From Robert Scucci
| Published
Horror comedy has always been a subgenre that benefits from a healthy amount of self-awareness and meta-humor to get its point across clearly. Through over-the-top violence, recognition of common tropes, and use of outrageous and comical violence, The cabin in the forest is the absolute king of horror comedy because it celebrates its inherent ridiculousness with unimaginable enthusiasm. You won’t just laugh in disbelief as you watch The cabin in the forestYou’ll later have difficulty watching similar horror movie plots that directly reflect it because they’re so effectively lampooned.
The technicians
The cabin in the forest makes one aggressively think of the “man behind the curtain” as its narrative frame is set by lab technicians Gary Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Steve Hadley (Bradley Whitford). Gary and Steve reveal that they are about to begin an annual ritual in which five college students spend the weekend in a remote cabin in the woods and head into a massive underground laboratory to do what they want to do best thing: witnessing the violent deaths of stereotypical character archetypes for some as-yet-unexplained reason.
All the viewer is told at this point is that a group of students are getting ready to party while the actual party is already taking place underground as Gary and Steve open a bet with the lives of their chosen victims at stake stands.
As they pound dials and switches and prepare for the impending carnage, the technicians send their minions into the titular cabin so they can unleash a horde of monsters, demons, and zombies to do their bidding.
The victims
Never shy away from the tried and tested horror tropes we all know and love, The cabin in the forest introduces Dana (Kristen Connolly), Curt Vaughan (Chris Hemsworth), Jules Louden (Anna Hutchison), Marty Mikalski (Fran Kranz) and Holden McCrea (Jesse Williams).
Each character’s personality embodies the classic horror movie victims you’d expect – Marty is the overly talkative stoner who won’t shut up about conspiracy theories, while Anna is known for being the promiscuous girl in the group.
Rounding out the group are Curt and Holden, who play on the same football team while studying, and Dana, the prude.
The hut
Since the two narratives mentioned above work simultaneously, The cabin in the forest plays out like a group of puppets trying to survive the whims of their sadistic masters in the underground facility. From Mordecai The Harbinger’s (Tim de Zarn) warnings about the cabin’s violent past to the Latin incantations written by the mysterious Patience Buckner (Jodelle Ferland) in an old diary found in the cabin’s basement Every interaction is carefully planned and enforced through the use of trapdoors, pheromone mist and other exaggerated, artificial bumps in the night, making for a carefree weekend getaway Turn your cliché into a slasher film.
For example, after a heated argument, when Curt suggests that the group stay together, he immediately changes his mind and suggests that the group split up to cover more ground as he passes a vent emitting a mist that is his to reduce inhibitions.
A hilarious bloodbath of the highest order
The cottage property in The cabin in the forest is derivative by design, which is why this film is so fun to watch. On the one hand, you will be emotionally touched as the five selected victims make their way through the treacherous forests and fight for their lives. But once you’re reminded that there’s a cheering room full of technicians watching her every move and placing bets on the outcome, you somehow want to plunk down $20 in favor of the Virgin’s survival because you want to believe that the “last girl“always comes out alive.”
The cabin in the forest is like no other slasher film you’ve seen before. Although it borrows heavily from all the classic slasher films, it not only tries to reinvent the genre through its self-awareness, but it also succeeds. If you are ready to experience this violent spectacle The cabin in the forestYou can currently stream the title for free on Tubi.
