The Cabin in the Woods

When I watched the movie "Cabin in the Mountains" and heard about the excitement that struck among horror fans, I had a feeling that I missed something. One hundred percent ratings are absolutely absurd. However, it is said that the film is the best thing that was made in the genre in 2012. Furthermore, it is emphasized that it is the most original. It is unbelievable contradiction when we realize that basically everything in the movie is very unoriginal. You will have the feeling that you are watching "Evil Dead" for a while, then "Cube", and I wouldn't be surprised if you had similar feelings as when watching "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil". There is really very little originality here. The most original thing is the fact that the unoriginal is creatively combined into one whole which surprisingly works. On one hand, it is new and unconventional, despite being unoriginal. "Cabin in the Mountains" draws inspiration from the long history of horror and uses it to present us with essentially just an ordinary horror comedy. It is not a light comedy that does not have dull moments, it does. But the story is so interesting that it can captivate you. The originality of execution and connection of seemingly unrelated elements works. The debunking of horror myths also works. It doesn't matter then, that the film turns into a typical B-movie at the end, which has exhausted all ideas and is just trying to finish it off. It is good. Against my will, I have to say that it is a good film. Unoriginal, newly conceived, good. I didn't laugh like crazy, but some jokes were really good here. Good lines and especially references to old beautiful movies. Nevertheless, I think it's sad where horror is heading. Will we praise unoriginal films just because it is simply not possible to create anything that would blow our minds anymore? Have all the original ideas really run out and all that's left is to recycle and try to look at it differently? Remakes, plundering of classics, parodying them, which also happens in this case, and of course, the effort to twist it a little. Long live the strange world where the best thing is what has already been made and everything new is only criticized, often rightly so. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/10/prach-uspesna-pokracovani-animaku.html (01/03/2013)

I've never seen a movie like this and I probably never will again. This is a horror where everything that has always been perceived as “classical horror elements” is turned upside down and you struggle to keep up. Enough said! This is just one of those movies where it’d be a shame to say anything more. Just watch it and then let me know how shocked you were so that more people decide to watch it. I think that should do it. (14/07/2014)

Joss Whedon is not only a name in Hollywood, but a worldwide phenomenon when it comes to original screenwriting. He is bursting with ideas from every direction, and when he manages to bring something to completion, it is often an event. Or maybe not, because he is also able to fascinatingly kill some ideas. If there is something really interesting about The Cabin in the Woods, it's the concept that combines the good old Lovecraft style with modern teen massacre stories and plenty of horror props, all presented with a sympathetic perspective. The trouble is that The Cabin in the Woods is cluttered, and unfinished, oscillating between several genres, and what it does best, namely comedy, is hardly mentioned. Drew Goddard lacks directorial experience and probably even sufficient cinematic sensitivity to give the film a style, comb through Whedon's ideas, and above all, imprint it with atmosphere. Scenes that are potentially horror-inducing do not evoke fear. Those that could be suspenseful are rushed or wasted. The ironic elements do work, but they could be much more effective - they don't even come close to the best works of Sam Raimi. In the end, the film turned out to be a disappointment, although it cannot be said that it is a complete waste of time. I have no problem watching The Cabin in the Woods once, but I won't go back to it. Overall impression: 55%. (01/12/2013)

The Cabin in the Woods is a truly original film, no doubt about it, as you would hardly find a similar theme within the horror genre, which is a big plus on the one hand. However, on the other hand, this originality results in a story that is, to some extent, completely muddled and out of control, in a bad way, because a little plot disobedience is welcome from time to time. The film doesn't lack for build-up, tension and more than one surprising twist, but there are also a lot of wtf-moments where you get quite lost at times. In short, a film that is lifted out of grey mediocrity by its premise, only to have its madness subsequently trip it up. (09/02/2016)

Of course this formula scheme is soooooo tired and the ripoff of the greatest classics so obvious that it won’t be missed even by an average cinephile viewer. Still, there remains the fact that it's pretty nicely shot and that the million times warmed-over "high school" stereotype, as far as the characters are concerned, keeps you entertained with its predictability and infinite stupidity (the jock, the blonde b*tch, the geek/stoner, the naive virgin...). As much as I hate to admit it, I give a big plus for the elevator scene, because there was some semblance of originality there and it was filmed very impressively indeed. All in all, quite a delectable one-time treat. Even so, history will not be rewritten and Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead can rest in peace (in my opinion, at least until death). (02/11/2013)