Here thar be spoilers: The Cabin in the Woods. And Spoilers.
Last night, the wife and I finished "The Cabin in the Woods" which I have heard a lot of great things about. It was an intelligent, interesting movie that kept me invested in the characters, the story, and the world-building. I would expect nothing less from Joss Whedon (except for Dollhouse--which sucked).
But here's the thing. The Cabin in the Woods is probably the grittiest episode of Scooby Doo you'll ever watch.
And that being said, try to watch this movie now without the realization that Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby are all just a bunch of frisky co-eds getting picked off one by one in a remote cabin...in the woods.
I mean, the whole thing is genius. If you didn't know jack about Scoob and the gang, you'd never see it coming. Aside from establishing the quirks and identifying parts of the characters in the beginning, the story really begins when they stop for gas at some abandoned-looking backwoods Deliverance gas station. There, they meet the Harbinger, who is a crusty bible-thumping redneck who puts them all off-kilter with his creepy hostility, yet also shows the cohesion of the characters, and the potential strength and loyalty of the Shaggy character.
I'm serious. Once you realize it's Scooby Doo, you won't remember the character's names at all. Luckily for me, (and not you if you haven't seen the movie but are reading this first) I didn't realize this until the last ten minutes of the movie. I just jokingly called the one guy Shaggy.
Once the Harbinger is passed warning those kids away from that Buckner place, they drive their van, the Rambler, through a tunnel that takes a dog-leg inside a mountain (quite the engineering feat for a three bedroom cabin nobody ever goes to), as a hawk fries itself on an force shield. Dun DUn DUNNNN!!!!
The narrative is peppered with these government installation moments, where these guys and Amy Acker in lab coats make banter and have funny, yet edgy discussions about things, which seem totally unrelated to the Scooby Gang.
By the way, what is it with Scooby Doo and Joss Whedon anyway? He must just be ape-shit about that show. It comes up in Buffy, Angel, all sorts of places. Could it be that Scooby Doo is tapping into the Jungian models and Joseph Campbells Hero of a Thousand Faces archetypes? Was Scooby Doo just that amazing?
Anyway, creepy stuff happens. It turns out the kids are being monitored by the government agency like a reality tv show. Bets are placed on the method of their demise, which they go for the standard "You never read creepy Latin shit out loud" scenario as pioneered by Sam Raimi. In fact, at this point in the film, I started to kind of doubt the genius of the Whedon, thinking he just cribbed notes off Evil Dead 1 and 2. Creepy basement, creepy stuff going on. Slutty co-eds.
But after shenanigans ensue and undead inbred hillbillies from Hell are unleashed, we finally get to see Daphne's tits. I've probably been waiting for that moment since 1978. I was not disappointed. Well, for about 30 seconds I wasn't. Whedon didn't pull any punches with this movie.
Like I said, grittiest episode of Scooby Doo EVER.
The movie keeps on going and as the puzzle pieces fall into place, sprinkled with Whedon's signature ensemble cast humor, it keeps you going. Even when you realize that the redhead is Scooby. A very hot Scooby...
I've already ruined enough of the movie, so I'm going to stop here. The rest is just unbelievable. It gives weight and substance to Scooby, dragging H.P. Lovecraft into the Hanna Barbera world, dragging it by the ankles, wailing and mewling. When you see this movie all horror movies, Scooby Doo episodes and the rest will suddenly make sense.
A+
But here's the thing. The Cabin in the Woods is probably the grittiest episode of Scooby Doo you'll ever watch.
And that being said, try to watch this movie now without the realization that Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby are all just a bunch of frisky co-eds getting picked off one by one in a remote cabin...in the woods.
I mean, the whole thing is genius. If you didn't know jack about Scoob and the gang, you'd never see it coming. Aside from establishing the quirks and identifying parts of the characters in the beginning, the story really begins when they stop for gas at some abandoned-looking backwoods Deliverance gas station. There, they meet the Harbinger, who is a crusty bible-thumping redneck who puts them all off-kilter with his creepy hostility, yet also shows the cohesion of the characters, and the potential strength and loyalty of the Shaggy character.
I'm serious. Once you realize it's Scooby Doo, you won't remember the character's names at all. Luckily for me, (and not you if you haven't seen the movie but are reading this first) I didn't realize this until the last ten minutes of the movie. I just jokingly called the one guy Shaggy.
Once the Harbinger is passed warning those kids away from that Buckner place, they drive their van, the Rambler, through a tunnel that takes a dog-leg inside a mountain (quite the engineering feat for a three bedroom cabin nobody ever goes to), as a hawk fries itself on an force shield. Dun DUn DUNNNN!!!!
The narrative is peppered with these government installation moments, where these guys and Amy Acker in lab coats make banter and have funny, yet edgy discussions about things, which seem totally unrelated to the Scooby Gang.
By the way, what is it with Scooby Doo and Joss Whedon anyway? He must just be ape-shit about that show. It comes up in Buffy, Angel, all sorts of places. Could it be that Scooby Doo is tapping into the Jungian models and Joseph Campbells Hero of a Thousand Faces archetypes? Was Scooby Doo just that amazing?
Anyway, creepy stuff happens. It turns out the kids are being monitored by the government agency like a reality tv show. Bets are placed on the method of their demise, which they go for the standard "You never read creepy Latin shit out loud" scenario as pioneered by Sam Raimi. In fact, at this point in the film, I started to kind of doubt the genius of the Whedon, thinking he just cribbed notes off Evil Dead 1 and 2. Creepy basement, creepy stuff going on. Slutty co-eds.
But after shenanigans ensue and undead inbred hillbillies from Hell are unleashed, we finally get to see Daphne's tits. I've probably been waiting for that moment since 1978. I was not disappointed. Well, for about 30 seconds I wasn't. Whedon didn't pull any punches with this movie.
Like I said, grittiest episode of Scooby Doo EVER.
The movie keeps on going and as the puzzle pieces fall into place, sprinkled with Whedon's signature ensemble cast humor, it keeps you going. Even when you realize that the redhead is Scooby. A very hot Scooby...
I've already ruined enough of the movie, so I'm going to stop here. The rest is just unbelievable. It gives weight and substance to Scooby, dragging H.P. Lovecraft into the Hanna Barbera world, dragging it by the ankles, wailing and mewling. When you see this movie all horror movies, Scooby Doo episodes and the rest will suddenly make sense.
A+