It's hard to know what to say about Cabin in the Woods without giving too much away. Instead of being one of those films that just completely changes course in the middle (say similarly to From Dusk 'til Dawn) this wonderfully perverse production sets out its quirky, unconventional stall from very early doors. Likely to be too "out there" for those who like their movies with less of a twist, it's a smart, funny and very enjoyable slant on a genre that descended into clichés a long time ago.
Where to start... basically the film opens with your typical college students heading off for a weekend of fornication and frolics in the woods. On the way they meet a grumpy hick bearing more than a passing resemblance to your quintessential serial killer, who basically sign posts their deaths. As this intriguing production progresses, we cut to a government building of some sort where Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins are watching the creepy goings on from what appears to a control room. Trust me, it's funny.
When films sit on the shelf for a couple of years generally it's not a very good sign. But funding studio Summit initially wanted to transfer it into 3D, which producer and co-writer Joss Whedon didn’t fancy very much. Thus it stalled, and the rumours started to surface that it was shite. Regardless of the build up to its release, the resulting film that Goddard and Whedon have delivered is the proprietor of a witty form of satire not seen in this genre since the first Scream film.
Granted, it's not as straightforward a slasher as Wes Craven's genre classic, and the cabin scenes aren’t nearly as entertaining as Whitford and Jenkins' effortless bantering, but it still works both individually and collectively. The latter scenes are pretty much pitch perfect, and even when they move to a slightly darker place it still works cohesively, and builds towards an ending of gleefully unhinged fun.
Worth watching for the great Whitford and Jenkins alone, this is easily the best satirical slasher since the better days of the Scream series.