By Chris Snellgrove | Published 42 seconds ago Horror is my favorite genre, but I’m the first to admit it has a major problem: there are only so many kinds of scary movies, and even the best are ripping each other off (like how Friday the 13th was pitched as Halloween at a summer camp). When The Cabin in the Woods came out in 2011, though, this perfectly written movie proved that Hollywood hadn’t run out of ways to scare audiences even while making them laugh out loud. If you’re ready for a few surprises, here’s some good news: anyone who wants a good chuckle between screams (and vice versa) can now stream this quirky horror comedy on Hulu. At first, The Cabin in the Woods has the feel of any other ‘80s horror movie, with a group of good-looking teens gathering at the titular cabin. But it soon becomes clear they are being watched by a mysterious group that is tied to even scarier forces completely beyond anybody’s control. Unless our heroes can figure out what’s going on and what roles they are being forced to play, the group (and quite possibly the world itself) may be doomed. A Cast Full of Genre Legends The cast of The Cabin in the Woods includes Chris Hemsworth , now best known for playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Joining him is Tom Lenk, somebody best known to Buffy fans for his role as naughty nerd (and Evil Trio member) Andrew. The cast also includes fellow Buffyverse actor Amy Acker (still best known for playing Fred on Angel) and Sigourney Weaver (a genre legend still best known for the Alien franchise). The Cabin in the Woods also features some great performances by lesser-known actors, including standout performer Fran Kranz (best known outside this film for The Dark Tower). For genre nerds like me, though, a big part of this movie’s charm is that it brings together icons from Aliens, Marvel , and Buffy, making the film something of a geek buffet. The buffet is particularly tasty for Buffy fans: the script was written by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon and Buffyverse writer Drew Goddard; Goddard (who notably went on to create the original Daredevil show) also does a bang-up job in his directorial debut. Standalone Horror Perfection Like many horror classics before it, The Cabin in the Woods punched above its weight class at the box office. Against a budget of $30 million, it earned $69.9 million, which would normally be enough money to warrant a follow-up film. So far, though, there has been no real talk of Cabin in the Woods 2, leaving the original as a wonderfully singular horror experience that subverted audience expectations in the best possible ways. When Cabin in the Woods came out, it seriously impressed one group that historically hates horror movies: professional film critics. On Rotten Tomatoes , the movie has a rating of 92 percent, with critics praising the film for its clever premise and the easygoing chemistry of the talented cast. They also applauded the movie for being strange, scary, and silly all at once, making it perfect for those who think they have seen everything the spooky movie genre has to show them. A Genre Award Darling While The Cabin in the Woods didn’t win a Golden Globe or an Academy Award, it did take home some pretty major genre-specific accolades, including the Bram Stoker Award for Best Screenplay. It also took home the Saturn Award for Best Horror or Thriller Film. Finally, the movie took home all five of the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards it was nominated for, including Best Wide Release Film and Best Makeup/Creature FX for David LeRoy Anderson’s fiendishly freaky work. As for me, I fell in love with Cabin in the Woods right away because the movie makes an honest exploration of horror tropes a major part of its creative DNA. Without getting into any spoilers, this film sets out to explore the most famous archetypes in the genre while providing a narrative reason for their existence. Fortunately, all the crunchy meta-commentary of this flawless screenplay doesn’t bog down a movie that delivers all of the harrowing kills and creeptasting thrills you’ve come to expect from the genre. Related: Extreme Serial Killer Comedy Is A Gory, Self-Aware, Self-Help Session Gone Wrong REVIEW SCORE Will you agree that Cabin in the Woods is a wildly entertaining meta horror comedy, or will you want to throw this movie in Crystal Lake in favor of a more traditionally scary film? The only way to find out is to stream this disarmingly delightful forest romp and decide for yourself. Love it or hate it, one thing’s for sure: by the time the credits roll, you’ll never look at the horror genre the same way again! Related Topics: Source: https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/cabin-woods-review.html