The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Plot of The Cabin in the Woods: A group of college friends take off in an RV to an old cabin owned by a relative of one of them. They are Curt and his girlfriend Jules and other friends Dana, Holden and Marty. Meanwhile we see some office type guys in white shirt and ties arriving at a control room provided with keyboards and screens, and on the screens we see the cabin and those inside. It appears that they are controlling events at the cabin, and as the group read some words out of a diary from a century earlier, apparently quoting the abuse of a girl by a parent, but on the reading of the words, out in the woods, zombie like characters rise from the earth, intent on death and destruction. Unaware Curt and Jules go out into the woods together, where they are attacked by the zombies, watched on screen by the control room. Jules is beheaded, but Curt gets away, but in further events he and Holden are killed, although Marty survives an attack resulting in he and Dana finding their way into an underground complex where mayhem awaits for everyone.

Content: Jules gets her top off with Curt out in the woods, before being attacked. Marty seems to be smoking weed a lot. There is also some swimming in the lake. We see the guys in control of events pressing buttons and making things happen in the woods and over time it becomes evident that these young people are actually being sacrificed for the benefit of a race of beings who otherwise would destroy the world. Parallel presentations elsewhere have failed to be suitably completed. There is a lot of stabbing and one beheading and after a while the survivors are covered in blood. But for the task to be fulfilled Marty must die and he seems likely to survive, particularly once he and Dana get into the complex, where many monsters are released. If you still don’t understand why it’s all happening the director appears to explain everything.

A View: This film has been well thought of by a lot of critics, in part because it puts forward many horror tropes as part of the manipulation by the shirt and tie guys. The controllers are suitably smug and the college kids suitable frightened, although I did find myself wondering about some bits of the plot, apart from the main reason for the whole thing, but by the time we’ve got there a lot has happened. If you like horror films this may be one for you.

Fun Fact: The release was delayed for two years due to MGM going bottom up, meaning that Hemsworth had been seen as Thor by the time it came out.