When it comes to cinematic entertainment, few genres have had the enduring quality and consistent popularity of horror films.The New York Film Academycredits “Le Manoir du Diable” as the first example of the genre in 1896, and since then, there have been hundreds upon hundreds more released, delighting and frightening audiences throughout all of cinematic history. Horror has grown and evolved over the years, with many filmmakers approaching the stories with their own unique perspective on what makes a good horror film, including screenwriter Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, both of whom have a history of bringing a new and unique spin on classic horror mainstays, having worked together onBuffy the Vampire Slayer.
In the early-2000s, horror films had avery particular look, having fallen into a series of tropes with a heavy focus on often excessive gore and reliance on visceral on-screen deaths that were often more uncomfortable to watch than being truly scary. Goddard and Whedon in particular were unimpressed with what the horror movie had become, and so decided to write a film that not only celebrated many of the classic elements that made up the genre, but also served as a satirical indictment of where they saw these stories going astray. What came out of this project was 2012’sThe Cabin in the Woods.
After more than a decade, the resulting film is still an entertaining example of filmmaking from writers that clearly love and understand horror movies. Let’s take a retrospective look at this love/hate letter to one of film’s oldest genres to see where it fell in the 2000s and early-2010s, and see how it stands amid the decade of film projects in the field that followed.
What Was The Cabin in the Woods?
In theearly-2000s horror movieshad a very specific look and feel. Films likeSawandFinal Destinationwere popular, and audiences seemed to be invested in this particular style of movie. However, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon were not completely on board with the formulaic approach that these movies had embraced. These two, as reported on byTotal Filmback in 2012, had a belief that horror movies of the time had gone just a bit too far in the direction of tropes and clichés, and decided to write what they called a “loving hate letter” to the genre, celebrating what they loved about these movies, and satirizing the things that they didn’t.
The Cabin in the Woodstook some of these concepts to the point of parody, hanging neat lampshades on these elements that audiences would have otherwise simply taken for granted in any other film at the time. This movie was simply good fun, allowing the audience to enjoy themselves with a horror movie that was self-aware enough to poke fun at the very clichés that it was employing, even while telling an over the top story tailor-made for horror movie fans everywhere.
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Was the Film Successful?
Often times, when a film is made to satirize or critique some part of the industry, that film has a tendency to rely on the very things it is making fun of to make sense.The Cabin in the Woods, however, manages to neatly sidestep this pitfall while still making every point that Goddard and Whedon set out to make. Not only did the bonkers scenario, self-aware critique, and phenomenal creature effects manage to highlight the tropes and beats that other films relied on, but the finished product was a neatly executed piece that was able to stand on its own, earning critical acclaim and audience support, as evidenced by its 92% and 74% scores onRotten Tomatoeswith critics and audiences, respectively.
The film also won a bevy of awards, including a Bram Stoker award for best screenplay, marking this project as a demonstrable success. This comes down to the writers truly understanding how to create something that was relevant without needing to rely entirely on the rest of the industry, making a film that accomplished their goals while still being fun to watch for audiences that may not have been too invested in its satirical elements.
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Is The Cabin in the Woods Still Relevant?
Since the early-2000s, horror movies have changed and evolved, relying less on the tired tropes and cliches thatThe Cabin in the Woodswas poking fun at and becoming dynamic and fresh in many ways, sometimes even veering into territory that can be truly thought-provoking. Given this evolution of the genre, Goddard and Whedon’s self-aware entry in this corner of cinematic history may seem to be less relevant than it was back in 2011.
However, the fact is that while the film was intended to provide commentary on where horror movies were at the time, it was also intended to be a good movie all on its own, and it accomplished that goal brilliantly. Even among the new slate of horror films being released, there are things thatThe Cabin in the Woodsdoes exceptionally well that make it well worth the watch more than a decade after its initial release.
This was a movie that wasn’t afraid to have fun with itself, that had scares and tension, but was still a lot of fun to watch. When discussing horror movies, not just today, but across all eras of film, a common element is that horror movies can bedifficult to sit throughfor many people in the audience, and few could really be called “fun.” Having an option for audiences that want to enjoy the ride, have the requisite tension, but still have a good time watching the movie is a good thing, and something that even now, after more than a century of cinematic development, is rare enough to be truly delightful.
