Sometimes I Post Stuff, Sometimes People Read It
Favorite Slasher Movies Cause Why Not
American Psycho (2000)
Scream (1996)
My Bloody Valentine (1980)
Halloween (1978)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Deep Red (1975)
Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2005)
Terror Train (1980)
Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors (1987)
Return To Horror High (1987)
The Burning (1981)
Popcorn (1991)
Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
Torso (1973)
Back in high school when I was starting out as a young freshman getting more into horror movies I saw a film called Scream. I also watched Scream 2 also that night, and both films left a good impression upon me. Shortly after I also viewed for the first time one of his classics, A Nightmare On Elm Street. This is a creepy and effective horror movie with a freaky jump scare near the end and some great performances from its young cast. Therefore last night I was bummed when I discovered that Wes Craven had died from brain cancer. It’s truly a shame as the guy helped shape and influence horror many times over.
I’ve seen other films of his over the years, from the other Scream movies to cult flicks such as The People Under The Stairs and The Serpent and the Rainbow. Both underrated and enjoyable movies that are examples of how Craven also was able to work in social and political commentary into his films. I also had a blast viewing Scream 4 in theaters-it’s a fine send off for the current bunch and it’s why for better or worse that there is a Scream TV show.
There is also other famous Craven films such as his classic revenge flick The Last House On The Left and A New Nightmare, which I dig a lot. Thanks to the Scream films Craven and Kevin Williamson helped bring horror movies back from the fringe in the 1990s, and for that alone he deserves to be celebrated. Few people have the luck and the talent to be a part of two major series and to change an entire genre more than once.
When I first heard about The Cabin In The Woods it was a film that had an original release date of 2009, and then was pushed back to the point where those anticipating it were wondering if the film would see the light of day. Well thankfully the movie was finally released in 2012, with director Drew Goddard and the famous Josh Whedon being its principal writers. This is a movie created for horror movie fans, and also for those who love all of the famous cliches that the genre has offered up over since the dawn of cinema. Thankfully I avoided most of the film’s trailers and also did not read any reviews, as both would offer up spoilers one way or another; my goal with this review is to attempt to do the almost impossible and talk about the film without actually tipping its hand. Still I shall do my best.
Meta in horror movies is nothing unique or new, and funny enough the horror genre was brought back to life by one such styled horror movie: Scream, which is a modern classic and a favorite of mine. I also mention that film since it plays upon famous horror conventions and was rather stylish, original, and entertaining. The Cabin In The Woods is in a similar mode, and I was surprised that it actually had some decent scares and a creepy atmosphere up its sleeve. The humor elements in this movie are also a combination of sharp and silly, mixing slapstick with sarcasm at times. In that regard this is a fine addition to the list of horror meta films, a sub genre that does not get enough credit as it has resulted in some really good horror/comedies that straddle the lines between bleak humor and nasty horror moments.
Oh and the characters for this movie are really quite good. Almost too good for a movie paying homage to the slasher genre first and foremost, and one that plays upon the grace notes of famous horror films. There is even a tip of the hat to the infamous special character, the old guy who warns the characters of the evil despite never moving away from the evil. That’s just marvelous. Few horror movies-hell regular movies that I’ve seen recently-have lived up to the hype quite like this one. Special horror films come along too few and not enough, and they should be recognized and enjoyed. The Cabin In The Woods is one of those movies.
Some last couple of thoughts: those opening credits reminded me of the ones for the 1997 controversial film Funny Games, which I saw last year and which I thought was merely solid at best. I then realized that The Cabin In The Woods is the movie that Funny Games should have been. Sorry if you are a fan of Funny Games, but that’s one horror/drama/satire that failed to live up to its promised reputation. There’s nothing worse than a movie you don’t hate or love, or even like, although I guess I gave it an 80/100 so that’s something, I guess. This is a movie also that I will have to view numerous times. And that I want to see numerous times. Plus trying to find an image for this movie that is not spoiler filled is hard. Really hard.
Look this is based only off the music I have on my iTunes, but its still a decent playlist. Not one I would go with overall if I could make a truly great one, however:
1. Wolf Like Me, TV On The Radio. From: Return To Cookie Mountain
2. Psycho Killer, Talking Heads. From: Sand In The Vaseline
3. The Skin Of The Night, M83. From: Saturdays=Youth
4. The Omen, Jerry Goldsmith. From: Classic Horror Films
5. Psycho, Bernard Herrmann. From: Classic Horror Films
6. Scream, Marco Beltrami. From: Classic Horror Films
7. Halloween, John Carpenter. From: Classic Horror Films
8. The Exorcist, London Bells. From: Classic Horror Films
9. Poltergeist, Jerry Goldsmith. From: Classic Horror Films
10. Friday the 13th (Part 3 score), Harry Manfredini. From: Classic Horror Films
11. Dracula, Various Artists. From: Classic Horror Films
12. Nightmare On Elm Street, Charles Bernstein. From: Classic Horror Films
13. The Prince of Darkness, John Carpenter. From: Classic Horror Films
14. The Silence of the Lambs, Howard Shore. From: Classic Horror Films
15. The Shining, Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind. From: Classic Horror Films
16. Little House of Savages, The Walkmen. From: Bows + Arrows
17. Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival. From: Chronicle, Vol. 1
18. Hush (Live), Deep Purple. From: Deep Purple Icon
19. Screaming Skull, Sonic Youth. From: Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star
20. Shopping For Blood, Franz Ferdinand. From: Franz Ferdinand (Special Edition)
21. Pet Sematary [Single Version], The Ramones. From: Greatest Hits
Overall Length: 21 Songs, 1 hour 16 minutes 36 seconds running time, 390.4 MB.
Down The Rabbit Hole 
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