Skip to main content

Halloween Day By Day: The Cabin in the Woods (2012)


I'm heading out for vacation today (don't worry I've got a bunch of stuff scheduled to auto-publish as part of #HalloweenDayByDay!), so I figured I would watch and review the 2012 film, "The Cabin in the Woods".

A group of college friends go to an isolated cabin for the weekend.  But it's not your garden variety cabin.  There's something sinister under it.  Something sinister that is the only thing standing between them... and a greater threat.

I was actually a little hesitant to watch this film for awhile, as I suspected it would be a mere copy of "The Evil Dead", or "Cabin Fever".  But in the end, I'm glad I did- and I was pleasantly surprised.

The concept- on the surface, is pretty simple and basic... but it's the parallel story going on that takes this concept, and makes it unique.  The way the two stories thread together and combine make you wonder what's going on- keeping you actively engaged and wanting to find out more.  Just a rare example of phenomenal, smart storytelling in a genre that relies so heavily on tropes and clichés to breathe life into it's offerings.  I ended up with a feeling of satisfaction by the end of it.

The characters were great as well.  They provided an excellent platform in which to explore the archetypes within the horror genre.  They are all likable- unlike so many characters in recent years.  I wound up actually feeling regret when each of them got picked off.  I wanted them to win and survive- which, I admit has been rare lately... something that made me wonder if I was becoming jaded and cynical.  The fact I came to care about these characters helped to reaffirm that there is a problem in the genre in regards to how many of the characters used are just actually terrible people.

I wanna give props to the cast of this movie.  Each and every single one of them were great.  I could go on and on about each and every single one of the performers, since they all deserve praise for the way they portrayed both the characters- and the archetypes those characters were meant to represent, while subverting them at the same time.  They brought charm, humour, and humanity to their roles.  Even the antagonists were enjoyable to watch.  Bravo and kudos to one and all.  They made this movie a pleasure to watch.

Part of the excellence of this movie came from the camera work.  It used the same general techniques used in standard horror movies, while also bringing something new to the visual part of the storytelling.  The framing of shots, movement of the camera, and the editing of scenes created a great pace, and brought a nice dynamic and energy to the whole thing.

As you can imagine by this point, "The Cabin in the Woods" is a movie that I highly recommend.  Not only would I watch it again- I'm tempted to buy a 4K capable TV so I could.  Watch it.  Buy it.  Re-watch it.  It goes without saying that this one takes a place in "The Good".
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Justin Cider welcomes a Homewrecker to the Fanily

COVID-19 has impacted pretty much everything and, although some industries have slowly been able to get rolling again, sport is one that remains in limbo. This holds true for the world of Thrash Wrestling, which we in The Basement are a proud sponsor of. But the men and woman of Thrash Wrestling continue to challenge each other, and entertain fans, in a creative way. Which is why Jason and Shawn welcome Thrash Wrestler Justin Cider into the ring... err, Basement, when From The Basements takes over the Radio NL 610 AM airwaves at 6:05 tonight! Cider will update listeners on how Thrash Wrestling continues with social distancing in place. And he'll shed some light on the future of the sport, how people can support his Fanily, and more! And stick with us, as Justin joins The Basement Boys for a review of the new horror/comedy Homewrecker starring Alex Essoe and Precious Chong. Does this female-focused comedic thriller deliver the goods? Tune in after the 6 o'clock news ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Top 5 quotes from the Rambo franchise

It's Rambo Day, which means it's a day we celebrate all things Rambo. And no, we didn't make that up. It's a real thing, and part of the lead in to Rambo: Last Blood coming out on Friday. We were going to celebrate by doing a Top 5 favourite Rambo kills, but the fine folks at Arrow in the Head already did something like that, so I figured why not share our favourite Rambo quotes. I like quotes. Quotes are good. Anyway, here we go with our Top 5, in no particular order: 5) "They drew first blood." - John Rambo, First Blood (1982) Because it's always cool when the hero references the title of the movie in a quote. 4) "Live for nothing, or die for something. Your call." - John Rambo, Rambo (2008) Because it's 100-per-cent truth, and is the exclamation mark on a great monologue by Stallone. 3) "I could have killed 'em all. I could kill you. In town, you're the law. Out here, it's me. Don't push it, or I'l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grace Victoria Patterson returns

What's this? Two podcasts From The Basement in less than nine months? Has the world gone mad!?! No, but when past Basement guest Grace Victoria Patterson asked nicely if she could return to this fine podcast, Jason and Shawn -- agreeable sorts that they are -- said yes. Hence we have this new episode for your ear holes! Grace provides an update on her career, which has seen the cheerleader-turned-actress appear in no fewer than eight films plus a TV series, with more projects on the way. She and Jason talk all about this, plus some other stuff. What kind of stuff? Stick with us! And stay tuned, as The Basement Boys discuss a whole slew of movies and television, including the Netflix Jimmy Savile documentary, The Batman, the horror romp The Cellar and more! It's podcasting that's so awesome, you'll be awesomed out by its awesomeness! What are you waiting for? Push play and enjoy!
Post a Comment
Read more