"The Cabin in the Woods" - Indulge in this Greasy, Sweet and Salty Carnival Treat of Horror Films

Oh, what sexy lips you have, Grandma. And your breath doesn't stink at all...

You should see this one in the theater.  It's an event, a grand moment in the history of film's horror genre.  It's not  that it's an extremely meaningful movie: it's junk food, entertainment distilled into its purest form.  But it's the sort of greasy, super salty and sweet carnival morsel that's sure to get a lot of people exciting to go out to the movies, to have fun again, to have something to talk about.

When I saw the preview I was like everybody else: "There's another stupid teenagers being hacked and slashed movie," and I thought I was being clever when I saw a flash of the orange-grid-stuff and was like: "There's the twist ending--this time it's a computer program being controlled by some evil government agency..."  Well, I was right, and so, so wrong.  I won't give the movie away--I refuse to even hint at the possibilities for fear of ruining your pure enjoyment of the flick--but there is so much more to it than that. 

The biggest problem with the slasher flick lies in its fundamental construction.  The best example I can think of in recent years is "Jeepers Creepers," with a fantastic build-up that is creepy and very suggestively frightening, but that looses steam as the monster is revealed.  This happens in most of these movies, and in many with more poorly executed beginnings than in "Jeepers Creepers."  All I am going to say is that "The Cabin in the Woods" has found a way to solve this problem.  Just when the action on most slasher films begins to sputter out, this one is just getting started.

"The Cabin in the Woods" is an homage to horror films.  Go see it.  It's better if you see it in the theater, on the big screen.  You'll see what I'm talking about.  This recommendation says a lot, I think, coming from someone who tends to like his films deeply interesting and thought-provoking (off the top of my head I'm thinking of Polanski's "Repulsion" [1965] to Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist" {2009])  Sometimes, however, it's okay to indulge in a little junk, to celebrate the true purpose of the movies: entertainment.

Unrelated Note: I know I said I'd finally discuss some literary fiction in the form of Cormac McCarthy, and I will; it's coming.  Be patient, damn it!

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