“You gotta keep the customer satisfied.”

Audiences can be beyond fickle. One second, they are into the latest fad, and then the next they are on to whatever catches their attention a little better. Creators have no real advance warning or ability to anticipate when the audience might shift and adjust their likes and interests. As a result, the creatives are forced to keep appeasing these audiences by making and presenting the same concepts, archetypes, and stories over and over again. These stories, these archetypes, and these concepts have been proven to appease the audiences and keep them from revolting. “The Cabin in the Woods”, the 2011 horror meta-infused horror film from Drew Goddard, takes this approach and applies it directly to the genre of horror films as a whole with a sharply satirical, hilarious, and bloody style.

On the surface, “The Cabin in the Woods” tells the story of five friends and their misadventures at the titular shack out in the middle of nowhere. The audience meets Dana (Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Holden (Jesse), and Marty (Fran Kranz), and we immediately get a sense of their character traits. Anyone who has seen a horror film will. They travel up to Curt’s cousin’s cabin in the woods, complete with a stop where they interact with a creepy gas station attendant (Tim de Zarn), who seems to be a “Harbinger” of the dangers to come. Those dangers do come rather quickly as the group is attacked by a family of zombies shortly after finding the family’s diary amongst several over creepy object in the cabin’s cellar. Does this set-up sound familiar in a general sense? It should because the story follows the flow and structure of so many horror films that came before.

The audience immediately can identify every main character fits a particular archetype. Kristen is “The Virgin”, Curt is “The Athlete”, Jules is “The Whore”, Holden is “The Scholar” and Marty is “The Fool”. These will become very important later as the true story of the film unfolds and these characters are put through a living hell for seemingly sinister and otherworldly purposes. They are put through this living hell due to the actions of those working for a seemingly innocuous but yet mysterious facility. Where as the actions of the facility might seem ho-hum to the main employees we meet, Gary (Richard Jenkins) and Steve (Bradley Whitford), they are anything but. This facility is controlling everything the five characters are doing. In fact, they have manipulated their actions leading up to the trip and have selected these five friends for their ability to meet the needs of their particular “archetype”. If these characters do not follow the path laid for them, which includes horrific deaths in the spirit of all horror films, the “Old Gods” will wreak havoc on the entire planet.

So those are the parallel plots at play in “The Cabin of the Woods”. You have the “traditional” horror movie plot of the five friends, and then you have the plot involving the facility and the employees making sure the “story stays on track”. The film does a wonderful job of contrasting the terror experienced by the five friends, and then the bland and mundane actions experienced by the employees of the facility. Jenkins and Whitford are especially great at projecting a sense of tired experience with their characters. You get the sense these two have run this scenario many times, and it’s just another day the office even if that day includes making sure the world is not destroyed by vengeful gods.

Beneath the surface level of the plot, however, “The Cabin in the Woods” tells a rather interesting story in relation to horror movies and genre films in general. It is easy to see the film and its story as a commentary on the filmmaking process as a whole. The facility is the film’s production staff. The creatives and the blue collar technicians that work behind the scenes to put the final product on the screen. They have written the story, and they are making sure the cast follows the script. The five characters are the film’s cast. They are who the audience is supposed to connect with and entertain as the story progresses. Marty’s character is also an analog for pointing out all the lapses in logic that exist in horror films. That, of course, makes the audience the “old gods” that must be appeased. The crew cannot deviate from the established structure of a horror film, otherwise the “old gods”, the audience, will revolt because something different was done and expectations were subverted. The five archetypes must be present. The characters must be punished. There must be a virtuous final girl. Otherwise, chaos will reign. Even though in the world of “The Cabin in the Woods”, this is all really happening, the metaphors are rather easy to see and process from the perspective of a director and writer (Joss Whedon, but we are not going to spend a lot of time dealing with him) processing their frustrations with audience expectations. As the story and metaphors of “The Cabin in the Woods” progress, the film builds to a chaotic final act where Goddard throws literally every horror concept onto the screen for a hilariously bloody climax. He’s telling the audience, “You are getting it all with this film, and you better be entertained!”.

“The Cabin in the Woods” takes enjoyment and has fun with its meta-approach to horror films and genre-films in general. It is not a mean-spirited satire or critique, especially once the film gets to the final act and things really unravel in a wave of bloody fan-service. The makers of the film understand audiences want and expect a particular approach when it comes to horror films. That pattern is tried and true, and there is really no need to deviate from the course. “The Cabin in the Woods” gives the audience that pattern for the first two acts and then plays around with what might happen if things did change. It is a highly clever approach that is done with a highly entertaining execution.

This review is part of my From the Vault series showcasing movies of the past I have decided to visit or revisit and review.

The Cabin in the Woods
(Drew Goddard, 2011)
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