I like him, but maybe I'm just envious of that bong
― I cannot host as my wife hates Walker (latebloomer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:39 (twelve years ago) link
he was in Dollhouse, and (for me) he came across the same way as I imagine he did for you at the beginning of the series, but he eventually developed incredibly well. Same thing happened here, although instead of "incredibly well" it was just "well enough".
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:40 (twelve years ago) link
christ those Rex Reed/Jeffrey Wells reviews are angering me up
god that wells review is weird. key slice:
No horror film is about basking in the humanity of the characters and taking emotional saunas. All horror films say to the audience, "You're fucked." But even for a genre that has revelled in blood and torture and sadism over the last 25 or 30 years, Cabin In The Woods is a stand-out. Horror isn't about "scary" this time -- it's about an ice-cold spectator game that will deaden your soul. Nobody cares, everybody suffers, blood everywhere, take the pain, life hates you, we hate you, God hates you, Lionsgate hates you, fuck off, we want to hear you scream for mercy. Oh, and one more thing: you're so much more fucked that you know.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:41 (twelve years ago) link
Sugarplum Fairy
yeah, it made me want to see all the other permutations SO DAMN BAD
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:43 (twelve years ago) link
that's the thing, the whole system purge bit is all about the pure joy of horror. All those scary creatures in the same place. It's just fun!
― Number None, Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:45 (twelve years ago) link
a musical number wouldn't have been that out of place in this
― humba (NZA), Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:48 (twelve years ago) link
the fact that there was actual payoff for the merman joke is so damn awesome
― I cannot host as my wife hates Walker (latebloomer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:51 (twelve years ago) link
Gah, the Rex Reed review is even worse than the Wells. And kind of embarrassing, too. He doesn't seem to have understood what was happening in the film:
It’s all part of an elaborate video game that allows paying customers to watch real people slaughtered according to the horror of choice. The five kids in the cabin are innocent pawns to test the mechanics of the game, the way fiends in a horror movie test the sounds of screaming babies as they feed them to the jaws of mutated crocodiles.The game, like the movie, is a meaningless absurdity. If it sells, people with a passion for gore can experience real terror while the players are shredded, one by one.
The game, like the movie, is a meaningless absurdity. If it sells, people with a passion for gore can experience real terror while the players are shredded, one by one.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:52 (twelve years ago) link
oh yeah, maybe the high point of the whole damn thing. or, well, one of many.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:53 (twelve years ago) link
somehow never read a Rex Reed review before, but just from what I saw in his CITW review I can't stand him
― Chris S, Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:55 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, a few critics seem to have gone with the "oh it's a reality show society is crumbling do you see" angle". No it's not. It's to appease THE OLD ONES
― Number None, Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:56 (twelve years ago) link
South Park had a similar idea in that Britney Spears episode, kind of brilliant and otm actually
― Chris S, Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:58 (twelve years ago) link
Had a brief disagreement on twitter about this. Guy thought the joke was ruined and should have just been a throwaway line. I disagreed. #teamblowhole
I was worried it was going to be Reality TV very, very briefly, as I think My Little Eye covered that territory pretty well.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Sunday, 15 April 2012 06:59 (twelve years ago) link
the merman joke was expertly built up i thought
― Number None, Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:00 (twelve years ago) link
they did kind of hint at someone who was watching though right? was it, you know, ripley? or old ones?
― humba (NZA), Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:04 (twelve years ago) link
did anybody else wish the end credits had rolled over a montage of the only ones completely annihilating the world. like with "holiday road" or something instead of nine inch nails? cuz i sure did.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:08 (twelve years ago) link
lol "the only ones"
THEE OLD ONES
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:09 (twelve years ago) link
Another cabin, another planet
― Number None, Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:11 (twelve years ago) link
if so, i didn't catch it. seemed to me that the video feed was only for the purposes of the monitors, though it was probably watched in different ways by people at various levels in the operation.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:11 (twelve years ago) link
i smacka you face
^ old ones to urfs
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:12 (twelve years ago) link
a lot of people were awesome in this, but man did bradley whitford fucking knock it out of the park.
