’t love this the first time I saw it. I loved the first hour, but thought the ending was just a bit too much. A bit too in-your-face. The more I watch it, the further I get away from that view. I love that they can take apart the genre by looking at it from a different angle, then shrug their shoulders and heap mayhem on the third act. It’s beautiful. It’s the result of some guys who made a movie they always wanted to watch, and had a lot of fun doing it.
They show you all the monsters they could have used instead of the Zombie Redneck Torture Family, then they unleash them all on the world in a blaze of bloody glory. (If you’re looking for great way to kill time, do a Google Image search for “Cabin in the Woods Monsters”.)
The concept is perfect. The cast is great. The dialogue is fantastic. It’s Friday! Let’s all have fun and watch The Cabin in the Woods.
And don’t forget to dance.
