One of the best horror movies of the 21st century is 10 years old. "Let's get this party started."
Horny teenagers have been slain in grotty, dark cabins for decades. At Crystal Lake, having sex pretty much guarantees a machete through the chest from Jason. At Camp Arawak, a simple shower will seal your fate.
It's a tried, tested and rinsed trope, even today; consider it a pillar of the genre, like the doomed partygoer who says 'I'll be right back' and the idiots who always suggest splitting up when a killer is on the loose.
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One film, released on 13 April 2012, was much bolder than it appeared. "You think you know the story."
Check out the trailer for The Cabin in the Woods below:
The Cabin in the Woods, directed by Drew Goddard and co-written with Joss Whedon, follows a clichéd, Breakfast Club of college students who go to a remote cabin for a weekend of debauchery.
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There's 'The Athlete' (Chris Hemsworth), 'The Whore' (Anna Hutchison), 'The Fool' (Fran Kranz), 'The Scholar' (Jesse Williams) and 'The Virgin' (Kristen Connolly).
While exploring the cabin's cellar, they come across all sorts of strange objects, but one of them eventually reads incantations from a long-lost diary, resurrecting the the zombified Buckner family.
In the interest of preserving the film's off-kilter greatness, I shan't spoil it any further, but there is far more beneath the surface and beyond the perimeter than meets the eye.
All I'll say is this: Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford are phenomenal.
Upon its release, The Cabin in the Woods grossed more than $69 million worldwide, more than doubling its budget. While not a huge success, it attracted critical acclaim, and its reputation has seen it become a recurring curiosity on Netflix.
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The late, great Roger Ebert wrote: "You're not going to see this one coming. You might think you do, because the TV ads and shots at the top reveal what looks like the big surprise — and it certainly comes as a surprise to the characters. But let's just say there's a lot more to it than that."
Katey Rich of Cinema Blend also wrote: "You'll have to see it, and you really have to see it if you love horror, hate horror, or have any interest in seeing how the genre can function as a playground for something completely fresh."
The Cabin in the Woods is available to stream on-demand now.
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Topics: Horror, Film and TV, Entertainment, Chris Hemsworth