― these pretzels are makeing me horney (Hungry4Ass), Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:16 (twelve years ago) link
otm, though i can't let that go without raising a glass to richard jenkins
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:20 (twelve years ago) link
One niggling plot hole, though: thry had heart monitors watching all five of 'em, so why were they surprised when stoner dude turned up alive?
― Simon H., Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:36 (twelve years ago) link
I kind of thought that he worked out there something monitoring him and tore it out but I'm making a huge leap there. That whole twist wasn't handled as well as it should have been. Though having the final girl fighting on the dock on those screens as everyone was partying was pretty great.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Sunday, 15 April 2012 07:39 (twelve years ago) link
xpost I think the intern is holding a sign that says "I'm just the intern." May be an in-joke I don't get re: the actor.
Did you catch how many of the scenarios/horror movie cameos pop out of the elevators? Yes, the Angry Molesting Tree makes an appearance, but so does the elevator full of blood from "The Shining."
Still want to know how every international scenario was able to best its villain. You'd think this would be a little less convoluted, given what is at stake. There is a throw-away line like "this was a lot easier when we could just throw someone into a volcano." Well, why don't they? I did like the meta-joke that the reason all the other countries fail is that they are not good at horror, but that doesn't quite explain it.
Double-metagag when they imply the exploding tunnel ruse was messed up by something "upstairs," which briefly implies God. But in this film, the lab is downstairs, so by upstairs they mean the stoner fiddling around with the electrical box. Which they didn't know at the time. And kind of makes for a hilarious God-metaphor.
I used to read Wells a bunch, and I was a regular commenter, but to date that is the only site/forum that made me say "fuck this place," leave and never looked back. The dude is an ass.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 15 April 2012 13:10 (twelve years ago) link
Jeff Wells is NOT a critic, just sayin'
― World Congress of Itch (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 15 April 2012 15:24 (twelve years ago) link
this was grebt imo. much funnier than BRIDESMAIDS and not much scarier, but great great fun. the whiteboard and the various horror cameos were brill. sugarplum fairy and Fornicus were champs during the free-for-all.
was kinda bummed that the *SPOILER ALERT* merman *END SPOILER* wasn't ultimately scarier-lookin' but there's no question it had to show. blowhole made up for unthreatening cartoony look.
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Sunday, 15 April 2012 17:13 (twelve years ago) link
"am i on speakerphone?"
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Sunday, 15 April 2012 17:23 (twelve years ago) link
I dug this well enough, although hardly the "game changer, OMG 5 stars" that some press has painted it. Lots of fun, but *MILD SPOILER I GUESS* the bird hitting the force field in plain sight early on really spoiled the Evel Knievel attempt later as it totally telegraphed the outcome, whereas if that had just been allowed to happen then I'd have been much more WAU *END SPOILER*. Merman blowhole was A+ though, as was speakerphone lulz and as mentioned the attention to detail was v engaging. I did fuckin' love the evil Hellraiser style dude-with-puzzle-ball (is this a thing? I don't recall seeing it before).
― that mustardless plate (Bill A), Sunday, 15 April 2012 17:44 (twelve years ago) link
Can't say enough good things about the wolf's head scene.
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Sunday, 15 April 2012 17:48 (twelve years ago) link
Thor was about to solve the puzzle ball in the cellar.
― "Fourvel - it's like Fievel, but one less." (R Baez), Sunday, 15 April 2012 17:48 (twelve years ago) link
*MILD SPOILER I GUESS* the bird hitting the force field in plain sight early on really spoiled the Evel Knievel attempt later as it totally telegraphed the outcome, whereas if that had just been allowed to happen then I'd have been much more WAU *END SPOILER*.
That's what I said on the other thread. They blew an opp for another "Deep Blue Sea"-level gag.
I'm totally seeing this again this afternoon, this time with my wife, who has no clue. Before I went the first time, she was all, oh, I won't ruin it for you. So last night I asked her if she knew what was going on in the movie, and she's all, yeah, a bunch of kids go out to a cabin, and a whole bunch of horrible stuff happens to them. I said, you have no idea, and immediately booked a sitter. Though of course, when I saw it on Friday at noon, I was sitting in front of an extended Mexican family: grandma, two parents, possibly an uncle, four kids, the youngest maybe as old as four. I wonder what in the world they got out of it.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 15 April 2012 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
>Thor was about to solve the puzzle ball in the cellar.
