Movies: The Cabin In The Woods

[woodwardiocom]

B. and I saw this last night. It's a very smart horror movie, which I recommend to anyone with an interest in the genre. We had a lot of fun.

I'm declaring the comments a FULL-SPOILERS zone, for those who want to talk details.

But here, I shall say no more.

[Ding!]

Comments

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

So, did you notice that the Scholar was introduced catching a football, the Athlete's first scene involved him giving good academic advice, the Virgin was musing over her affair with one of her professors, and the Fool was conisistently clever, starting with his collapsible bong?

The three Scandinavian horror films I'm familiar with are Dead Snow, Trollhunter, and Let The Right One In. I wonder which one the Scandinavian team based their plots on? (Probably not Dead Snow, since that's basically the plot of Cabin with Nazi zombies instead of redneck zombies.)

[rednikki.livejournal.com]

Yes - that was because the various chemicals they were given were designed to change their personalities.

When the Scholar is introduced they explicitly state he's the top football-player on the team.

I really liked that!

[minkrose]

Okay, so I haven't seen this yet but I know a little bit from a friend who keeps insisting I'd like it. Basically, what I know is: horror tropes and satisfying deities, hence the structure of horror movies.

So, while I liked Shaun of the Dead, I generally don't like horror. I don't enjoy gore but I'll tolerate it. I hate torture porn. I don't do well with suspense or psychological tension, but I know they are necessary for the genre.

My question is: should I see this anyway? I'm really tempted. I've heard a lot of good things. But Doctor Who gives me insomnia terrors (usually the uncanny valley style monsters), and I don't need more shit keeping me up at night. Also, movies like Sorority House Massacre make me sad -- I feel empathy for the serial killers, and wish they were getting the support for their mental illness that they so clearly need.

Advice appreciated. :D thanks.

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

On the gore front: Most of the gore is framed as farce: It's so far over the top, it stops being gore and starts being interior decorating. There's nothing worse than the worst scene in Shaun (the disembowelment), and most of it is milder.

I can only think of some fleeting torture bits. One of them is defanged by the satire going on in the foreground, the others are, again, in the "farce" part of the film.

Most of the suspense gets promptly broken by a funny bit. You don't get ramped up agonizingly.

The monsters are mostly unthinking zombies or beasts. There are a couple that might fall into the Uncanny Valley (they're brief), and a couple that might arouse sympathy (but this is intentional by the filmmakers).

There are "bad human" characters in this film. You're supposed to have mixed feelings about them, so if you feel sympathy for them, it's appropriate.

While some horror movies gave me the willies afterwards (The Grudge, yeeek), this one didn't. By the last act, most of the theater was cheering, not freaked out.

Does that help?

[minkrose]

That's perfect. It sounds like there's sufficient humor, which is the saving grace of scary things, for me. I suspected that since you liked it so much, that I would probably like it, too. Hopefully I can convince Andy go, too. Thank you!!

[mizarchivist]

Robin went to see it (no surprise there). She confirmed this is not a movie for mizarchivists.