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Just an archetypical group of friends spending the weekend up at the creepy cabin–what could go wrong? We all know the answer is “everything,” but WHY do we all know that? What is behind the universal horror movie formula? This question of group knowledge of horror movie tropes, and the fates of the characters in them, provides the basis for the 2012 meta horror flick Cabin In the Woods!
When five college friends (Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams) arrive at a remote forest cabin for a little vacation, little do they expect the horrors that await them. One by one, the youths fall victim to backwoods zombies, but there is another factor at play. Two scientists (Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford) are manipulating the ghoulish goings-on, but even as the body count rises, there is yet more at work than meets the eye. The Cabin in the Woods is an astonishing meta-feat, capable of being funny, strange, and scary — frequently all at the same time.
Join Clay and Amanda as they get in to the ins and outs of meta horror, and place bets on a whole tournament bracket’s-worth of classic horror movie monsters (and twiiins). Amazingly, none of them are questionable parenting!
As one of the masters of modern meta storytelling, and well-versed in all the horror tropes after years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon and fellow Buffy-alum Drew Goddard craft a fun look at the “hows” and “whys” of all our favorite horror cliches and tropes, while also providing a sharp look at the relationship between moviemakers who employee these ghastly tropes and the audiences who can’t get enough of the blood they pour down the screen.
So prepare your husband-bulge, get your biggest collapsible bong, pick your favorite murder monster, and place your bets with us…if you DARE!