The Cabin in the Woods

April 19, 2012

72009745

From the abrupt, bloody title card to the wisecracking character intros, “The Cabin in the Woods” begins with a spark suggesting a cheeky horror gem for a new generation — a “Scream” for the 4G-crowd, as it were. The dialogue is snappy, the humor is a spot-on carnage counterpoint, and the skewering of genre tropes makes for excellent snicker-while-you-squirm diversion. It’s been a while since a self-reflexive slasher could truly grab viewers on both comedic and splatterific levels, and “Cabin” has been on a roll since wowing crowds at the South by Southwest Festival. Its greatest weakness is it may be too much of a good thing.

When we meet virgin Dana (Kristen Connolly), sexpot Jules (Anna Hutchison), bookworm Holden (Jesse Williams), stoner Marty (Fran Kanz) and jock Curt (Chris Hemsworth), it’s clear the five archetypes aren’t super bright, headed for a lakeside getaway that has “death” scrawled all over it, right down to the ghastly gas-station attendant who warns against the trip. At the same time, two cynical surveillance gurus (Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford) are tracking the quintet’s every move in what proves to be a controlled arena serving some elaborate program — like “Jersey Shore” by way of “The Hunger Games.”

To say much more would be to spoil the movie’s teased-at twists, which gather like a particle under pressure before exploding into a free-for-all of geek staples. Those who fawn over the work of writer/producer Joss Whedon (“Buffy,” “Firefly”) will especially appreciate his all-inclusive fright-flick upheaval, which sees him collaborate with “Cloverfield” helmer Drew Goddard. The agile spirit of the duo’s film trumps its thin commentary as a transcendent element.

The movie steps wrong in that once it opens its floodgates (which, again, won’t be described here), it never finds a way to close them, and as a result, a lot of that initial vitality is washed away. There’s plenty for which to commend the mad architects of “Cabin,” but one leaves the film wishing it were keener to please all of humankind, and not just the geeks who’ll inherit the earth.