The Cabin in the Woods - Page 3

Originally Posted by Schils 

Like someone mentioned, the five youngsters sure got stupid when $#!t starts hitting the fan (even without the help). I know, I know, just like all the victims do in these movies, and that in itself is one of the points - but again, these folks were also presented as unknowing/unparticipating, real people. So are they trying to sell me a serious scare movie or a satire?

Originally Posted by HDMe2 

Maybe I give too much credit to Whedon... but I assume that this was poking fun a bit and winking to the camera at the traditional elements of the horror genre, so that's how I watched it.

Originally Posted by Greg_R_STL 

I watched Cabin in the Woods for the first time tonight, and really enjoyed it. I found the concept to be totally unique, but probably long overdue as a take on the horror genre. Naturally, any film that analyzes its own genre is going to inspire some backlash, but I was well entertained, and I didn't actively hate any of the characters.

Originally Posted by NetworkTV 

If you mean it's overdue in the sense that it's far too late to the party, then I'll agree.
Scream (and it's lesser sequels) did this very thing years ago. Even Shaun of the Dead got into deconstruction of zombie theory a bit, as well. There's also Funny Games from 2007. It's like how the "found footage" category was pretty worn out with all the other attempts following "The Blair Witch Project", though I do think Cloverfield improved on the genre.
My issue isn't that it analyzes itself so much as it fails to offer any depth. Every moment where they could have really stepped into being self aware, it felt like it stepped back as if it were afraid to embrace what it wanted to be. Plus, it felt like it didn't really know how it wanted to get from point A to B to C, with many things that didn't make sense once you got to the conclusion. It's like they had a bunch of ideas on what the movie would lead up to, but forgot to modify the middle portions to jive with that conclusion.
As far as the characters, I didn't hate any of them either. In fact, other than the pothead guy, I didn't give a damn about any of them. I was completely apathetic as to whether they lived or died.

Originally Posted by Greg_R_STL 

Granted I haven't seen Funny Games, of the movies you mentioned, only Scream actually made an attempt to deconstruct the genre. Cabin is much more effective, because they don't tell you, they show you. No other movie has used the mechanism of a "horror scenario construction organization" and still had real, no-foolin monsters. The horror genre is beyond starved for new ideas, and look, here it is. The concept alone should make it a classic, and I believe it will be. As far as the story construction, the script, and character actions, I didn't have a single problem with it, because their conceit is that the techs had multiple ways of affecting and controlling behavior. All the actors did a good job with their characters, everyone was well cast. If there's less tension about kills, it's by design. Very good movie.

Originally Posted by NetworkTV 

The problem with the horror genre is that the people making the movies have forgotton the "Horror" and have focused on gore. It's not about being scary anymore, so much as making us squeamish. It tries to be disturbing rather than creating real fright. In other words, when in doubt, slit someone's throat, disembowel them or poke thenm in the eye with something sharp.
It's actually the fact that movies now have to show us everything that makes them less scary. Our imaginations are no longer a part of the process, which is far more frightening than anything they might show. When we don't see it, we imagine it in a way that is scary to us, rather than whatever way the filmmaker thinks is scary.

Originally Posted by Shaded Dogfood 

8.99 at Beast Buy Black Friday sale. The website indicates this (and a bunch of others) to be sold out online and not available for pickup, but they're there. They came in in shipping conitainers at the local one, and you had to rifle through the pile. Not a whole lot of Cabin in the Woods ones, however, at 10AM Friday 11/23.