The Theory:
Structuralism is a theoretical paradigm emphasizing that elements of culture must be understood in terms of their relationship to a larger, overarching system or structure. Alternately, as summarized by philosopher Simon Blackburn, Structuralism is "the belief that phenomena of human life are not intelligible except through their interrelations. These relations constitute a structure, and behind local variations in the surface phenomena there are constant laws of abstract culture".
(courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structuralism)
The Story:
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Technicians Gary Sitterson and Steve Hadley prepare for an operation, one of several taking place around the world, while joking with fellow technician Wendy Lin.
College students Dana Polk, Holden McCrea, Marty Mikalski, Jules Louden, and her boyfriend Curt Vaughan go to a remote cabin in the woods for a vacation. The technicians control the environment the group are in from afar and give them mood-altering drugs to make them more likely to venture into the cellar and do something that will lead to "punishment". The drugs gradually reduce the group's intelligence and awareness, and also increase their libido. After entering the cellar, the group discovers a large assortment of items, including a diary by Patience Buckner, a girl abused by her sadistic family. Reciting an incantation from the diary, Dana inadvertently summons the zombified Buckner family.
Curt and Jules, influenced by more mood-altering drugs, go outside to have sex. The Buckners attack the lovers and kill Jules, but Curt flees to the cabin and informs the group of Jules' death. Marty, who frequently smokes marijuana, becomes paranoid, and believes they are being manipulated. Discovering a hidden camera, Marty thinks that he is on a reality television show, but is attacked and dragged away by one of the Buckners. Holden, Dana, and Curt attempt to flee in their RV, but the technicians are able to trigger a tunnel collapse in time to block their path. Curt attempts to jump a ravine to flee only to crash into an invisible force-field and fall to his death. Realizing that something is unusual about the environment, Dana becomes convinced that Marty's worries about them being manipulated were correct. While driving back to the cabin Holden is killed by a Buckner who has been hiding in the RV. The RV falls into the lake and Dana swims away, only to be attacked by a Buckner on the dock.
The technicians celebrate the completion of the scenario, but a phone call informs them that Marty is still alive. Arriving at the dock, Marty saves Dana. He reveals that he dismembered his assailant after being dragged away, stumbled upon a hidden control box, and was able to access an underground elevator. The technicians realize that Marty is immune to their drugs because of his marijuana habit. Marty and Dana take the elevator down to the lower levels of the facility, passing a variety of imprisoned monsters. One of the monsters carries an item that Dana remembers seeing in the cabin's cellar, and she realizes that the items in the cellar determine which monster will be released. A security team then corners her and Marty, but she uses a control station to release the monsters, which massacre the facility staff. Hadley, Lin, and Sitterson are killed in the carnage. Dana flees to the lower levels of the facility with Marty.
Discovering a temple adorned with large stone tablets, Dana and Marty meet the Director. They are informed that the scenario is to appease the "Ancient Ones" — beings who live beneath the facility and are kept in perpetual slumber through an annual, pars pro toto ritual sacrifice of five young people who embody certain archetypes: the Whore (Jules), the Athlete (Curt), the Scholar (Holden), the Fool (Marty), and the Virgin (Dana). The order in which they die does not matter, as long as the whore is first and the virgin is last, and her death is optional, as long as she suffers. Should the Ancient Ones awake, they will destroy the world. The Director reveals that rituals around the world have been taking place for the same purpose, but each of them failed. The Director urges Dana to kill Marty to complete the ritual. Dana draws a gun on Marty, but is attacked by a werewolf while the Director fights with Marty. Patience Buckner arrives and kills the Director before Marty pushes them both into the Ancient Ones' pit.
Marty forgives Dana for threatening to shoot him. The pair accepts that it might be better for another species to take humanity's place if this is the price of its continued existence. Marty and Dana light a joint and hold hands as the gigantic hand of an Ancient One rises up, destroying the facility and the cabin.
(courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cabin_in_the_Woods)
The Criticism:
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The film works both in its literal sense (a group of friends fall victim to a bizarre ritual sacrifice) and its symbolic nature (a commentary on slowly-deteriorating horror movie conventions and the demands of modern audiences for a change), both which the movie simultaneously conveys to the audience. Perhaps one of its selling factors is that it never fully reveals its true nature only until after the climactic carnage, and manages to not have the viewers spot the conclusion from a mile away. Everything that the characters experience gradually reveal the ultimate reason behind the complicated temperature controls, the need for an elaborate tunnel collapse, and the dependent fate of the final girl, among others. The movie showcases a standard horror movie slowly transitioning into a conspiracy much larger than itself. The thought of a massive organization dedicated to make a yearly effort of luring at least five innocent young souls into an isolated setting and subjecting them to their every whim via various methods of manipulation is very entertaining, as is the case with most “controlled environment” movies.
Just when you think the movie has exposed itself, it goes even further and peels off more from its mask, as if telling the viewers “You haven’t seen anything yet.” The Cabin in the Woods offers a new perspective at the horror genre. To quote the film’s tagline, “If you think you know the story, think again.”
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