Cabin in the Woods, The (9/18/2012)

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity.

Starring Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford

Directed by Drew Goddard (First feature film)

A clever new take on an ancient story.

A rambunctious group of five college friends steal away for a weekend of debauchery in an isolated country cabin, only to be attacked by horrific supernatural creatures in a night of endless terror and bloodshed. Sound familiar? Just wait. As the teens begin to exhibit standard horror movie behavior, a group of technicians in a control room are scrutinizing, and sometimes even controlling, every move the terrified kids make! With their efforts continually thwarted by the all powerful eye in the sky, do they have any chance of escape?

At first blush, I rolled my eyes and thought… another stupid horror movie with stupid teenagers, doing stupid things, in a stupid cabin and dying in stupid ways. While some of the stupidity and clichés exist, most of them are done tongue in cheek, and there is also something very different about this horror movie.

Note: The rest of this review will have several SPOILERS.

The first clue that something was off was after the typical “let’s all pile in a vehicle and head off to my relative’s secluded cabin where there is no cell phone reception and…” (you get the picture) scene. As the jeep drives away we see a man on a rooftop with a Secret Service communication device. Hmmmmm interesting.

It takes awhile to get there, but eventually you realize this movie is about appeasing the gods with human sacrifice. The images of remote villages, ornate head-dresses and barely any clothes are replaced with high-tech gadgets, computers and the creatures from our worst nightmares. The gods are the same, but how we acquire and sacrifice the victims has changed. In fact, one of the characters comments, “Remember the good old days when you could just throw a virgin into a volcano?”

I have to admit, I kinda liked it.

Now before you start looking up the blu-ray on amazon.com for a Christmas present for me…let me tell some of the things I didn’t like. Once again this follows the typical teenage horror movie story line, which means one thing…S-E-X. There is also plenty of profanity, “Come on, don’t be that dumb” moments and the last few minutes have some pretty cheesy special effects.

But I was expecting an hour and half of that, instead I got a clever movie with a few surprises and a few laughs and a few scares…it’s at least a “Rental.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
While there is no sex or nudity on screen, there is plenty of implied sex and conversations about sex.

There are about 55 F-words, 5 sexual references, 12 S-words and several other milder profanities.

The violence and gore are the biggest reasons for the R-rating.

Conversation Starter

1. In the film the victims “select” how they are going to die from every conceivable “nightmare.” What are some things that scare you?


2. Now besides snakes, heights and the dark, what are some things that really scare you? (We are looking for things like failure, being alone, etc.)


3. Do you know what the Bible says about fears?


4. Read 2 Timothy 1:7
   
   For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
   
   How can we allow God to replace our fear of _____________ with power, of love and of self-discipline?