Movie Review: Cabin in the Woods

Back in November of 2010, MGM filed for bankruptcy. Doing so shelved a lot of projects, which included 007 Skyfall and The Hobbit. One of the more unknown projects the company took with it was Cabin in the Woods. The film has literally sat for two years waiting for distribution. A lot has happened in two years. The film’s star Chris Hemsworth has exploded in popularity, Joss Whedon has moved onto making The Avengers, and the horror genre itself has continued to evolve. Thankfully, Lionsgate picked up distribution rights and has finally released Cabin to the world. To say that the wait was worth it, and that the film was completely and unexpectedly brilliant, is still underselling it.

First and foremost, this movie is a gamechanger if I have ever seen one. If Scream was a movie that took the horror movie stereotypes and spoofed them and made them relevant, then Cabin in the Woods takes the same stereotypes of the genre, reinvents them and painstakingly goes into detail about why certain things happen. I can honestly say that this movie has made me view other films like The Evil Dead or Friday the 13th in a completely different way. It's difficult not to when you are educated on why certain things to happen to certain people within the rules of a horror movie.

The plot of a film like Cabin in the Woods is extremely difficult to review. Part of the fun of this film is in the discovery of exactly what is happening, so I will stay away from as many spoilers as I can. What it boils down to (on the surface) is 5 college kids who vacation at, you guessed it, a cabin in the woods. Upon making a discovery in the cellar, they unwittingly awaken the previous owners from the grave. To be honest, none of this even scratches the surface of what this movie is actually about. It's a self aware horror movie with some humor infused, but it is also so much more than that. This film has so many reveals, but at no point does it feel convoluted. Between the opening and the final act, you'll wonder if you're even watching the same movie as what is being advertised in the trailers. On one hand, if you're expecting a simple slasher flick, you'll be disappoined. On the other hand, it's best for you to go into the movie thinking that is all you're about to watch.

This is a movie for the true horror geek. As spill.com pointed out, the horror geek is a devoted fan. We'll see just about any pile of crap horror movie. Having said that, people like me who have seen it all will get a kick out of the numerous references this movie pays homage to. Everything from Hellraiser to Call of Cthulhu is up for grabs. Hell, the director has even stated that the cabin itself is a replica of the one used in Evil Dead 2.

Unfortunately the marketing for this movie is subpar, and makes it difficult to grasp the originality because knowing too much about this movie before going in ruins it. This is a movie that will rely on word of mouth, and with a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems to have gotten a head start. I was one of the people who thought this was going to be a flash in the pan, run of numbers horror movie. I should have trusted that Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard were capable of a lot more. Cabin in the Woods might turn out to be the biggest surprise of the year, and the new standard that horror movies should strive to be.

Movie Review: Evidence

Evidence is a movie that has been on my radar ever since I read the first review on Dread Central sometime last year. The film was praised for its balls-to-the-wall second half by DC, as well as several other reviewers. Apparently the film happened because writer Ryan McCoy purchased a copy of Paranormal Activity and felt he too could add to the ever growing "found footage" genre. While the film definitely earns its reputation, it also had me split in a few areas.

The film begins with Ryan picking up his friend Brett for what will be his first camping trip. The two pick up Ashley and Abi and head out to what appears to be a destination located in Southern California (although we’re never told exactly where the film takes place). The premise literally begins with four unlikeable characters taking part in a documentary…about camping. Do we care? I sure didn’t. Luckily the film’s pace moves right along and it isn’t too long before we move into the good stuff. On the first night, the characters hear inhuman screams coming from deep inside the woods. During a hike the next day, the group spot something at the cliffs below that is definitely not human. As if two days of weird stuff isn’t enough, they spend another night which is also accompanied by more screams, which happen to be closer than they were the night before. Sometime during the night, one of the guys is taken. It isn’t long before the girls are left alone to discover just what is hunting them, and it is here in the third act that the film’s tagline delivers in a big way: "it isn’t what you think."

What started as an average (at best) horror movie soon becomes a well-executed "what the fuck just happened?" sort of experience. It’s hard for me to elaborate on this without giving anything away exactly. Trust me when I say this is almost two different movies when looking at the first half compared to where you are by the time the movie ends. I went in knowing a little about the movie, but even I was surprised with where we ended up.

What keeps this from being a perfect "found footage" movie is the poor setup. The idea of a documentary about a guy camping for the first time is laughable. If they had simply went with a group of people video taping what was supposed to be a wild weekend outdoors, it would have been fine. The four characters in this movie are also very unlikeable. Granted, the film ends up being more about what happens around them other than being a character focus, but would it kill writer Ryan McCoy (who also stars) to make these people identifiable in some way. By the time the movie ends, not a lot is laid out for you to clearly get an idea of what just happened. It’s very open ended in terms of letting the viewer piece it together just as the survivors must do. This can work for and against the film depending on the type of person you are. If you need every last detail explained for you, then Evidence probably isn’t going to be your cup of tea.

Despite these complaints (which now seem minor in the grand scheme of the movie), Evidence is a movie well worth sticking with until the very end (the credits offer a lot of story). Ryan McCoy has stated that he’s had a favorable reaction to the film, and has since written a follow-up. Personally, I’d like to see a prequel helping to explain a little of what we saw in the film’s final half an hour. Despite its flaws, Evidence earns a spot among the best in the genre and is well worth your time.

