THE CABIN IN THE WOODS is a horror movie that transcends genres as it continues to change the experience for the characters and break the horror movie conventions.  It all works brilliantly under the finely crafted script from Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard.  I do wish the movie focused more on the monsters revealed in the last thread of the movie, but setting up the expectation it will be a zombie movie before turning it on its head is amazing.   The movie had an interesting post-production history as it was held up by the bankruptcy of MGM before being sold to Lionsgate (which held up the film’s release by around two years).  I have to be careful about what to reveal about the movie because the surprises and rule breaking twists are what makes this one of the best horror movies in the last twenty years.   Try to stay as spoiler-free as possible when you go watch this movie for the first time and you’ll be thanking me for one hell of a genre experience.  What I can tell you it starts with some government types in some type of underground complex before switching to a group of five college students who got out to a cabin in the middle of the woods.   It begins as a regular horror movie before twisting and breaking conventions including mixing several different type of horror stories into this movie.

 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Audio commentary with Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard is full of enough stories and gems about the making of the movie.  It is a thoroughly entertaining commentary.

 

WE ARE NOT WHO WE ARE- a making-of documentary that covers the genesis and production of the movie.

THE SECRET IS MY STASH is spilt up into featurettes (with a play all option) :

MARTY’S STASH- actor Fran Kranz shows the various props created for Marty’s Stash

HI, MY NAME IS JOSS AND I’LL BE YOUR GUIDE-   Joss Whedon gives a tour of the Cabin set

 

AN ARMY OF NIGHTMARES- a look at the various make-up and animatronic effects in the movie that has interviews with the head make-up people who created and designed the prosthetic make-up (and you even see footage of the late Stan Winston).

PRIMAL TERROR- a behind-the-scenes look at the various visual, model, and digital effects in the film.   They created some stuff digitally because they couldn’t do it practically and some model effects were done because the CG effects wouldn’t be good enough.

 

The WONDERCON Q&A has Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard talking about the film and answering questions from the audience.

 

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK: THE CABIN IN THE WOODS BonusView Mode

 

Rounding out the extras are the theatrical trailer, previews for other Lionsgate horror titles, and the Ultraviolet digital copy of the film.

 

FINAL ANALYSIS:   THE CABIN IN THE WOODS is one of the most interesting and rule breaking horror movies in years.  It is an instant classic on a disc with a wealth of entertaining and informative behind-the-scenes extras.  This disc comes highly recommended.

 

This review is (c)9-19-2012 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com