The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Reviews Counted: 227
Fresh: 208 | Rotten: 19
The Cabin in the Woods is an astonishing meta-feat, capable of being funny, strange, and scary -- frequently all at the same time.
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Critic Reviews: 42
Fresh: 37 | Rotten: 5
The Cabin in the Woods is an astonishing meta-feat, capable of being funny, strange, and scary -- frequently all at the same time.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 172,195
My Rating
Movie Info
Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen. If you think you know this story, think again. From fan favorites Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes The Cabin in the Woods, a mind blowing horror film that turns the genre inside out. -- (C) Lionsgate
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Kristen Connolly
Dana -
Chris Hemsworth
Curt -
Anna Hutchison
Jules -
Fran Kranz
Marty -
Jesse Williams
Holden -
Richard Jenkins
Sitterson -
Bradley Whitford
Hadley -
Brian J. White
Truman -
Amy Acker
Lin -
Tim De Zarn
Mordecai -
Tom Lenk
Ronald the Intern -
Dan Payne
Matthew Buckner -
Jodelle Ferland
Patience Buckner -
Danny Shea
Father Buckner -
Maya Massar
Mother Buckner -
Matt Drake
Judah Buckner -
Nels Lennarson
Clean Man -
Rukiya Bernard
Labcoat Girl -
Adrian Holmes
Demo Guy -
Chelah Horsdal
Demo Guy -
Terry Chen
Operations Guy -
Heather Doerksen
Accountant -
Patrick Sabongui
Elevator Guard -
Phillip Mitchell
Lead Guard -
Naomi Dane
Japanese Floaty Girl -
Ellie Harvie
Military Liaison -
Patrick Gilmore
Werewolf Wrangler -
Brad Dryborough
Chem Department Guy -
Emili Kawashima
Japanese Frog Girl -
Aya Furukawa
Japanese School Girl -
Maria Go
Japanese School Girl -
Serena Akane Chi
Japanese School Girl -
Abbey Imai
Japanese School Girl -
Marina Ishibashi
Japanese School Girl -
Miku Katsuura
Japanese School Girl -
Alicia Takase Lui
Japanese School Girl -
Jodi Tabuchi
Japanese School Girl -
Sara Taira
Japanese School Girl -
Alyssandra Yamamoto
Japanese School Girl -
Richard Cetrone
Werewolf/Merman -
Phoebe Galvan
Sugarplum Fairy -
Simon Pidgeon
Dismemberment Goblin -
Matt Phillips
Dismemberment Goblin -
Lori Stewar
Floating Witch -
Gregory Zach
Fornicus Lord of Bondag... -
ADVERTISEMENT
The Cabin in the Woods Trailer & Photos
All Critics (228) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (212) | Rotten (19) | DVD (9)
One of the best movies of 2012 so far, in any genre.
Top CriticBy the time the ride is over, director Drew Goddard and co-writers Goddard and Joss Whedon will change course three or four times, nodding and winking but never losing momentum.
And you thought you were just headed for a weekend getaway.
A horror movie embedded in a conspiracy flick embedded in another horror movie-the most inventive cabin-in-the-woods picture since The Evil Dead and the canniest genre deconstruction since Scream.
The climactic one-two punch of special-effects chaos and meta-movie chin stroking should have the fanboys trembling with delight.
"The Cabin in the Woods" gets at the story underneath the story, and the reason behind the clichés.
The Cabin in the Woods is crammed with so many twists and turns that the mere thought of reviewing it and ruining the fun for others is scary in and of itself.
The Cabin in the Woods manages to throw the horror and comedy genres into a blender, and the result is a delicious product that's ridiculously fun and warrants watching at least once.
The best movie of the year so far.
Would you like your head thoroughly messed with? Then check straight into The Cabin in the Woods.
The pleasure in The Cabin in the Woods comes from its audacious tuggings-away of the dramatic rug under your feet.
One hottie, one cutie, one stoner, one jock and one intellectual go to a remote cabin in the woods. If this sounds like a setup for a joke, well, it kind of is.
Taking a leaf out of Scream director Wes Craven's book, Joss Whedon both uses and skewers horror film clichés for this enjoyable tongue-in-cheek slasher.
The Cabin in the Woods is a horror movie about horror movies. Except not really. It's a horror movie about what horror movies do for us, about why narratives of horror mean something to us.
A fiendishly clever genre Rubik's Cube that demonstrates, if nothing else, how much Fangoria fare benefits from the wicked wit of a real writer.
Like Scream before it, the film is a simultaneous dissection and celebration of all the tropes to which it pays homage, while also managing to be a superb example of the genre in its own right.
The Cabin in the Woods is a quick-witted, mind-bending fright fest. A truly rare and original horror film.
In a year that's looking to have a very strong lineup of horror and genre movies, it's very likely that The Cabin in the Woods will come out the king of the hill.
