Interesting take on what is and isn't horror these days... I guess time has eroded the ground out from underneath "real" horror and now all we're left with is a vacant lot.  No trees, no landscaping... just a lagoon where the country club toilets are pipped to.

Would you all consider, say... Wax Work to be horror?  I'd say it's more horror than comedy, but it certainly has its moments of being both.  

Would you all consider Creepshow 1 and 2 to be horror?  Again, I'd say it's more horror, but certainly has both elements.

Cabin In The Woods had very little horror and way, way, way too much intrusive, forced comedy elements to be considered horror.  I'd put this one in the same category as The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.  

OK, 1 by one - Ecto - Shaun of the Dead is not horror.  I don't care what anyone says.  It is obviously not horror and was not marketed as horror.

Stokes - Not sure who you are or why you're jumping in, but I can tell you based on the script of Cabin in the Woods, I despised it...passionately hated it.

Balt, I agree with each of your examples.  I have nothing against horror that has some humor in it.  In fact, I appreciate it.  Maybe peeps on the other side just don't understand how tone makes a total difference.

Hey, I saw this movie and I'm 24! =D

I actually enjoyed it, but I would not say I was one of the people who was blown away by it. It was just fun. Definitely not horror.

It might have had a few horror moments, but overall it was just satire making fun of horror cliches as if all horror movies were made to appease the ancient gods.

I thought it was brilliant. It was a horror film about horror films. It was a great spin on the horror genre and it deconstructed the in the perfect way.

I may be a little biased as this type of script/film is targeted to me, it fits my style and likes perfectly. I'm a huge fan of Whedon and Buffy/Angel and this felt like it could have been right from one of those two shows. It has the same tone, story elements and style. It was a balancing act of different genres and it handled it very well. The cliched aspects of horror movies are clearly present, but they know have rhyme and reason to them. Again, it's the writer's love/hate letter to the horror genre.

I love the references to other horror films, the creativity in the creatures at the end. Yes, I was thinking to myself, why the hell would there be a purge button right there for anyone to push. If it were to be anywhere, at all, it would be in the control room right? I guess you could explain it as everyone needs a "back-up" or "fail-safe" and that was it. I forgave it cause the tone of the script and the amount of havoc it unleashes.

Again, this is the type of script that fits my likes perfectly and I think they nailed it.

-on a side note - the film is awesome. Haven't had that much fun at the movies in a long time.

Quoted from Dreamscale Rick, I don't mean to be patronizing or condescending, but I'll say again, just because a bunch of critics praise a movie, does not mean everyone loves it or that it is indeed great or whatever they're saying about it.  The true test will be how it holds up this coming week and next weekend, and my prediction is that it will flame out quickly and word of mouth will not be positive. But what do I know?

It's a CULT film Dreamscale, CULT film. You cannot by any means justify the quality of the film based on any of the Box Office numbers. If that were the case, Fight Club is crap and Transformers is king. The TRUE TEST, it dvd sales. People who actually want to OWN the film.

I find it hilarious that people are saying this looks like PURE SHIT, when it's not the case. I think it has the right amount of elements in the film to make it original, despite what some jaded people here say. It's hard to be original in Hollywood and in Horror. They managed to do it in the way they nodded their head to the genre.

Finally, yes, it can be classified as horror, despite what the almighty one says.

Quoted from TheUsualSuspect the film is awesome. Haven't had that much fun at the movies in a long time.

I saw it last week. I really enjoyed it, but I made the mistake of taking a gal who I usually only take to the artsy-fartsy type independent films. She thought it sucked.

I thought it played pretty true to the script. Special effects towards the end could've been better, was a bit hokey once the elevator doors start opening releasing all these monsters. And again, I complained about it after reading the script, why the fuck would an outfit like this have a "Purge" button to release all monsters?

Other than that, I really enjoyed it.

James

[quote=TheUsualSuspect]It's a CULT film Dreamscale, CULT film. You cannot by any means justify the quality of the film based on any of the Box Office numbers. If that were the case, Fight Club is crap and Transformers is king. The TRUE TEST, it dvd sales. People who actually want to OWN the film.

I find it hilarious that people are saying this looks like PURE SHIT, when it's not the case. I think it has the right amount of elements in the film to make it original, despite what some jaded people here say. It's hard to be original in Hollywood and in Horror. They managed to do it in the way they nodded their head to the genre.

Finally, yes, it can be classified as horror, despite what the almighty one says. /quote]

Fight Club is crap.  No clue why anyone thinks otherwise.

Everyone has an opinion.  The proof is in the results.  Cabin will turn a profit, surprisingly, but it will also be viewed as a disappointment, and DVD/Blu Ray sales/rentals will not change that.

I think you gotta keep a number of things in mind here.  The movie was filmed in 2009 - that's 3 years ago, meaning the $30 Million budget was put up over 3 years ago.  That's alot of lost interest/return.  Marketing and word of mouth have been quite large and expensive.  The results are a failure.  The word of mouth from the paying audience is a disaster.

This thing will appeal to a certain mentality of a fanboy, and if that happens to be you, Usual, that's great.  Sit through it a few more times, as they need the BO monies badly, and you can see how it holds up to repeat viewings.

