The Cabin In The Woods

SPOILERS AHOY, EVERYBODY! If you haven't seen it, don't read on!! 

Yes, America, I know you got it like, a year ago. But over here The Cabin In The Woods came out on like, Friday, and today a troop of us headed down to the cinema to watch it. Amongst the group: at least two dedicated Whedonites, and a horror hater who jumps at the title credits, let alone anything else.

And actually...everyone loved it. To quote one of my friends, in fact:

"The Cabin In The Woods is aaaaaaaaaweeeeeeesomeeeeeeeeeeeee. Still bemused how it managed to parody every single horror cliche in the book and still turn out to be one of the most original films I've seen in a while.Very clever and very funny- by far the best film of 2012. Also there's a badass unicorn in it. GO SEE IT NOW."

I, on the other hand, wasn't a hundred percent sure. Yes, I loved what it did with the subversion of horror paradigms...but it definitely hammered it into us, certainly not the definition of subtle. Meanwhile, rather than having a subtle, complex and layered storyline we have a smooshing of sinister dystopian sci-fi control with a parody of a horror film...because that's never been done before. 

Anyone?! No?!

I did like that the heroes weren't heroic. Sometimes I feel like Buffy was too badass...badass + attractive = basically aimed at what guys like to see on the screen.* Don't tell me that's not hot. Dana, who I'm begrudgingly naming the protagonist in this film, is hot too (this is Hollywood, people) but as a personality? We find very little in her to warm to and she is most definitely not the definition of a badass. But that's a good thing - she's a realistic character, not a sexual object at either end of the scale. I like that. 

 If anything, I'd say Marty, the stoner who beats up a zombie with his telescopic bong, is the character I truly warmed to. Just because he's a don. And the image of Dana and Marty, smoking a joint  as they witness the end of the world, is a stunner. It's probably also loaded with subtext but that's another story for another essay. Sweet lord I wish I was a film student.

So...to conclude. Plot bad. Characterisation good. Aesthetics good. Underlying message good, if overblown. Crowd reaction good. I believe that puts us at 4.5/5? 

So maybe you should all go see it now.

LOVES, Emma x

*Disclaimer: I have only seen the first two series of Buffy. I'm working on it. Forgive me if my perceptions were wrong.