Should've been clearer: I remembered the ball from earlier in the film, but wonder if this character and device are from the wider world of fantasy/horror than just this movie? It's a clear riff on Hellraiser, but was pretty striking visually and I liked the puzzle master's baleful gaze.
*SPOILER* Josh, spot on, regarding DBS. It seemed an odd misstep, and Thor's "don't worry, I'll get help and we'll kick their ass" speech would have been much more satisfying if his demise had been allowed to play out as a total suprise *END*
― that mustardless plate (Bill A), Sunday, 15 April 2012 18:29 (twelve years ago) link
Potential cursed basement artifacts iirc included the puzzle ball, jewelry box, conch shell (I assume to call the merman!), mirror ...
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 15 April 2012 18:39 (twelve years ago) link
Conch was def for the merman.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Sunday, 15 April 2012 18:41 (twelve years ago) link
Pinhead and only Pinhead, I supsect, though I think I get what you mean. The motif and imagery resonate really strong in the moment, the, I dunno, twenty seconds it's confronted it in the CUBE prison.
― "Fourvel - it's like Fievel, but one less." (R Baez), Sunday, 15 April 2012 18:43 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, that shot held on the puzzle master's face was a successfully creepy moment, I thought. Rest of the film is a lot of fun, but barely a shiver raised throughout.
― that mustardless plate (Bill A), Sunday, 15 April 2012 18:54 (twelve years ago) link
I'm of two minds w/r/t to the force field scene - it would have made a fine DBS type scene, w/ say the forcefield showing more strongly (brighter) to key the audience into what it really was and maybe a quick cut to Whitford saying "At least the forcefield isn't glitching, god knows we don't want a repeat of '05."
On the other hand, it's entirely in line w/ the movie's m.o., all the tropes underlined beforehand, the audience knowing ahead of the kids that the end-of-the-second-act uplift is gonna prove false and Thor's heroism is gonna falter, w/ our POV, by that part of the movie, pretty close to the middle-management down in the bunker.
― "Fourvel - it's like Fievel, but one less." (R Baez), Sunday, 15 April 2012 18:54 (twelve years ago) link
my assumption was that the ritual takes place according to a certain occult logic. there has to be a contest of some kind, and the form of the content has to reflect the ways in which we deal with our terrors. i.e., the contests have to resemble horror movies, because that's the form our anxieties now take. this isn't stated clearly, but it's the impression i got.
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 18:56 (twelve years ago) link
On the other hand, it's entirely in line w/ the movie's m.o.
this is true, but like i said in the other thread, the movie would have benefitted, i think, by being a bit more sparing with certain information. the eagle gag is a prime example. would have been a lot more fun if we'd been able to wonder for a second whether or not he might make it. and the exploding hawk scene wasn't that great to begin with.
[*BIG SPOILER*] I also wish they hadn't telegraphed the sacrifice theme and presence of the old ones quite so clearly. I had a pretty good idea what was going on from the film's first images (the drawings and paintings of sacrifices seen reflected in blood during the opening credits). Thought it would have been nice if the watchers' larger motives were allowed to remain a bit mysterious. We knew everything about what was going on before the movie was half over, and that left the second half a bit flat, imo. Funny, but never terribly suspenseful or surprising.[*END SPOILER*]
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 19:04 (twelve years ago) link
eagle, hawk, whatever
It's a tough balance, really. If they had saved it all for the end, the reveal would have been a bunch of expository talking. Then again, the Celebrity Cameo was mostly just expository talking, anyway, so who knows?
According to the imdb, someone asked the director after the first screening if there would be a sequel, and he was basically, did you just see the movie?
Like I said, seeing this again today. Anything you all want me to keep an eagle/hawk eye out for that you may have missed?
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 15 April 2012 19:24 (twelve years ago) link
Puzzle Sphere = Fornicus, Lord of Bondage and PainMusic Box = Sugarplum FairyJournal = The BucknersConch = MermanNecklace = ?