The Almighty has spoken.

I should give the script a read sometime, see what the fuss is about!

Also,

Quoted from Dreamscale Fight Club is crap.  No clue why anyone thinks otherwise.

Oh! I really have to disagree with you here. That movie was mind blowing (see what I did there? ). Some people might see it as the average flick, but to classify it as crap? After all the crap that's shown in cinemas these days?

Sorry Jeff, I thought Fight Club rocked. You WILL find yourself on an island with that argument...

James

Quoted from jwent6688 Sorry Jeff, I thought Fight Club rocked. You WILL find yourself on an island with that argument...James

I know, but at least it's my little island.

I've tried time and time again to get through Fight Club, and haven't made it yet.  It's 1 of those movies that really turns me off, and I find it incredibly irritating and grating.

I know it's a much loved film and that fine and cool.  Ain't my cup of tea.

Interesting that people think this is a 'cult' film. One that came about two weeks ago, produced and written by one of the most powerful people in Hollywood and has been marketed and distributed globally.

Quoted from Dreamscale Fight Club is crap.  No clue why anyone thinks otherwise.

You mentioned how you've never finished the flick. I don't understand how you can make that statement and then say that you've never finished it and don't see why people love it.

Quoted Text Everyone has an opinion.  The proof is in the results.  Cabin will turn a profit, surprisingly, but it will also be viewed as a disappointment, and DVD/Blu Ray sales/rentals will not change that.

Incorrect. Almost every Kevin Smith flick makes profit from the DVD sales. He has a cult following. Whedon does as well, which is why Serenity did better in DVD sales than in theatres. Cabin will do the same.

Quoted Text This thing will appeal to a certain mentality of a fanboy, and if that happens to be you, Usual, that's great.  Sit through it a few more times, as they need the BO monies badly, and you can see how it holds up to repeat viewings.

Sit through it once and I'll start listening to what you have to say.

Onto Basketcase (hate that movie  )

How is Whedon one of the most powerful people in Hollywood? All but one of his TV shows was canceled and his big screen adaptation of Firefly didn't perform well at the boxoffice. He landed The Avengers gig, which is getting good reviews and WILL make lots of money, but this does not make him a powerful player in Hollywood. It makes him a powerful player among the audience.

So for a film to be considered a cult film, it can't be released by "Hollywood Studio Type People"? That's a stretch.

Quoted from TheUsualSuspect You mentioned how you've never finished the flick. I don't understand how you can make that statement and then say that you've never finished it and don't see why people love it.

Dude, I've tried.  I've tried at least 5 times, and it's so irritating an weak, I bale.

Quoted from TheUsualSuspect Incorrect. Almost every Kevin Smith flick makes profit from the DVD sales. He has a cult following. Whedon does as well, which is why Serenity did better in DVD sales than in theatres. Cabin will do the same.

We'll see.  I realize serenity sold some 2 million DVD's, but that was back in 2006, when downloading wasn't nearly what it is today.  It's also really tough to get a real gauge on what selling 2 million units really means in terms of returns to the movie (Production team, whatever).  Obviously, a $20 sale doesn't equate to $20 for the Producer or Distributor.

But then again, it's totally unclear what $60 Million in WW Box Office revenue really means for a $30 Million Production.  I really wish there was a way to figure the whole thing out, but I doubt that will ever happen.

We can both have out own thoughts on the success or failure of a given movie, but at the end of the day, I highly doubt any movie insiders will say they're happy with Cabin's theatrical performance.

Quoted from TheUsualSuspect Sit through it once and I'll start listening to what you have to say.

Son as it hits DVD, I'll give it a view, but if it plays out anythign remotely like Zombieland or Shaun of the Dead, I can guarantee you I'll fucking hate it.

Whedon's pretty damn powerful, Usual. The fact that stuff like Dollhouse makes it anywhere near a TV screen is an indicator of how much sway he has.

I'm not a hater, btw. I like some of his stuff.

Quoted from TheUsualSuspect So for a film to be considered a cult film, it can't be released by "Hollywood Studio Type People"? That's a stretch.

  

Hmm, Bit of selective quoting going on there. While a Hollywood Studio movie can eventually become a 'cult film', are opinions and what makes a 'cult film' are very different.

In general thought a Cult Film was something that gained popularity over time, usually against the odds (The original Wicker Man, Rocky Horror) Sometimes mainstream films (like Showgirls) become cult in that 'so bad it's good' way. Or exceptionally low budget backyard films like The Evil Dead are cult for obvious reasons.

I don't see Cabin in the Woods being a part of things like that, but that's just me.

There's an old saying that is "Anyone can get a show on TV, it's keeping it on the air, that's the hard part".

I love Whedon, Buffy is my favourite television show of all time, I think what he accomplished with it is genius. I love Angel and Firefly, the film Serenity and yes, Cabin in the Woods. I'm a huge Joss Whedon fan.

But to say he's one of the most powerful people in Hollywood? No chance in hell. After the Avengers, he'll definitely have some power, but still not as much as you'd think.