Cabin in the Woods

****

Cabin in the Woods feels like it has a classic horror flick set up. 5 stereotyped co-eds take a vacation from school and go to a nice deserted location and mayhem ensues.  In this case, the nice deserted location is your classic creepy cabin in some nicely wooded area and the 5 college stereotypes are along the lines of the slut, the virgin, the alpha/jock, the nerd, and the dufus (or "fool" as he's referred to in the movie, but I'll refer to him from here on out as "Shaggy" because that's what I thought every time he was on screen).  Shaggy, by the way, has the best bong I've ever seen. This is my first time watching the film, and I specifically have not read previous reviews in order to avoid any spoilers. This flick goes a bit meta. Unlike many typical horror flicks where the characters travel off to some great place only to get killed off one by one, this film declares that these characters are specifically set up to die by some huge international agency which ensures death via actively observing and manipulating them. In fact, you meet employees of said agency at the opening of the movie and subsequently see them betting on how the co-eds will be killed--that part was great fun! Joss Whedon of course allows for some "free-will" by having the college kids stop at a horrible gas station with a horrible gas station attendant who provides a dire warning that inevitably, the horror flick characters ignore. The characters also use their "free will" to choose what horror trope they will experience in their lovely cabin getaway.  Good thing in real life free will takes the collegiate crowd to well populated beachy places with lots of alcohol like Cabo and South Beach. The film does a great job of both honoring and poking fun at the horror genre.  It mixes humor with nice scary gore. I laughed as well as gasped from typical horror surprises and gore.  The bureaucratic agency and the student plot lines eventually intertwine with a beautiful scene where an elevator travels from the cabin through the agency. I refrain from describing it incase anyone has yet to see it, it is visually delightful. Overall, the film felt like a nice nod to Scooby Doo and the meddling kids and the cameo at end got a happy "squeee" from me, at least until the character spoke, then it was a bit stilted but whatever. Well played Whedon, well played.