The Greatest Year For Movies Part 1: April 2012

American Reunion
April 6, 2012
Click here for the trailer

The last entry in this series to go theatrical was American Wedding back in 2003. Since then, Universal has released four direct to DVD sequels, each dealing with Stifler's extended family. I've seen the direct to DVD sequels, and while Band Camp is passable, the rest are absolutely terrible. They forgot what made the original trilogy so great, which was that first and foremost it loved its characters. You'd think that direct to DVD is where a once popular franchise would go to die, yet these movies kept making crazy amounts of money. They were top sellers for Universal year after year, so it was inevitable that a true sequel would happen one day.

Over the course of the original trilogy, I grew quite fond of the characters in the American Pie series. The films themselves were crude, but had a sweetness to them. I attribute a lot of this to where I was in life with each new entry. High school, college, friends getting married, etc. Now comes American Reunion during a time in which I just attended my own 10 year reunion. The film catches up with all of the characters from the first two films (as a number of them were missing during Wedding) as they attend their high school reunion. The film is written and directed by the duo that has brought us the Harold & Kumar movies, so the signature gross out moments are sure to remain intact. As this is one of my favorite film franchises, I'm hoping the new script stays true to the characters and the nature of the original movies.

Cabin in the Woods
April 13, 2012
Click here for the trailer

Well, this should be interesting. Cabin in the Woods was made back in 2009, but due to MGM's increasing financial trouble, it was shelved until now. The film sounds promising enough, and why shouldn't it? The film is written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, who have a pretty good track record. It even stars Chris Hemsworth, but back when this was made he was still an unknown. In fact, this is Hemsworth's second feature to get a delay due to MGM's financial crisis (the remake of Red Dawn is finally going to see a release). Due to the nerd love for Whedon, I've heard about this movie for years. The script was circulating the internet for awhile, and I was able to check it out. By watching the trailer above, one would assume it is going The Evil Dead route, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Then the trailer gives away the twist, and leaves you wondering what in the hell you just watched. I believe that this film would have crashed and burned back in 2009, but with Hemsworth being a star and Whedon directing The Avengers it could turn a profit. Just don't expect it to be any good.

Bullet to the Head
April 13, 2012
No trailer as of this time

This marks the first time since his career revival that Sylvester Stallone has starred in a film that he has neither written nor directed. His track record seems to indicate that he does better when he's in complete control of the project, so this could go either way. The film, based on the graphic novel of the same name, centers on a hitman (Stallone) and an NYPD detective (played by Sung Kang of Fast & Furious fame) who are brought together by the murder of their respective partners to take on a common enemy (Jason Momoa). The original director of the film was Wayne Kramer, who made the fantastic Running Scared, dropped out late in the game which was extremely disappointing. The saving grace is Walter Hill was brought aboard to make the film. Hill is no stranger to this type of action movie as he is responsible for genre classics like Last Man Standing, Red Heat, 48 Hours and The Warriors. Stallone himself has stated that his success now depends on whether or not he can transport audiences back to when action films were at their peak. With a production team like this, I don't think that will be a problem. I expect Bullet to the Head to bury Cabin in the Woods on opening weekend.

Honorable Mentions: Reportedly, the Weinsteins have been working hard at getting Scary Movie 5 ready for this summer. No word on cast or writers, but a release date has been eyed for April. Despite calling post-conversion 3D absolute crap, James Cameron has gone ahead and post-converted Titanic and will release it in theaters this April as well.

Movie Review: The Silent House

I had heard about The Silent House back in 2010 and was impressed by what it promised: "Real fear in real time." The film was shot in one continuous take. No cuts. No edits. Just a camera running for 72 minutes, which means if anyone missed their cue at the 70 minute mark they get to start all over again. After seeing this on a list of movies to look out for in 2012, I decided to seek it out and see if it lived up to its potential.

As far as I know this is the first movie of its kind, which is probably why it comes from Uruguay. God forbid Hollywood does anything this inventive. The film is based on real events that took place in the 40s. A father and his daughter Laura (played by Florencia Colucci) are hired by their friend Nestor to renovate a small cottage. They arrive late and spend the night in order to get an early start the next morning. Laura begins to hear noises outside and attempts to wake her father, but he shrugs it off. After Laura hears footsteps coming from the second floor, her father agrees to go upstairs and look. Like 100% of horror films, he doesn't come back and Laura is left to not only find her father, but also discover the secrets of the house.

With a mere budget of around $6,000 the film manages to look great. The only lighting comes from a pair of lanterns that Laura and her father use to get around the house. The crew appears to be minimal as only one camera is used to follow Laura at all times. Don't expect anything fancy here as it's low budget, and any steady cam work is out the window. The film also does a great job at keeping you guessing. When all is said and done, it was mostly unexpected. If you do manage to catch the film, be sure to stay after the credits for a creepy little epilogue.

The Silent House was a pleasant surprise, especially since Atrocious had ruined my expectations of similar types of movies. They manage to hide to small budget, the performances are on par, and it manages to tell a creepy little story. You'll hardly notice the way the film was shot, but once it is over it is quite impressive to see what the filmmakers have pulled off here. The format works extremely well for low budget horror, and I think it can be used as a platform to improve upon in the future. For now though, The Silent House is the one and only movie that can claim it has "fear in real time."

UPDATED: Apparently this is movie has a remake coming out in March, starring the forgotten Olsen sister, Elizabeth. No word on if the same gimmick is being employed or not, but either way get ready for an inferior remake, America.