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Sunday, 15 April 2012 19:59 (twelve years ago) link
no idea who the necklace might be connected with. and we have to assume that the basement was FULL of stuff we never saw, other items linked to the unicorn, the giant snake and bat, china doll killers, gorebot, etc.
also, didn't it seem that there were a great many more monsters in storage than were reflected on the betting board?
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 20:41 (twelve years ago) link
there definitely were more nightmares and sight gags in storage than we saw on the board. from what was on the board i'm quite sad we missed out on the wendigo/yeti. and the snowman.
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Sunday, 15 April 2012 20:46 (twelve years ago) link
Old school film reels were prob the werewolf, and there were def china dolls in there somewhere
― Rango Unchained (jjjusten), Sunday, 15 April 2012 20:47 (twelve years ago) link
forgot the film reels! okay yeah gonna have to see this again.
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Sunday, 15 April 2012 21:02 (twelve years ago) link
"actually I think we should split up... we can cover more ground that way"
― Chris S, Sunday, 15 April 2012 21:08 (twelve years ago) link
from the pants-shitting thread:
http://i.imgur.com/BQaLg.jpg
― BEMORE SUPER FABBY (contenderizer), Sunday, 15 April 2012 21:17 (twelve years ago) link
oh hey I'm rewatching ALIAS and in the last season Amy Acker shows up as a villain!
― ɥɯ ︵ (°□°) (mh), Tuesday, 23 October 2012 02:54 (eleven years ago) link
no spoilers
― Author ~ Coach ~ Goddess (s1ocki), Tuesday, 23 October 2012 03:13 (eleven years ago) link
she is a secret agent (omg spoilers)
― ɥɯ ︵ (°□°) (mh), Tuesday, 23 October 2012 03:19 (eleven years ago) link
her mis-usage was one of the worst things... in that already poor season
― Nhex, Tuesday, 23 October 2012 04:06 (eleven years ago) link
Has Joss' penchant for redheads ever been spelt-out anywhere? I mean, yeah, I quite support it
― the max in the high castle (kingfish), Tuesday, 23 October 2012 04:49 (eleven years ago) link
he definitely had a lot of weird types... some actors I can't really picture in anything but whedon stuff
― Author ~ Coach ~ Goddess (s1ocki), Tuesday, 23 October 2012 05:13 (eleven years ago) link
xp: did you see the crew of the helicarrier in Avengers?
― how's life, Tuesday, 23 October 2012 08:17 (eleven years ago) link
man, wasn't really feeling this at all. had avoided spoilers, have enjoyed a lot of jokey/satirical horror flicks in the past and appreciated the spirit it was done, but it fell totally flat for me outside of maybe some of the whitford/jenkins stuff. also obviously scares/fx were not really the point but it just looked terrible, was so dim and hard to tell what was going on i started to wonder if it had been released in 3d.
― extremely loud and incredible hulk (some dude), Saturday, 27 October 2012 00:22 (eleven years ago) link
I didn't like this much either other than thinking it was a neat idea. I avoided this thread and spoilers, but maybe I should have read something about it. I was hoping the movie wanted to scare me, not make me laugh.
― JacobSanders, Saturday, 27 October 2012 00:38 (eleven years ago) link
contendo otm throughout this thread
― (alternatively, “Respec’”) (forksclovetofu), Monday, 3 December 2012 16:19 (eleven years ago) link
Finally saw this. Loved it, for every reason already stated thruout the thread, really. The elevator dings, the "you're kidding me" merman death payoff, the telescoping coffee bong, all the meta meta meta. I went in expecting Whedonesque comic timing so I wasn't disappointed. Must watch it again.
― Manti and the Catfish (Trayce), Sunday, 20 January 2013 10:24 (eleven years ago) link
Finally Watched this over the weekend, loved it. Most entertaining movie I've seen in a long time. I definitely second a monsters poll from way upthread.
― "Turkey In The Straw" coming from someplace in the clouds (Sparkle Motion), Monday, 25 February 2013 18:24 (eleven years ago) link
Spoilercorns in a walk.
― how's life, Monday, 25 February 2013 22:16 (eleven years ago) link
Finally saw this last night and, yes, amazing.
