The Cabin in the Woods is BRILLIANT

I'm not a fan of most horror movies, but I love Cabin in the Woods, in fact I would go so far as to say it was one of the best movies released in the past three or so years. And while it does have all the elements of a horror film, Cabin in the Woods takes all the typical tropes of a horror movie, turns them on their head, and tears them apart. It is a deconstruction of horror movies, explaining all the things we take for granted in them: why the characters act so unbelievably dumb and impulsive, why circumstances align just right so that the characters are trapped just when they need to escape the monster, where the creatures come from, that sort of thing.

Explaining all of these details, giving a reason for the supernatural and unbelievable occurrences, changes the supernatural nature of the film. If we know where the monsters come from (the underground pens) and why they are attacking the characters, it takes away some of the uncertainty and fantastic nature of the film. In this way, it is almost more of a science fiction film, where the rules of the universe are different than our own real world, but they are clearly defined to set boundaries and give reasons for the film's events. However, the movie's explanations create as many questions as they answer (what is the story with the gods/ ancient creatures living under the earth? how exactly does the organization performing the sacrifices function?) so really we are left equally mystified by the supernatural aspects of the film.

I also enjoyed the film's metafictional perspective on horror fans. We see the workers in the control room having a party while Dana is being massacred by a zombie, and the audience is disgusted at how jovial they are when such brutal violence is happening in front of them, and how cavalier they are towards the entire situation. And yet, later in the film when the underground is being massacred by the freed monsters, we can't help but look on in awe and, dare I say it, enjoyment -- I know I wasn't the only one in the theater who laughed when the Steve Hadley was murdered by the merman he had so wished to see.