The result is a film that might be too smart for its own good, a piece of meta-fiction that's all meta. The Cabin in the Woods isn't trying to scare us as much as it's trying to enlighten us about being scared, then settles for amusing us about it.
It's not often you can really get a new twist in genre, but this horror movie actually managed to rewrite its own rules thanks to an underlying nihilist sensibility and a fearless approach to formula.
Whedon's and Goddard's screenplay reads like both a love letter to horror movies and a good-natured treatise on what's wrong with them.
While this film is not for everyone -- those who like their slasher film cliches without irony shouldn't bother -- anyone who likes brains to go with their blood are bound to appreciate what Whedon and Goddard have conjured.
Whedon refuses to keep the clichés entirely intact. In keeping with the overall theme, nothing is entirely what it seems, and nobody is entirely who they seem.
Audience Reviews for The Cabin in the Woods
What I loved about the script that it's never what you think it's going to be. The film operates on two planes, the kids in the cabin waiting to be slaughtered and their mysterious high tech puppet masters in a mysterious lab somewhere. Both of these groups, who never cross paths until the very end, constantly surprise and undermine expectations. Director Drew Goddard and co-writer and producer Joss Whedon have achieved something truly remarkable here. The film is wonderfully executed trifle, and you can turn your brain off if that is your desire. Sadly, it's never mine.
If you want to look at it intellectually, this is a meditation on the classic horror movie cliches. It explores the strange prurient need in humans to see young people being punished and slaughtered, particularly for expressing their sexuality. Why has this unquenchable desire created a whole indestructible genre?
All the performances are more than fine, but it's not a starring vehicle for anyone. The kids in the cabin play their stereotypical roles with panache. The standout is Fran Kranz as the energetic and resourceful stoner. Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins and Whedon regular Amy Acker are more than acceptable as the scientist/puppet masters.
If I had read the outrageous and over the top ending on paper -- including a cameo from a huge star of the genre - I would have rejected it out of hand as being patently ridiculous. However, on screening the ending, I don't see how else it could have ended. It's so twisted and supernatural that it makes picking apart the plot at that point irrelevant, which is to the credit of the clever writers. In all, Cabin in the Woods is well worth checking out. That said, I'm not sure how a younger viewer without any prior knowledge of horror movies would enjoy seeing a film that trades in viewer identification with the Elm Streets, the Friday the 13ths, and the Halloweens. Perhaps they should be exposed to those films first.
Super Reviewer
-
- Marty: I dare you all to go upstairs.
-
- Marty: Good work, zombie arm...
-
- Marty: Society needs to crumble. We're all just too chickenshit to let it.
-
- Mordecai: Am I on speakerphone?!
-
- Dana: I'm so sorry I almost shot you. I probably wouldn't have.
- Marty: Hey, shh, no. I totally get it. I'm sorry I let you get attacked by a werewolf and then ended the world.
-
- Sitterson: Aw man, I'm sorry.
- Hadley: He had the conch in his hand!
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Insults the intelligence of the viewer...or more...relies upon their unintelligence... | 4 days ago | 53 |
| Everyone should see this | 7 days ago | 17 |
| Sigourney Weaver | 8 days ago | 10 |
| Cabin | 9 days ago | 24 |
| Thor's Death...... | 9 days ago | 0 |
Latest News on The Cabin in the Woods
September 18, 2012:
RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Katy Perry and The Cabin in the WoodsThis week on home video, we've got a lot of new releases to discuss, including some very...
April 12, 2012:
Critics Consensus: The Three Stooges Is Sometimes Funny, Sometimes Un-SoitenThis weekend at the multiplex, we've got two Howards and a Fine (the Farrelly Brothers' adaptation...
July 21, 2011:
Lionsgate Moves The Cabin in the Woods to April 2012Will this release date actually stick?
What's Hot On RT
Bradley Cooper's Best Movies
Trailer for new Coen Bros movie
Fast & Furious cars gallery
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- Total Recall: Bradley Cooper's Best Movies 8
- Parental Guidance: Epic and Beautiful Creatures 0
- Comic Book Movies You Can Watch Online 3
- In Pictures: The Cars of Fast & Furious 0
- Digital Multiplex: Warm Bodies and Aftershock 8
- Discover the Best-Reviewed Films in Summer Movie Scorecard 2013 0
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Last Stand and Side Effects 17
Top Headlines
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Take Place in L.A.
0
-
10 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About the Hangover Movies
1
-
Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan, and David S. Goyer Talk Man of Steel
0
-
New Transporter Trilogy in the Works
0
-
Richard Linklater Plans "Spiritual Sequel" to Dazed and Confused
0
-
King of Kong Filmmaker Seeks Funding for Lost Limb Documentary
0
-
Which Film Franchise Has Been the Best for Female Characters?
6
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- La Cabane dans les bois (FR)
- La cabaña en el bosque (ES)