― JACK SQUAT about these Charlie Nobodies (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Sunday, 3 November 2013 18:13 (ten years ago) link
Bradley Whitford's delivery of the line "teQUILA is my LADY!" is masterful.
― Immediate Follower (NA), Sunday, 8 December 2013 06:00 (ten years ago) link
Just watched it, finally. SO FUN.
― emil.y, Wednesday, 4 June 2014 02:38 (ten years ago) link
:D
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 4 June 2014 02:50 (ten years ago) link
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130714203334/thecabininthewoods/images/9/9b/Cabin-in-the-woods.gif
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 4 June 2014 02:51 (ten years ago) link
Did we ever get round to doing a Cabin in the Woods monster poll?
― the joke should be over once the kid is eaten. (chap), Wednesday, 4 June 2014 15:02 (ten years ago) link
Wow, do I wish there were more movies like this. Totally holds up on third viewing, years (right?) later. Still say the only misstep in the entire thing is revealing the electrified grid dome thing too early for the sake of a lame CGI eagle gag, but the rest is pretty flawless and really smart.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 16 August 2014 18:29 (nine years ago) link
I need to watch this again
― Οὖτις, Saturday, 16 August 2014 18:30 (nine years ago) link
Still say the only misstep in the entire thing is revealing the electrified grid dome thing too early for the sake of a lame CGI eagle gag
Nah thought that was good! It added to the sense of "ok what the fuck is going here" that permeated the first act.
― the joke should be over once the kid is eaten. (chap), Saturday, 16 August 2014 19:13 (nine years ago) link
going ON here
― the joke should be over once the kid is eaten. (chap), Saturday, 16 August 2014 19:19 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, but you already know there's something weird going on, from minute-one, and by the time, way down the road, they do bring in the electrified fence as a plot point, I doubt anyone would still be wondering what's going on, let alone be surprised something strange is going on. Revealing the fence early on ruins the gag later. I mean, no biggie, it's just an unforced error.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 16 August 2014 19:44 (nine years ago) link
Did catch something I somehow missed the first two times, that after she kills the zombie in the basement with a knife, they send her a little electric shock that makes her drop the knife.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 16 August 2014 19:49 (nine years ago) link
it's not a gag later. you're meant to be that far ahead of the characters by now, and filled with dread at how they're going to fuck up, not startled.
― boney tassel (sic), Sunday, 17 August 2014 02:02 (nine years ago) link
that's true, but the existence of the sky-fence would have come as a nice surprise during the escape attempt, had not the useless eagle gag spoiled it
― Adding ease. Adding wonder. Adding (contenderizer), Sunday, 17 August 2014 05:59 (nine years ago) link
189 posts later...
― een, Sunday, 17 August 2014 07:19 (nine years ago) link
SPOILERS DISCUSSION
I thought it was more effective foreshadowing than ruining surprise. If you wern't told about the shield beforehand then it'd be dumb having it pop up during tha scene for the first time, it would be as if they'd just written ANOTHER thing that can go wrong, as opposed to the lead forgetting that no, running's not gonna work. action vs horror or something
― DISMISSED AS CHANCE (NotEnough), Sunday, 17 August 2014 11:02 (nine years ago) link
stalemate. we need to have somebody not read this thread is what we need to do, and then they go and watch the version of the movie without the eagle and report back, compare notes is the idea.
― Adding ease. Adding wonder. Adding (contenderizer), Sunday, 17 August 2014 11:17 (nine years ago) link
I want a print of this:
http://www.nerdist.com/2014/09/hey-l-a-celebrate-joss-whedon-with-this-weekends-gallery1988-show/
http://www.nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery/Gallery-1988-Whedon_08.png
― Stephen King's Threaderstarter (kingfish), Friday, 5 September 2014 21:45 (nine years ago) link
rewatched this again, just as fun the second time around. kinda agree the thing with the bird is unnecessary.
― Οὖτις, Friday, 5 September 2014 22:01 (nine years ago) link
― emil.y, Tuesday, June 3, 2014
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Saturday, 5 December 2020 03:03 (three years ago) link