Drew Goddard
Quella casa nel bosco

What to say, a great big toy.

In fairness, packaged with meticulous care, that must be acknowledged.

But in the end what much of the criticism has embraced as one of the most innovative horrors in ages or even as the definitive horror of the '00 is nothing more than... a great big toy.

Don't be misled by the Italian title, which is unusually faithful to the original "The Cabin in the Woods", because this is not your typical "haunted house horror" with hackneyed situations scattered throughout the whole movie. Sure, those are present too, but as you've probably read/heard, "The Cabin in the Woods" is a lot more, for better or worse.

And there's certainly plenty of ambition, especially in the script.

The directives? Black comedy (yes, slightly macabre, but not enough for the savvy viewer), supernatural horror and sci-fi.

Unfortunately, however, the feeling I can't shake off after watching is that the multiple souls that characterize the work do not coexist in a mix that is convincing from start to finish.

Moreover, the metacinematic intent that's the basis of the film and constitutes the common thread of all represented situations is not explored properly and often remains at a level of aspiration. At least until about twenty minutes from the end, where many of the aforementioned aspects become a harmonious whole, albeit sacrificing much of the humor, which is hard to reconcile with the more frantic and "dramatic" moments. 

So, you might ask… What's this movie about?

In short: the usual group of cookie-cutter American kids (the big kid, the hot girl, the shy and precious one, the scholar, and the stoner) decide to take a vacation in a beautiful remote cabin that, in the name of the most extreme citation, blatantly resembles a certain house of "Raimi's" memory. Only, as usual, things aren't that simple, and in this case, they're even less so: "that house in the woods" is in fact a place remotely controlled by some technicians and scientists (equipped with cutting-edge technology) who have chosen the unsuspecting young people as sacrificial victims for a mysterious ritual.

So it's sort of a "The Truman Show" in a horror sauce with a joyful splash of erotic innuendos (Anna Hutchison and the wolf's head, just to name one) and humor always teetering between campy American (especially in the first few minutes, where I almost believed I ran into yet another "American Pie" situation) and subtle British.

However, often, as I highlighted before, the skits and gags, especially starring the technicians, two overacting Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford, remain a separate discourse from the kids' adventures.

The latter, up to a certain part of the work (telling you more would ruin many surprises for you, which significantly redeem the film in judgment), indeed seem catapulted into the classic slasher of the moment with the creepy zombie family on their heels...

Here's the main issue with this ambitious toy, which will still likely entertain you, is that it tends to pull all the threads and introduce delicious twists a bit too late, when already the viewer expecting the "meta-horror of the century" smells the stench of a missed opportunity everywhere. One could argue instead that this is precisely the strength of "The Cabin in the Woods", its reshuffling of the deck with a giant twist when we thought we had seen everything.

The choice is yours.

In any case, don't get discouraged and rent/download/watch it somehow because, aside from the highlighted weaknesses, it deserves it.

Especially compared to the dreadful stuff we have been bombarded with lately in the horror genre (with the exception of some French hits like the ruthless and surprising "Martyrs") it is truly a breath of fresh air and rewards the patient viewer. Yes, even the one expecting a big gorefest!

Clearly pales if you try to put it on the same level as milestones of "splatter comedy" like "Evil Dead II" ("La casa 2") and "Braindead" ("Splatters - Gli schizzacervelli") but avoid the comparison and you'll have in your hands a product (a bit too perfect, a bit too calculated but) highly enjoyable.

PS: And then there’s also a Sigourney Weaver you haven’t seen so badass since the "Alien" days!