Cabin in the Woods (2012)

tl;dr - Go see this movie right now!

I said at one point that I don't really want to right any reviews anymore, but there are exceptions. I went into Cabin in the Woods knowing absolutely nothing about it. I left with it being possibly one of my favorite movies, and I'm recommending it to anyone who likes any kind of horror movie whatsoever. Whether you like slashers, action/survival-horror, psychological horror, etc., there will be something for you.

I don't want to give anything away because the movie is done extremely well, so stop reading here and watch it. Here there be spoilers.

Cabin in the Woods opens with an office scene including the villain from Billy Madison, letting you know that this movie isn't serious. This is followed by the group of college-age people getting ready for a weekend at someone's cousin's cabin. The stoner character's travel mug actually made the audience in my theater cheer. After that, the movie plays out like Evil Dead or Pumpkinhead. The difference is that I cared about these characters; I wasn't just waiting for them to get killed by the monster du jour.

The best part about this movie is that it manages to parody and pay homage to all other horror movies. It successfully parodies the jump scare! It does it well, too! At the heart of the movie, Cabin in the Woods explains why all horror movies are the way they are.

Near the end of the movie, the tone moves away from Evil Dead and goes more into 13 Ghosts territory. Most of the monsters in this movie are clear parallels to other movies. I noticed references to Hellraiser (sawblades and a sphere instead of pins and a cube), the Strangers (baby masks), and It (killer clown). I can't wait for the DVD so I can comb through them all frame by frame.

Seriously, get off the Web and watch Cabin in the Woods!